In 2020, there were a total of 158,000 primary schools in China, with 18.08 million students enrolled and 107.25 million students attending. As population policies adjust, the demand for primary school teachers is continuously increasing. In the 26 cities of the Yangtze River Delta region, 16 cities experienced net population inflows in 2020. Among them, Shanghai, Suzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Nanjing, and Jiaxing had net population inflows of over one million, mainly concentrated in the southern Jiangsu and Hangzhou Bay areas. This suggests that the net inflow of people from across the country to the Yangtze River Delta, especially the southern Jiangsu area, is driving the rapid expansion of education, particularly in primary education, and intensifying demand for primary school teachers.

Under the backdrop of career mobility, the primary education major is becoming an increasingly popular career choice. Graduates of this major can teach Chinese, mathematics, and English as their main subjects, and science, physical education, and other subjects as their auxiliary subjects. They can also continue their education by pursuing master's and doctoral degrees in education, becoming specialized education researchers.

This major focuses on the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, adhering to an international perspective, Chinese characteristics, and the Jiangnan style. It leverages the disciplinary integration and student-oriented advantages of Jiangnan University to create a new teaching concept for comprehensive university primary education majors, which emphasizes the combination of culture, science, and art with teaching. The major has condensed a comprehensive university talent development reform plan for primary education personnel that emphasizes interdisciplinary cross-collaboration and wide-ranging talent cultivation. The program focuses on core competencies for teacher candidates, and expands "education plus" and "+ education" domains and resources through project-driven and curriculum-integration approaches. The major has also innovated a "multi-platform collaboration, integrated cultivation" system for teacher education practice at the comprehensive university level. Based on platforms such as the National University Cultural Quality Education Base, the Ministry of Education's President and Teacher Training Center, the Provincial "Internet + Education" Center, the Curriculum Reform Pilot Area (Wuxi), and the Learning and Teaching Laboratory, it has built a collaborative teacher education innovation experimental zone, which solidifies the practice path of theoretical-practical interaction, pre-service and in-service integration, and school-community cooperation and prosperity.

The major has also created "Hu Pan Xing Tan," "Liangxi Reading Club," and "Xuelang Talk Forum," inviting nationally renowned teachers, education experts, and scholars to share their educational stories, strengthening professional identity. It emphasizes mentorship and professional tradition education, guiding students to love learning and teaching. The program has also established the "Xingzhi Volunteer Service Group" and the "Jiangnan National Studies Society," carrying out practical activities such as "Western Teachings Support," "Student Action," and "Rural Reading," embodying the mission of "patriotism, achievement, and dedication." It relies on "Xingzhi Experimental Class," "Learning and Teaching Laboratory," and "One Forum, One Meeting, One Salon" to form cross-disciplinary mentor groups, using scientific research, innovation and entrepreneurship, and social practice as driving forces to cultivate students' problem awareness and exploration abilities.

Training Objectives

This program adheres to the foundation of China and focuses on the Yangtze River Delta region. It aims to cultivate outstanding primary school teachers with a sincere passion for education, high professional ethics, rich educational theories, broad knowledge structures, excellent teaching skills, solid research capabilities, and a global perspective. Additionally, it aims to nurture high-level talents in education and teaching research with great development potential.

Main Courses

Core courses include Educational Principles

General Psychology

Educational Psychology

Curriculum and Instruction

Research Methods in Education

Chinese and Foreign Education History

Elementary Chinese Teaching and Research

Elementary Mathematics Teaching and Research

Psychological Counseling for Elementary Students

Development of STEM Curriculum for Elementary Schools

Intelligent Education in Elementary Schools

Foundations and Applications of Educational Neuroscience

Career Prospects after Graduation

(1) Further Studies: Graduates have the opportunity to be recommended for admission to prestigious domestic universities to pursue master's degrees without taking entrance exams, or to apply for graduate programs at domestic and foreign universities. In recent years, the rate of graduates pursuing further studies has been above 25%, and the proportion of students pursuing advanced research at top universities both domestically and internationally has been increasing. These universities include Peking University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Fudan University, East China Normal University, Huazhong Normal University, University of Passau in Germany, University of Virginia in the United States, and other renowned institutions. The study environment for elementary education majors is excellent, and there have been cases where four undergraduate students from the same dormitory were admitted to Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and Xiamen University simultaneously.

(2) Employment Opportunities: Graduates mainly engage in elementary school teaching, educational research, and educational teaching research management. The employment rate of graduates has remained stable at over 94%. More graduates choose to work in key elementary schools in the Yangtze River Delta region, primarily in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. The number of graduates working in elementary education in districts such as Fengxian and Jinshan in Shanghai, Wuxi and Suzhou in Jiangsu has been increasing year by year. In 2015, graduate Wang Dewei was awarded the title of "National Advanced Individual in Poverty Alleviation" and received an audience with General Secretary Xi Jinping. Student Chen Lili was awarded the "Wuxi May Day Labor Medal". Jin Qi and other graduates were selected three times for the "China-UK Mathematics Teacher Exchange Program" in Shanghai and went to the UK to teach (a total of five people).