Abstract:

Secondary education serves as a pivotal link in the entire school system, wherein a slight adjustment can affect the system as a whole. Simultaneously, secondary education represents an intermediate stage with the most complex contradictions and challenges within the educational structure of any nation or society, often regarded as a “globally unsolved puzzle.” The concept of the “intermediacy” of secondary education is formulated to address this puzzle; it summarizes and articulates the fundamental characteristics, major assumptions, internal contradictions, and developmental approaches of this stage. This paper describes and analyzes the complexity of secondary education and the specific characteristics of the Chinese context. It proposes three major assumptions regarding secondary education and provides an in-depth elaboration of its fundamental contradictions and internal tensions. In particular, the study systematically examines the content, function, and significance of self-identity. The article argues that within the internal contradictions concerning secondary education and the growth process of students, self-identity represents the principal aspect. It is a key factor directly influencing the high-quality development of secondary education and the healthy growth of students. Moreover, self-identity constitutes the theoretical variable with the strongest explanatory power for various phenomena in secondary education and embodies the core connotation of its “intermediacy”. Therefore, helping and guiding students to achieve the phased goals of self-identity in a timely manner is the primary task of secondary education reform and development.

Key words: secondary education, intermediacy, major assumptions, self-identity