How Character Education Is Conducted in China

Yali Zhao
Department of Social Science Education
The University of Georgia

presented at the 82^nd Annual Conference of NCSS

 

Abstract:

This paper examines the variety of extracurricular activities conducted in Chinese schools to promote students’ character development. The paper suggests that these activities may often have strong political sense, it is generally effective to cultivate students’ character traits, improve academic performance and develop a sense of social responsibility. The underlying principles for these activities are mentioned and some problems are also discussed.

Introduction

  Character education has been a hot topic in the past decade in American public schools. Although many states and schools have initiated character education programs, politicians, educators, social workers and the public are still arguing whether character education should be conducted in schools and how it should be conducted (Nash, 1997; Molnar, 1997). China, as a country traditionally emphasizing value/moral education, has recently attracted much attention from researchers both in China and the U.S. These researchers delved deeply into Chinese moral educational system and some have made critical comparison of Chinese moral education with that of America (Julie Qiu, Bao, 1998; Belinda Yun-ying Louie, 1996; Vwe Gielen, 1990). Most of these recent studies are concerned with the moral/political nature, moral education curriculum, moral values promoted in schools, problems and challenges in present moral education, few dealt with what actually is done in Chinese schools to promote character, especially through extracurricular activity, which composes a large part of students’ life and plays a very important role in molding character. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how a variety of extracurricular activities are conducted at Chinese school at all levels to promote moral character. I hope this paper will help American educators better understand Chinese schools, students and activities they are often involved in and how these activities might help students grow.

Character education in China

Character education in this article refers to: moral/value education, civic education, political-ideological education, patriotic education, labor education and skills training, psychological quality education or quality/competence education, terminologies used by different people and often emphasized at different time in the past two decades in China.

Unlike the situation in the U.S., character education in China has always been deliberately pursued by the government and schools, and overt and strenuous efforts are made to influence the development of desirable character traits among its young people and to maintain social control. This political feature has led to a specific moral character education curriculum through k-12 and guidelines for college and graduate students. The implementation of the curriculum is carried out through three major channels: moral/ideological education class, other school subjects, and extracurricular activities that attend to achieving the moral/ideological goals. Character education is essentially integrated into school life at all levels, although k-7 character education emphasizes formation of sound character, civilized behavior, patriotism, personal integrity, mastery of basic knowledge and culture while at 8-16 (eighth grade to college) the emphasis is more politics/ideology-oriented. The “Code of Conduct of Primary School Pupils”, the “Code of Conduct of Secondary School Students” and “Norms of Daily Behaviors for Primary School Pupils” set by the State Education Committee are expected to be observed by all students. Since 1980s, Chinese government has issued over a dozen of documents. These documents set the aims, content, basic requirements, principles and implementation methods for character education.

Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping’s Theory serve as the theoretical guidelines while “Five Loves" (love the motherland, love the people, love labor, love science and love socialism) form the basic contents of Chinese character education. Although the current education reform (transition from exam-oriented education to quality-oriented education) aims to cultivate all-round individuals with initiative, self-independence and competitive spirit, the "Five Loves" are still the guiding principles of character education at all school levels.

Extracurricular activities are conducted to promote character

By extracurricular activities, I mean any kind of activities out of class and school. These activities are often initiated by the government or schools, and supported by students, families and communities. The goal of these activities generally is to enrich students’ life and implement the principle of “Five Loves”.

Ÿ         Holiday Activities

  As character education is the primary purpose of education, the Chinese government and schools are using every opportunity to educate young people. Holidays are such opportunities to conduct character education, and because in conducting character education, the school leadership assumes all-round responsibility, together with the party, administration, Trade Union, the Young Pioneer and Youth League work in coordination as well as support from parents, these activities can be implemented very successfully. The following part lists the most commonly celebrated holidays and activities widely held at Chinese schools.

Lei Feng’s Day (March, 5^th):  As a soldier who was diligent, obedient, loyal to the Party and committed to serving the people, Lei Feng has been used as a role model for socialization and character education in China for nearly forty years. Although students and adults are called to learn from Lei Feng all the year around, lots of special activities will be organized at this time. The school leadership, the Young Pioneers, the Communist Youth League, student associations and communities are all involved in these activities.  Cleaning the streets, beautifying the environment, helping the aged and the disabled, visiting soldiers/traffic policemen and families who have members serving in the army, doing good to teachers and classmates, donating money to people in need, these are the most common good things most students do at this time. Often at this time, Lei-Feng-like behavior will be highly praised while selfish behavior will be criticized. Although Lei Feng has been exaggerated for political socialization purpose, learning-from -Lei-Feng activities have indeed inspired young people to be less concerned about self-interests but think more of the other people. Serving the people and working for the common good have become many young people’ conscious act.

