Study on the Institutional Change of Early Childhood Education Quality Assurance in China: From the Perspective of Historical Institutionalism

Abstract

This study discusses the institutional change of Chinese early childhood education quality assurance institution (ECEQAI) from the three dimensions of the perspective of historical institutionalism of that refer to the external environment, dynamic mechanism containing with nation-market-society, and the invisible ideology of the institutional change. Chinese ECEQAI was divided into five historical periods, which were 17 years after the founding of China (1949-1966), the Great Cultural Revolution (GCR) period (1966-1976), the early stage of Reform and Opening-up (RO) (1976-1995), the social change period (1995-2010) and the new period (2010-now). This study also concludes five separate change models for Chinese ECEQAI that correspond to the five periods. The first was a compulsory and gradual institutional change model influenced by the Soviet model and dominated by national power. The second was compulsory and radical change model controlled by the counter-revolutionary group. The third was a compulsory and gradual institutional change model dominated by national power. The fourth was induced and gradual<sup>①</sup> institutional change model driven by market power and forced by society power. The fifth was a compulsory and gradual institutional change model led by national power and forced by society power. Finally, the future change direction of China’s ECEQAI was further pointed out, that was the government-leading and tend to balanced three-pole power model of “Nation-Market-Society”, as well as the “three-pole power relationship” of indepth communication and positive interaction.