Abstract:

Since Dewey came to China in 1919 to preach his educational thought of “Child-Centered”, his research has gone through “the first 100 years”. Some general academic consensus has also been established, but there are still many theoretical fog to be further uncovered. The English expression of “Child-Centered” is confused, and the etymological research on it is still lacking. The implication of “center”, “starting point” and “center of gravity” based on different argumentation approaches not only enriches the connotation of “child-centered” theory, but also widens the cognitive divergence. The theoretical tendencies of “Instinct Center”, “Experience Center” and “Life Center” have further increased their complexity. Misplacing the concept of “child-centered” as “child-oriented” may lead to a long-term cognitive dislocation. In addition, with the deepening of the research, whether Dewey is a child-centered theorist or not has become an academic unsolved case that shakes the premise of Dewey’s child-centered research. Solving the “China research’s problems” of Dewey’s “child-centered” is not only a subject of hermeneutics, but also the unity of approach tension and dialectic of “the construction of truth and reality”, as well as a way to create a “Chinese version” of Dewey’s educational thought research.

Key words: John Dewey, child-centered, child-oriented, China research, historical question