magazinelogo

The Educational Review, USA

ISSN Print: 2575-7938 Downloads: 420931 Total View: 4668910
Frequency: monthly ISSN Online: 2575-7946 CODEN: TERUBB
Email: edu@hillpublisher.com
Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2022.08.004

Examining Changes in Preschool Education Policy since the Reform and Opening up in China: A Historical Institutionalism Perspective

Xiaofei Yu

1School of Education, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China.

2Center for International Education, Philippine Christian University, the Philippines.

*Corresponding author: Xiaofei Yu

Published: August 16,2022

Abstract

After 40 years of practice and exploration and accumulation of experience in reform and opening up, the development of preschool education in China has embarked on a new journey of inheriting the past and opening up the future. The research methods and analytical paradigms of historical institutionalism can help to understand the historical changes in preschool education policies, adjust and formulate preschool education policiesat present, and shapetheir developmentin the future. We found that the interaction between institutions, concepts, and interests is a key factor in the change of preschool education policies in China. To promote the development and improvement of preschool education policies, we must attach importance to the study at the conceptual level and the promotion and dissemination of new concepts. Policy makers are advised to adopt a gradual change model, and attention should be paid to the “threshold effect” of the contradictions between the inside and outside of the preschool education policy to avoid destructive ruptures in the system; When studying and formulating preschool education policies, the changes that may be caused by preschool education policies as independent variables and dependent variables should be considered.

References

China Preschool Education Research Association. (1999). Compilation of Important Documents on Early Childhood Education of the People’s Republic of China. Beijing: Beijing Normal University Press.

China State Council. (2010a). Outline of the National Medium and Long-Term Education Reform and Development Plan (2010-2020). Retrieved July 14, 2022 http://old.moe.gov.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/moe/info_list/201407 /xxgk_171904.html.

China State Council. (2010b). Several Opinions of the State Council on the Current Development of Preschool Education. Retrieved July 14, 2022. http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2010-11/24/content_1752377.htm. 

China State Council. (2018). Several Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Deepening the Reform and Standardizing Development of Preschool Education. Retrieved July 14, 2022 http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2018-11/15/content_5340776.htm.

He, J. (2002). Structure, history and behavior—The analytical paradigm of historical institutionalism. Foreign Social Sciences, 5: 25-33. 

He, J. (2004). Structure, history, and behavior—The reconstruction of political science by historical institutionalism. Shanghai: Fudan University Press, 2004: 171-172. 

He, Q. (1999). History of the People's Republic of China. Beijing: Higher Education Press, 1999: 261-263.

Hu, B. (2012). Historical institutionalism and its value in the study of contemporary Chinese issues. Hebei Journal, 3: 196-199. 

Immergut, E. M. and Anderson, K. M. (2008). Historical institutionalism and west European politics. West European Politics, 31(1-2), 345-369.

Jia, Y. (2016). Research on the change of preschool education policy in Beijing—Analysis based on gradualism model. Ph.D. Thesis, Beijing: Capital University of Economics and Business.

Kickert, W. J. and Van Der Meer, F. B. (2011). Small, slow, and gradual reform: What can historical institutionalism teach us? International Journal of Public Administration, 34(8), 475-485.

Liu, S. (2010). Historical institutionalism: A comparative history of institutional changes research. Shanghai: Shanghai People’s Publishing House.

Liu, Z. (2018). Reform and development and policy changes of preschool education forty years. PreschoolEducation, 12: 3-9. 

Ministry of Education. (1997). Implementation Opinions on the Development Goals of the National Early Childhood Education “Ninth Five-Year Plan”. Retrieved July 14, 2022 http:/ /old.moe.gov.cn//publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/moe/s3327/201001/xx gk_81983.html.

Ministry of Education. (2001). Outline of Kindergarten Education Guidance (Trial) (2001). Retrieved July 14, 2022. http://old.moe.gov.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/moe/moe_309/ 200412/1506.html. 

Ministry of Education. (2003). Tthe guiding opinions on the reform and development of early childhood education. Retrieved July 14, 2022 http://www.mof.gov.cn/gp/xxgkml/kjs/2008 06/t20080624_2499115.html.2003.

Pang, L. and Hong, X. (2012). China Preschool Education Development Report. Beijing: Beijing Normal University Press.

Peters, B. G. (2019). Institutional theory in political science: The new institutionalism. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Smith, R. M. (1995). Ideas, Institutions, and Strategic Choice. Polity, 28(1), 135-140. 

Wang, B. (2017). Historical Institutionalism and Methodological Thinking on the History of Educational Policy in my country. Journal of Henan University (Social Science Edition), 1: 136-141. 

Yang, D. (2006). The ideal and reality of educational equity in China. Beijing: Peking University Press, 2006: 65.

Zhuang, D. (2008). On the triple significance of historical institutionalism to policy research. Theoretical Discussion, 5, 142-146.

How to cite this paper

Examining Changes in Preschool Education Policy since the Reform and Opening up in China: A Historical Institutionalism Perspective

How to cite this paper: Xiaofei Yu. (2022). Examining Changes in Preschool Education Policy since the Reform and Opening up in China: A Historical Institutionalism Perspective. The Educational Review, USA6(8), 346-355.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2022.08.004