Ideological shifts in the education of adults in China, 1949-1986

The educational policy for adults in China has fluctuated over the 40-year period since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The purpose of this study will include the effects on adult education of ideological shifts in the underlying educational philosophy related to social and political development in China during the three identifiable key periods of change associated with the re-building and development of the nation from 1949 to 1986; namely, (1) 1949-1966, the beginning of the Communist Era; (2) 1966-1976, the Cultural revolution period; (3) 1976-1986, the period after the Cultural Revolution.In many cases, the development of Chinese education for adults has been quite irregular due to political upheavals. Marxist principles of education have been felt in China to be difficult to integrate with the developmental needs of the country. Commitment to adult education as an important element of the development pattern has been high, but political struggle has seriously hampered educational expansion. The struggle within the high-level leadership seems to have been the most direct reason for ideological shifts over the 37 year period