Journal of East China Normal University(Educationa ›› 2016, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (2): 62-67.doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2016.02.008

• Basic theory of Education (教育基本理论) • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research on the Occurrence Mechanism of Education Needs

ZHANG Yang   

  1. The College of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
  • Online:2016-05-20 Published:2016-07-05
  • Contact: ZHANG Yang
  • About author:ZHANG Yang

Abstract: Throughout the concurrent history of human and education and in the context of modern society, It's been a common belief that any person's growth and development cannot do without education. Education is becoming more and more valued either at the state, community or individual level. Although sometimes people may oppose, hate or reject education, they still have their education needs. This kind of phenomenon shows that people need valuable education on the one hand; on the other hand, it indicates that education need should have a reasonable boundary. It’s true that people are dependent on education. The problems with education arise not only from the objective aspects of a country and society, but also from the subjective aspect of people's education need. Education need is not the synonyms for education, and researches on education need show that the educational researchers are awakening again. At the microcosmic level, this research discusses the basis, conditions and process of the occurrence of the individual education needs. First of all, the basis of the individual education need is the need of cognition and self-actualization. According to Maslow, cognitive need characterized by objectivity, apriority and independence is very important for people. Maslow suggested that cognitive need includes the desire of understanding, systematization, organization, analysis, seeking contact and craving significance, and these desires form a small hierarchical relationship. Moreover, cognitive need is limitless and its expanding process involves happiness and anxiety. Cognitive need is not simply placed in the hierarchy of needs, but can be expressed at different levels. It is not only the way to get the basic security in the world, but also the expression of the self realization. Everyone has a need for self-actualization, which is a desire for self-fulfillment and an aptitude to make people realize their potentials. This aptitude helps enable a person to become more and more unique and anyone he can be. Secondly, the social and cultural environment and the need for core others is the objective precondition for the need occurrence. The development of self-consciousness is the subjective core conditions. Core others refer to those who have a direct impact on a person in the process of individual education needs, including significant others. The process of individual education needs should be the process of showing, enriching and realizing education needs gradually. This could rely on self maturity and regulation on the basis of respect for individual cognition and self actualization by influencing from the reasonable educational needs of the “core others” in the objective environment. Finally, there are five stages for process: (a) initial display and gradual enhancement of cognitive needs and self-actualization; (b) the emergence of obstacles to development and the gradual emergence of the education needs from caregivers as the core others; (c) the occurrence of schooling and the involvement of teachers as other core others; (d) emergence of need conflicts and enhancement of development barriers and self realization needs; and (e) the gradual strengthening of self adjustment and the improvement of autonomy and consciousness and so on.