PHILOSOPHICAL SPECULATION AND MEANING-MAKING: THE VALUE OF THE PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN MOVEMENT FOR CHINESE LANGUAGE TEACHING

Since the development of the Philosophy for Children (P4C) movement by such scholars as Matthew Lipman, there has been a wide interest and application around the world. This is slowly being applied in China as well. In terms of theoretical research, P4C entered China in 1976. Practical application of P4C has also gradually increased. However, there has been little interaction between researchers and front-line teachers. This research will contend that the P4C theory and practice are now increasingly important, as they can aid Chinese education reform to meet the goals of the 2022 version of the Chinese Curriculum Standards. It will show both theoretical and practical ways in which P4C can help Chinese language teachers improve the quality of their classes and foster the development of creativity, critical thinking, and reading ability. Submitted: 01 May 2025 Accepted: 12 December 2025