Insights from Dewey's Pragmatic Educational Thought for Family Education in China

Abstract

Family is the first classroom of life. Family education directly shapes adolescents' thinking patterns and worldviews and indirectly affects the prospects of the nation and society. In China, family education often neglects its distinctive role and functions, either becoming a mere extension of school education or echoing it uncritically. As a result, many children grow up amid improper or absent family education. Dewey's pragmatic education, marked by openness, continuity, and practicality, provides an apt guide for family education in China and helps it fulfill its relatively independent educational functions.