A Psychological Research on Characters in Middle School Chinese Textbooks in China

Abstract: This study made a statistical study and analysis of the Chinese textbooks for six-year-system students. The results showed: (1) in terms of nationality, the number of characters of the Han nationality was 4 times as many as that of minority nationalities. 74.3 per cent of the students can’t tell the differences. In comparison, in primary school Chinese textbooks (The People’s Education Press, in 1993)[1], the progress had been made without doubt; (2) in terms of countries, the number of Chinese characters was 3.98 times as many as that of foreigners and the description of foreigners did not meet well the requirement of times development; (3) in terms of genders, characters of male were 2.4 times as many as female; (4) in terms of live environment, the proportion of the characters living in ancient was 46.7%. So the description of the contemporary and rural circumstance was not enough;(5) concerning identity and occupation, they focus on men of letters and so on, but pay little attention to ordinary people occupation