Educational Policy Transfer in China’s Vocational Education, 1895-1922

Abstract

Educational policy transfer has become one of the most important themes in contemporary educational research, but it has not been explored fully in the field of vocational education. China has long been a recipient country of vocational education systems or elements borrowed from developed countries and international organizations. Although the current intensity of the debate over these issues is unparalleled in recent years, there are similar debates in modern China. This is particularly the case in the period from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China. Very few studies have examined China’s borrowing of the Japanese vocational education model in modern China. From the perspective of educational policy transfer, this study investigates the period in China’s vocational education history between 1895 to 1922, when the Japanese vocational education model was adopted. This case serves as a unique example in educational transfer research, where historical sources offer the possibility of testing the applicability of theoretical frameworks of educational policy transfer. Published historical primary sources, including government documents, journals, newspapers, diaries, letters, speeches, and demographic records on participation were extensively collected and critically reviewed to analyse China’s borrowing of Japanese vocational education historically. The study presents some of the current methodological issues regarding the analysis and comprehension of educational policy transfer, with particular emphasis on the issue of structure and agency. It suggests some shortcomings of current educational policy transfer research in dealing with the complex interaction between structure and agency. To fill those voids, drawing from Archer’s morphogenetic approach, an alternative theoretical framework of educational policy transfer is presented. It is hoped that this original theoretical framework will aid in analysing educational policy transfer and open up a new methodological and theoretical space for future educational policy transfer research.