Women’s Day (March, 8): On this day, distinguished women professionals such as scientists, lawyers, athletes and those who achieved great success in spite of physical disease are often invited to schools to give lectures about their success to rouse girls’ sense of self-discipline, self-respect, self-pride and self-strength, and to educate all the students to recognize women’s role and contribution to society.

Tree-Planting Day (March, 12^th): This holiday is to rouse people’s awareness of protecting the environment. Every year at this time, millions of Young Pioneers (age 6 to fourteen), the Youth League members (fourteen above) and college students will be either organized by their schools and their class committee or volunteer to go to parks or specific place to plant trees. Supported by schools, parents and communities, many students actively involve in the “Yellow River Foresting Program” and similar land protection-and-beautification program, and donate money to the program. These activities really help young people to develop the sense of protecting the environment. At the same time they learn to love labor work and cherish the fruits of their work.

Youth Day (May, 4th): This is a time when young people demonstrate their patriotic behavior. Every year at this time, thousands of young people will join in the Communist Youth League or the Communist Party, pledging allegiance to the Party and the motherland. Speech contest, singing and dancing, poem recitation and “giving a loving heart to society” activities are held at all school levels and strongly supported by the school, family and communities. The themes of all these activities are about patriotism and about how young people should contribute to the society.

Labor Day (May 1st): On this day, model workers including scientists, teachers, workers, peasants, medical workers, soldiers and people in all walks of life are highly honored.  Many of them are set as role models and are known to all Chinese people. They are the role models for all students to learn from. Usually at this time, these role models will be invited to schools to give report or students will be organized to visit these people and their workplaces to see how these people make great contribution at their ordinary posts. These role models really inspire millions of young people to grow in morality and to be responsible citizen of the country.

Children’s Day (June 1st):  It is a great time for children to have fun, but it is a more important occasion for children to be aware of their responsibility, to start to study hard for the country and be ready to be a citizen with high ideal, morality, integrity and knowledge. Every year on this day, millions of students across the country join in the Young Pioneer and pledge allegiance to the Party and to the country. Singing, dancing, drawing and various activities held on this day all intend to strengthen students’ patriotic sentiments and to cultivate in them good habits in study and life. Children's Day activity in China usually involves the participation of all students, teachers and parents.

Communist Party Birthday and “Hong Kong Return" (July, 1^st): This is a patriotic day. Thousands of young people who perform well politically and academically join in the Party.

Speech, singing and dancing performance, arts show, exhibition are held everywhere on campus. These activities are often organized by the school Party leadership, student associations or class committees. The contents of these activities are usually about the past and present  China and how young people should engage in the great cause of reunifying China.

Teacher’s Day (September 10th): This is a day when the whole society show their gratitude and respect to teachers. Usually students will send gratitude cards to teachers or volunteer to do some good things to teachers. Short plays and songs praising the teachers are performed by students. Schools are trying to create a climate that students respect the teachers and the teachers care for the students.

 The National Day (October, 1^st): This is the most important holiday to celebrate the great achievements of the country, to urge young people to show care and love for the people, and to strengthen their will to contribute more to the society. Most schools will use this occasion to hold poem and singing contest, speech contest and arts shows to help students identify their values and strengthen their patriotic spirit. Students are also organized or encouraged to visit revolutionary history museum, hero and martyrs cemeteries and historical sites to strengthen their patriotic spirit. Students will also be organized to see the exhibition of the achievement of the country.

  All these holidays are celebrated on a nationwide scale, and although quite often the activities held on these days have strong political sense, these activities have been very effective in building up student character and helping them develop a strong sense of responsibility to their families, their schools, their communities and the country. 

School Rituals and Interest Groups

  The development of collectivism and a sense of responsibility often begins with various activities at school. Almost all Chinese schools engage in certain forms of ceremonies or rituals, and use these ceremonies to help students grow in morality, conduct, discipline and life attitude.

As patriotism is the crucial element of moral character education, a flag-raising ceremony is held every morning, when all the students and teachers stand solemnly on schoolyard singing the National Anthem and saluting the flag.

School assemblies and class meetings are held once or twice every week. Students who perform well are praised or rewarded, and problems are discussed. Students are constantly reminded of responsibility as a student and are encouraged to be good and helpful to others.

Morning exercise is a school activity that requires all students’ participation. Regular broadcasting physical exercise contest will be held between schools, grades and classes.   This is a time for students to refresh from study work, to strengthen their body and to build up their collective spirit.

