Chinese universities should play a leading role in marriage and love education

Building a new type of marriage and childbearing culture is an important part of creating a social atmosphere friendly to marriage and childbearing. While emphasizing "vigorously advocating positive outlooks on love and marriage, childbearing, and family" in the "Several Measures on Accelerating the Improvement of Policies Supporting Marriage and Childbearing and Promoting the Construction of a Marriage - and - Childbearing - Friendly Society" issued by the General Office of the State Council, it is proposed for the first time to "strengthen education on national conditions and population policies, and integrate relevant content into primary, secondary, and higher education."

The author's recent research findings show that contemporary college students, as the main force of future marriage and childbearing, have undergone significant changes in their marriage concepts. For example, 56.9% of students said they do not want to be in a relationship at present. It is worth noting that the main reason they are unwilling to be in a relationship is that they do not know how to allocate time to balance study and relationships. This result indicates that due to the lack of systematic and scientific love and marriage education, college students' understanding of emotional relationships is relatively vague.

Correctly dealing with love and marriage is one of the important life lessons, which is closely related to the growth and maturity of college students' personalities. On the issue of love and marriage, if college students can receive systematic answers and scientific guidance, it can not only help them acquire emotional communication skills and relevant scientific knowledge about love and marriage, but also guide them to establish correct outlooks on life, values, and marriage, and enhance their emotional management and communication skills, laying the foundation for enjoying intimate relationships and a happy life in the future.

From the characteristics of the college student group, guiding them to establish correct outlooks on love and marriage lies in doing a good job in school love and marriage education. However, the current love and marriage education is significantly lacking in the school field. Research findings show that 82% of college students report that their schools do not offer love and marriage courses; only 2.51% of college students have taken love and marriage courses; 65.99% of college students hope that their schools will offer love and marriage courses.

Colleges and universities are the main places for college students to receive scientific knowledge education and also important places for college students to fall in love. Therefore, colleges and universities should fully play the role of bridges and main positions in love and marriage education. By offering love and marriage education courses, they should undertake the responsibility of conducting love and marriage education for college students. From the opinions and suggestions of college students summarized in the research, college students expect that the love and marriage education courses in colleges and universities preferably take the form of elective courses, are aimed at senior - year students, and adopt a mixed teaching method combining online and offline. Through the form of "analyzing cases," knowledge is taught, and through the form of "self - narrative," classes are concluded. At the same time, they most hope to acquire knowledge in aspects such as gender communication.

Colleges and universities should offer love and marriage courses and do a good job in college students' love and marriage education, which can strengthen the guidance of young people's outlooks on love and marriage, childbearing, and family, thereby fostering a new type of marriage and childbearing culture. To better create college love and marriage education courses and help college students establish correct outlooks on love and marriage, the author puts forward the following suggestions:

First, integrate love and marriage education courses into the university's elective course system. In light of the actual increase in college students' demand for love and marriage education, colleges and universities can set up love and marriage education courses based on actual demand. Through a combination of theoretical teaching and case analysis, students can learn and reflect in "real - life situations," helping them improve their ability to correctly understand love and marriage and manage romantic relationships, thereby better preparing for future love and marriage life. According to students' actual needs, teaching content is arranged in stages. For example, for junior - year students of this major, focus on teaching human physiology, psychology, ethics, and other aspects; for senior - year students of this major and graduate students, through case analysis and group discussion, teach knowledge in aspects such as gender communication and intimate relationship maintenance.

Second, adopt a mixed teaching method combining online and offline, and flexibly use non - traditional forms to carry out love and marriage education. For example, use network course platforms to record love and marriage - related courses, create special network love and marriage education platforms, facilitate students' free learning and communication with teachers. Moreover, innovate course assessment methods. For example, explore the form of analyzing real - life cases for course conclusion assessment, thereby enhancing the interest and practicality of the courses, allowing students to improve their love and marriage qualities through college love and marriage education.

Third, establish a course feedback mechanism and allow students to anonymously evaluate courses. College teaching management departments and teachers improve courses based on student evaluations to ensure the value of the courses and truly achieve the goal of cultivating students' correct outlooks on love and marriage.

Fourth, relevant government departments and colleges and universities should pay attention to strengthening the training of love and marriage education teachers. For example, improve teachers' professional levels and teaching abilities through training, further education, etc.; establish special funds to support teachers' participation in ideological and political education training and research activities related to love and marriage education.

Fifth, colleges and universities, families, and society should jointly promote love and marriage education. Since college students not only live on campus, families and society should form a joint force with colleges and universities to systematically impart love and marriage knowledge. Families should focus on conveying correct outlooks on love and marriage and good family traditions, helping college students button the "first button." Society should strengthen the publicity and interpretation of population and childbearing policies, focusing on creating a healthy and positive marriage and childbearing culture atmosphere.