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.