6. Content Analysis of Chinese Civics Textbooks 1 Presentation
8.1 Challenges and Possibilities for Future Research
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8. Conclusion
8.1 Challenges and Possibilities for Future Research
One of the major challenges in pursuing this type of research project lies in accessing primary sources. Obtaining copies of certain textbooks from the Japanese colonial period are at best difficult, and at worst impossible. This highlights one of the primary shortcomings of this study, which is the sample size. Additionally, ethics texts from the Japanese colonial period and civics texts from the KMT era are only one part of moral education in Taiwan. While these texts were the core of moral education during these time periods, ethics and civics are fundamentally different. This study opted for a wide variety of civics and ethics texts in order to take a broad view of moral education in Taiwan from 1920-1960. Future studies could be improved by using more complete sets of texts, where available. In addition, the time period could be expanded in order to better incorporate change over time and obtain a more comprehensive picture of moral education in Taiwan. Language barriers present another challenge, as the scholars best equipped to study Taiwanese history may not publish in English and vice versa. Yet this challenge will always exist, and the shortcomings of this study could best be overcome by enlarging the sample size and expanding the historical time frame.
First, it is recognized that a small sample size can distort the findings of any study, and this one is no exception. While the more obvious characteristics and broader trends are noted, this study is really intended to serve as a base from to which to further investigate moral education in Taiwan. In future studies, other textbooks that contain significant amounts of moral content could also be incorporated into the sample. This could help to overcome lack of access to certain texts. In addition, ethics and civics as standalone courses were not always part of the curriculum during the Japanese colonial period as well as after WWII. For instance, in the early years of the Japanese colonial period, moral content was incorporated into the Japanese language readers and there were no
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standalone ethics texts. Similarly, ethics as a standalone course was not part of the KMT’s national curriculum in the decade after WWII, but this would change in the 1960s with the publication of the Civics and Morality (gōngmín yǔ dàodé 公民與道德) series of textbooks. Expanding the sample size will allow for a much more comprehensive investigation of moral education in Taiwan. Textbooks aside, supplementary materials such as teachers’ manuals could also be utilized. Another possibility might involve comparing national curriculum standards with the actuality of textbook content. While this study opted to focus almost exclusively on textbook content, many other textbook studies include detailed studies of national curriculum reform in order to track change over time.
Lastly, the time frame could also be adjusted in order to better examine change over time or to focus on a more clearly-defined historical period. The time period being covered in this study (1920-1960) covers the later years of the Japanese colonial period and the early years of KMT rule. The political situation of these regimes and the challenges they faced changed over time, and this also can distort the findings of the study to some extent. To say that 1920-1945 and 1945-1960 accurately represent moral education under the Japanese and KMT regimes respectively is unfair. However, this period is of interest because it covers an important transition in Taiwanese history. That being said, expanding the time frame of the study can allow for a more balanced view of moral education under both regimes. All in all, this study is simply a beginning, and there are many possibilities for more comprehensive comparative studies of Taiwan’s moral education.
8.2 Conclusion
In Taiwan and many other Asian societies, moral self-cultivation has traditionally been an important part, if not the primary goal, of education. This reflects the strong influence of Chinese culture and Confucian thought. Over the course of the 20th century though, moral education in Taiwan was reshaped by the Japanese colonial government and the KMT regime. When taking a broad look at these two regimes and their policies, a few similarities become apparent. Both regimes were foreign (i.e. having origins outside of
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Taiwan), both regimes at one point or another were governing Taiwan under wartime conditions, and both Japanese and Chinese culture were heavily influenced by Confucian thought, specifically with regard to education.
In light of this, it is not surprising that both ethics and civics textbooks stress many of the same values. While patriotism is the most prominent of these shared values, there are several others, including obedience, responsibility, and filial piety. The portrayal of the Japanese and Chinese ethnic groups in both sets of texts also highlights the importance that both regimes placed on the promotion of nationalism. The portrayal of boys and girls also upholds support for traditional gender roles.
Despite the resemblances, closer analysis of the textbooks reveals that there are far more differences. The political ideology in the Chinese civics texts is unrelenting. Moral values are largely relegated to the hidden curriculum and/or serve to support KMT ideology.
This is likely why far more content is devoted to obedience than to any other value.
Nationalistic patriotism also accounts for a significant amount of content, and there is also much emphasis on filial piety and reinforcing the importance of family relationships.
A small number of other values, such as responsibility and cooperation, are also given attention. Ultimately though, there is little variety in terms of moral content and it is largely used to support regime goals, such as the promotion of a Sino-centric identity, anti-communist ideology, and the legitimization of the KMT.
Conversely, the Japanese ethics texts present a wide array of moral values. While political ideology is of course present, it is not as pervasive and overbearing as it is in the civics texts. Patriotism and loyalty to the emperor are the strongest themes within the texts, reflecting the legacy of contemporary educational theory and the belief that patriotism and loyalty to the emperor should be the basis of Japanese nationalism. Diligence and persistence are also important virtues, followed by others such as empathy, civic virtue, responsibility, etc. Like the civics texts though, moral values are also used to support regime goals, such as creating loyal and patriotic imperial citizens, and creating a population willing to work with the colonial government.
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After the end of WWII, the removal of Japanese influence was one of the educational goals of the KMT regime. It was decided that Taiwanese were not ready for full-fledged democracy because of the lingering influence of Japanese ‘slave education.’ Looking back though, many Taiwanese who had received Japanese education remember it fondly.
Also, as mentioned in the literature review, surveys have shown that ethics class in particular was viewed favorably and also viewed as having a positive and lasting impact on one’s life. Memories do change over time, and the sharp contrast between Japanese and Chinese moral education may also have contributed to this phenomenon.
In spite of all the differences, perhaps the strongest common thread connecting prewar and postwar moral education is the emphasis on collectivism over individualism. In both sets of texts, patriotism, responsibility, filial piety, etc. are all used to remind students that they belong to a group. The nation, society, family, neighbors, school, etc. are all examples of such groups. The texts also reinforce the idea that the group is more important than the self. The Chinese texts place stress on the nation, family, and one’s role within these groups. The Japanese texts focus on the nation as well, but they also emphasize individual sacrifice for the sake of the group, and in general encourage children to first think about others in society so as not to inconvenience them. Ultimately, both sets of texts stress collectivism and group identity, devalue individualism, and encourage students to place more importance on the success of the group than individual achievement. This differs greatly from Western cultural values such as individual freedom and personal achievement. While impossible to ascertain for sure, perhaps the commonalities among Japanese and Chinese moral education have in some small way contributed to the peace, stability, and high level of social capital which characterize Taiwanese society today.
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