Conceptualization and implementation of affective education in China'sGuangzhou: a case study

Abstract

Affective domain is believed globally to be one of the main areas of human experience and development. While affective education is generally valued as a significant aspect of education, its interpretation and realization may vary across countries and cultures. The primary purpose of the present research is to investigate how affective education is conceptualized and implemented in contemporary China. To achieve such an aim, a qualitative case study was conducted in the capital city of Guangdong Province- Guangzhou. A middle school in the city with uniqueness in its practice of affective education was selected as the case school for study. Fieldwork was carried out from the year of 2005 to 2007 to investigate the perceptions of school leaders, teachers and students about the concept and practice of affective education. Multiple methods were employed in this research. Data were drawn from in-depth interviews with the present and former school principal, Communist Party Secretary at school, teachers and students of the school. Evidence was also collected via on-site observations, analysis of textbooks, learning materials and school documents. A shadowing approach of observation to the principal was also launched. A total of 42 informants were interviewed and 25 sessions of participant and non-participant observations were conducted in the campus. Different sources of the data were categorized, thematically analyzed, and triangulated. The functions, content elements and the practice of affective education were identified. Findings showed that affective education was implemented in the name of Meiyu which meant aesthetic education in its broadest sense. The salient functions and content of Meiyu as affective education were closely related to character formation and Chinese traditional values as well as political ideology. An essential feature of centralized management of affective education in a collectivistic culture was also illuminated in the study. The findings revealed the essential class teachers' pastoral task of being role models for character development and providing comprehensive care and support to individual student and at class level. It was also affirmed that time-honoured moral values were particularly dominant for creating school climate in a Chinese context. The provision of affective education as shown in this study involved a direct concern for the moral development of students. Playing the role as an agent imparting moral values, affective education in China cultivates a unique affective experience- Chinese affect to nurture moral individuals with the ultimate goal of serving the interests of the collective. The unique approach of implementing affective education in a Chinese pastoral care structure also witnesses the tension of regulation of self versus liberation of self. While this study reaffirms mainland theorists' framework about affective moral education, it also informs the extant theories of affective education that though affective education in the East and the West are concerned about enhancing students' affective development, they differ much in their emphasis. ; published_or_final_version ; Education ; Doctoral ; Doctor of Philosophy