  Enrollment ceremonies for new students, coming-of-age ceremonies for fourteen-year-olds and eighteen-year-olds, “Three-Good-students” Reward meeting, graduation ceremonies are held in many schools. These ceremonies often greatly inspire students to develop a strong love for their school, a strong sense of social responsibility and a strong will to better the country.

  To cultivate a sense of responsibility and love of labor work, Chinese schools require everyone, whether primary or middle school students or graduates, doing certain amount of labor work each week. Students are on duty everyday and they are expected to erase the blackboard for teachers and clean classrooms and the schoolyard. Also, to help students develop a sense of national defense and build up a strong character,  many schools organize students to participate in several weeks’ military training.

  These activities make students love their classes, their schools, develop a good habit of labor, observe the rules and realize their social responsibility.

  Nowadays various interest group activities formulate a large part of students’ life at school and after school. Interest groups such as orchestra, band, chorus singing, dancing, arts, calligraphy, literary writing, poem composition and recitation, chess and physical training, scientific experiment are important channels for developing students interests and character. These activities are organized by schools and Youth Palace. There are a lot of expert teachers responsible for all these activities. These activities not only greatly enrich students’ life but also help them develop character traits and cultivate in them the spirit of cooperation and competition. These activities prove to be very effective in improving students’ academic performance as well.

  In China, various campus cultural and sports activity is a very important part of school life and an effective way to develop the sentiments of “Five Loves”. Character education is not only for primary and secondary school students, but permeates into college life as well.

  Chinese schools usually will try to create a school climate that will involve all students in participation and foster in them a sense of collectivism. At Chinese schools,  there is ten or twenty minutes recess between classes and two-hour break at noon. Since  most schools have schoolyard/ playground, students have much time to communicate with each other and this gives them great opportunities to conduct various sports activities or to arrange cultural activities. These activities are either initiated by the school or by the home teacher, or by students themselves. These activities, no doubt, greatly help develop and strengthen students’ friendship and enrich students school life.

  Most Chinese college and graduate students are living on campus, therefore, students have great opportunities to involve themselves in the school activities. Schoolwide sports meetings are held twice a year, and sports activities are on school playground everyday. A great variety of cultural festival activities are rich in content and from. In most schools from primary school to college, artwork, calligraphy, handicrafts, photographic works produced by students themselves are exhibited, speech contest, singing and dancing performance are frequent. All these activities are intended to enrich students’ life and develop in them love for the country and being proud to be Chinese. This is a time to demonstrate personal ability and intelligence, but more of how collectivism and positive life attitude could be formed, since the basic themes of these activities are to rouse young people’s awareness of their social responsibility, to encourage them to participate actively in the socialist construction, and to celebrate the great achievements of the country.

       To enrich students’ extracurricular activity and to strengthen their sentiments of “Five Loves“, many schools, Youth Palace, “Children’ Center, Children and Youth library initiate extracurricular reading activity. Students are recommended and encouraged to read at least “one hundred good books”, books that can help young people to establish correct attitude towards themselves, towards people and the society, books that can inspire them to work hard for the country, books that help them grow intellectually, physically, morally and mentally.

  Social service is an important way that at once strengthens young people’s sense of serving the people and the community and deepen their understanding of social reality. Many students are organized by the Youth League, the Party and students associations to participate in various social practice and service to develop a correct attitude towards community, foster sentiments of love for labor, respect the working people, care for the society, make good suggestions and develop social responsibility.

  Many students, from primary to graduate level, support the “Project Hope”, participate in the “Give-off-Your-Loving-Heart” activity, “Hand-in-Hand” activity and other volunteer services. Many primary and middle school students donate their pocket money and books to those who are at their age but can not afford school or help girls who drop out school because of poverty and prejudice. To provide physical and financial support to the aged, the disabled, the welfare institutions and orphanages, to publicize regulations and laws, to visit poverty area and teach farmers scientific agriculture knowledge, these are some common voluntary work done by many young college students.  These social activities greatly close the distance between students and society and help students grow into a citizen with responsibility and morality.

  In the long past, character education in schools indeed is effective in fostering in students the desired character traits, such as responsibility, collectivism, respect and love for the people and the country, but the challenge nowadays is that quite often this education and its activities are far from students’ practical life, especially when the commercialism and individualism are having so much  influence on student life. Most of the students are the only child in his/her home, and many of them are getting more concerned with their own interests and pursue external pleasure. Many find the values they learn at school are not in accordance with what many people actually practice. This has already caused some confusion in students. Chinese  educational policy makers and educators should consider more abut this problem and continue to engage students in activities that proved to be working well while at the same time make these activities more related to students‘ life.