PE research activities in educational institutions have entered a stage of planned and organized implementation. Research findings are continuously applied as the scientific basis for PE development, or as reference to policy making of administrative departments. The China National Institute of Educational Research under the Ministry of Education has set up Research Center of Physical and Health Education in Schools. The China Education Society, China Society of Higher Education and China Society of Sports Science have also set up successively research association of PE in educational institutions. Inline with the deve1opmental trends of PE in the world and in combination with PE theory and practice in China, outlines of research projects are formulated and listed into the national plan for educational research£® At the same time, scientific research institutes on education and physical education at provincial level have also set up research teams or deployed special research staffs. Education administrative departments at county level and above all have PE teaching research staff. Institutions of higher learning have research section £¨office£© on PE teaching, while secondary schools or big primary schools also have PE teaching research groups. Therefore, PE scientific and teaching research in educational institutions has formed up a network with vertica1 transition and horizontal linkage. This network has carried out in-depth research into all aspects of PE in educational institutions, such as its guiding principles, objectives, teaching, training, teaching, training, extra-curriculum physical exercises, students' physique and health.
Impressive achievements have been reached. For example, in 1985-86, Ministry of Education, State sports Commission, State Commission for Minority Affairs and Ministry of public Health jointly launched a research project on students' physique and health£® Some 1,279 investigation points were established in 29 provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities, with exception of only Taiwan province. These investigation points conducted large-scale examination on 20 indicators on physical shape, function, and physique of students aged between 7 to 22 years old of 28 ethnic groups out of the total of 56 in China. They also checked about 9 types of common disease. Nearly one million students were targeted. Based upon analytical research into the acquired 15 million original data, some hundreds of papers were turned out, and compiled into a book, namely "Research on the Physique and Health of Chinese Students", which has served as the most valuable scientific source for research in this field. This project, together with its findings, has been granted the Second National Award of Progress in Science and Technology. It has far-reaching significance on promotion of scientific research on PE in educational institutions of China, and on improvement of the physique and health of the nation as a whole.
PE in educational institutions of China is now undergoing prosperous development. Based on its own experiences and lessons, it will absorb continuously advanced experiences from other countries, and contribute, as it can, to the establishment and improvement of PE system in line with China's situation, and contribute to cultivation of socialist builders for the 21st century. |
