A Comparative Study of Social Studies in Elementary Schools of China and Japan: A Perspective of Social Cognition Education Theory

Author: Guo Wenxia
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The check-and-balance relationship between officials and the public in Japan has determined that "society" possesses characteristics distinct from "morality." Social studies are designed to provide children with opportunities to face social realities, integrate their understanding of social knowledge, and experience subjective judgment, attitude formation, and participation in social practices. They also aim to inspire children to reflect on the value of practical actions in the context of certain social issues, fostering the social attitudes necessary for citizens in a democratic society. Thus, while not denying the ethical nature of social studies, their role as a core subject in building Japan's democratic society is ensured.
China's long-standing accumulated self-awareness of society and its responsibility for moral education have led to a lack of theoretical construction for moral education and social studies from the perspective of "society" and related humanities and social sciences theories. In fact, social cognition serves as a crucial basis for the scientific and rationalization of moral judgment and behavior. Social cognition encompasses not only social knowledge but also the cognitive activities involved in acquiring it. The value and forward-looking nature of social cognition determine that the social literacy of the cognitive subject must include the ability to judge, make choices, practice, and create. Therefore, we must emphasize the social development in personality development, which is also a fundamental issue that moral education and social studies courses need to address.
The object of social cognition is people, their activities, and their creations. Correspondingly, the object of social understanding is "what people are" (knowledge-based social understanding), "what people should be" (value-based social understanding), and "what people might be" (practice-oriented social understanding). The knowledge level and nature of social studies teaching are divided into: factual narration knowledge, factual explanation knowledge, individual evaluation knowledge, conceptual explanation knowledge, general evaluation knowledge, and normative knowledge. This forms seven types of social studies teaching models: fact-based instruction, conceptual injection, conceptual exploration, value injection, value understanding, conceptual-value injection, and conceptual-value exploration.
Social studies are regarded as an important traditional resource in the new curriculum of moral education and social studies. From the perspective of social cognition education theory, the value and rich experiential resources inherent in the "society" subject are explored, providing new dimensions for the construction and development of moral education and social studies courses. A historical and developmental review of social studies in primary schools in China and Japan is conducted, offering in-depth comparative analysis of the establishment and development, fundamental principles, curriculum objectives, knowledge base, textbooks, and teaching methods of primary school social studies. The intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics and patterns that define the essence of social studies, as well as the relationship between social studies and humanities and social sciences, are highlighted. In particular, the logical representation of fundamental categories such as the state, society, and citizens in social studies is examined, enriching the theoretical research on social studies in China and filling the gap in comparative education research in this field.
Furthermore, it holds significant theoretical and practical value for the construction of comprehensive liberal arts courses and the development of moral education and social studies courses in China's new round of basic education curriculum reforms, addressing a key and challenging issue in this reform.