Journal of Education and Culture Studies
Journal of Education and Culture Studies (JECS) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by the Scholink. It aims to promote excellence through dissemination of high-quality research findings, specialist knowledge, and discussion of professional issues that reflect the diversity of this field. The journal publishes original research papers, case reports, and review articles. Both of online submission and E-mail submission (jecs@scholink.org) are acceptable. The online version of the journal is free to access and download. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The journal includes, but is not limited to the following fields: English education Education method Cultural studies Cultural history Arts and Leadership Educational technology Religions Films and fashions Communication studies Political science English literature and linguistics Gender and education Training, teaching and learning Translation Open access: Journal of Education and Culture Studies is available online to the reader "without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself." Peer review: Journal of Education and Culture Studies takes peer review policy. Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people of similar competence to the producers of the work (peers).
Authors who publish with this journal must agree to the following terms: Copyrights for articles published in our are retained by the authors. Authors should promise that their works are entirely original, and all the references in their works should be appropriately cited or quoted. The works have not been published previously. The behavior of submitting the same work to other journals is unacceptable. The journal editor has the right to edit the format of works.
Seeking Wholeness: Talismanic Patterns and Rituals in Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck’s fiction is widely recognized for its allegorical and expressionist qualities, yet the relationship between symbolic objects and ritualized behavior in Of Mice and Men has received comparatively little attention. Drawing on Todd M. Lieber’s theory of talismanic patterns together with Steinbeck’s reflections on symbolism and monism in The Log from the Sea of Cortez, this article examines three recurring talismans in the novella—soft things, the dream ranch, and the brush—and the rituals through which they acquire psychological and spiritual significance. Lennie’s compulsive petting, George’s repeated narration of the ranch dream, and the sacrificial killing in the brush are interpreted as ritual performances that enable the characters to project values onto material objects, affirm threatened identities, and seek reunion with a larger natural whole. By analyzing the interaction between talismans and rituals, this article argues that Steinbeck’s expressionism is grounded not only in symbolic imagery but also in repetitive performative acts that reveal his ecological monism and his understanding of humanity’s persistent longing for wholeness.
Copyright (c) 2026 Huijie Zhang http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Bamboo in the Linpan of Western Sichuan—An Examination Centered on the Period from the Ming Dynasty to Modern Times
Thanks to its long history of agricultural abundance, Sichuan has been known as Tianfu since ancient times. And at the core of this Tianfu lies Linpan. Within Linpan, bamboo is yet another essential element. Grown as a kind of cash crop there, bamboo is put to many uses—everyday tools, farm-related handicrafts, and cultural products tied to agriculture. All these uses have helped shape a farming culture that's deeply rooted in Linpan. On top of that, bamboo is woven into the daily routines of local residents, and has long been a favorite subject for scholars and poets to pour out their emotions. As the economy kept growing, bamboo and its processed goods gradually gave rise to what's now called the bamboo forest economy—one that carries the distinct imprint of Linpan's farming traditions, thereby preserving and even broadening those traditions. In more recent times, bamboo products have been combined with tourism and cultural activities, leading to a new kind of bamboo culture. But the truth is, in many places, these bamboo products and the cultural heritage around them haven't been properly safeguarded or handed down over the years. The recent push for the "Bamboo Instead of Plastic" initiative has injected fresh energy into bamboo's future. Still, we're left with the pressing task of how to revive and redefine bamboo's cultural significance.
Copyright (c) 2026 Xiaolin Liao http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Research on the Presentation and Optimization Strategies of Chinese Cultural Elements in College English Textbooks
Against the backdrop of national cultural development and curriculum-based ideological and political education, college English textbooks bear dual missions of language instruction and international communication of Chinese culture. This paper takes full sets of freshman and sophomore general college English textbooks from mainstream domestic publishers as qualitative research samples. Guided by Culturally Responsive Teaching theory and Byram’ s nine-theme textbook evaluation framework, this study adopts documentary research and qualitative text categorization to analyze three tiers of Chinese cultural materials. The text sorting reveals three core defects: Western cultural contents dominate textbooks, three categories of Chinese culture are unevenly distributed, and listening-reading input tasks are disconnected from oral-writing output exercises. Rooted in textbook compilation concepts, single assessment standards and insufficient teachers’ cultural literacy, this paper constructs a three-dimensional improvement system. Balancing cultural proportions, enriching multi-level cultural themes and designing targeted output tasks can maximize textbooks’ cultural education value. Distinct from previous macroscopic discussions lacking textual verification, this study provides operable suggestions for textbook revision and school-based teaching material development.
Copyright (c) 2026 Runhui Wang http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Research on the Causes and Countermeasures of the Lack of Learning Enthusiasm of College Students in the New Era
This paper systematically analyzes the main factors affecting college students' learning enthusiasm from the aspects of college students' unclear learning motivation, teachers' ideological and moral character and professional quality, teacher-student relationship, school software and hardware management and social atmosphere guidance, and summarizes the reasons for the lack of learning enthusiasm of college students in the new era. On this basis, it is proposed that students should establish correct learning awareness and improve self-regulation and self-control ability; teachers should improve their self-cultivation and actively explore the innovation of education and teaching methods; the school should pay attention to the construction of the overall learning atmosphere and style of study. Through the organic combination of the three modules of students, teachers and schools, students' learning initiative is stimulated and their all-round development is promoted.
Copyright (c) 2026 Xulin Peng, Yuheng Guo http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0