在激进与保守之间：论杜威在华的角色转换-清华大学教育研究

文章信息/Info

Title:: Between the Radical and the Conservative：On the Different Roles of John Dewey during his Chinese Visit

Author(s):: Liu Xing Shi Ke-can; Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University

Keywords:: John Dewey; Hu Shi; May Fourth Movement; Beijing Higher Normal School; the Department of Education

摘要:: 杜威的教育理论与五四运动的风潮高度贴合，这使得杜威本人对中国抱有很深的感情。但随着运动的发展，杜威遭逢了严重的欠薪危机，让他的心绪在当年陷入了低潮。为筹措资金，胡适引入更多的社会团体，也在客观上扩大了杜威的影响力。杜威自1920年4月后主动调整自身角色，在南北两高师承担了更为系统的学术性课程。在北高师，他的“教育哲学”课程更是持续了整个学年，为中国教育学科的发展奠定了基础。但杜威的这一转变和整个中国日趋激进的社会氛围并不协调，也不符合大多数时人对杜威的想象，他本人不善演讲的弱点和理论中偏“保守”的一面也逐渐展现了出来。杜威对中国教育的影响当以1920年4月为界：在此以前，他深度介入学生运动，成为时代的弄潮儿；在此以后，他明显转向了学院授课，注重对教育学学科建设。这两个矛盾的面向相辅相成，是杜威能够持久影响中国教育的重要原因之一。

Abstract:: John Dewey’s educational theories were highly attuned to the May Fourth Movement, bringing Dewey a deep affection for China. However, as the movement developed, Dewey was hit by a severe crisis of unpaid salaries, sending his heart into a downward spiral that year. In this situation, Hu Shi solicited funds from a number of social groups, which objectively expanded Dewey’s influence. From April 1920 onwards, Dewey adjusted his role and took on a more systematic and academic program at both Beijing and Nanjing Higher Normal Schools. In Beijing, his course on Philosophy of Education lasted for the entire academic year and laid the foundation for the development of Pedagogy in China. But Dewey’s change did not coincide with China’s increasingly radical social climate at the time, nor with most people’s expectations of him. His own weaknesses as a poor speaker and the conservative side of his theory also gradually emerged. Dewey’s influence on Chinese education is defined by April 1920: before then, he was a theoretical leader involved in the student movement; afterwards, he clearly shifted to teaching at the academy, focusing on the discipline of Pedagogy. The complementarity of these two contradictory orientations is the key reason for Dewey’s lasting influence on Chinese education.