美国教育家孟禄教授首次访华与民初教育改革

The First Visit of Professor Paul Monroe(an American Educator)to China and Education Reform in the Early Chinese Republic

孟禄是20世纪初期世界知名的美国教育学者,他在有关各国教育历史发展的著作中曾经评述中国传统教育,并在民国时期来华数次。过去学界多研究他在1921年访华之后对于中国学制改革(1922年壬戊学制)的影响,其实早在民国初建之后(1913年),他便首次来华考察江苏中小学校,并对当地教育领袖黄炎培建议必须改善科学教育。他的言论促使黄氏其后积极宣扬和实践教育实用主义,为中国教育近代化发展指明了新的方向。

Paul Monroe was a well-known American scholar in education during the early 20th century. In his publication on the history of education in many countries, he gave comments on education in traditional China and he also visited China several times during the republican period. Scholars in the past had particular studies on his second visit to China in 1921 ,chiefly because it had very significant impact on Chi- na＇s reform in its education system in 1922. However, it should be noted that Monroe first visited China in 1913, shortly after the Chinese Republic had been set up. In that year,he conducted surveys in many prima- ry and secondary schools in Jiangsu,and,most significantly, put forward his views on reform in science education in China when he met Huang Yanpei,the leading educator in that province. Subsequently,Monroe＇s views fostered Huang to promote as well as implement pragmatism remarkably in education and hence developed a new trend in the process of modernization in China＇s education.