本研究主要探討日治時期臺灣的初等教育，以「實生活」作為探討的焦點。日本明治維新時期，福澤諭吉主張獨立自尊的個人觀點，能將習得的知識運用於實生活之中，而這也影響日本1872年《學制》的發布。1879年發布《教學聖旨》，為避免與民眾實生活脫離，農商子弟能回歸本業，小學校、中學校可因土地的情況開設特定課程，而這些特定課程通常是「實科」課程。隨著日本資本主義和產業的進一步發展，此時如要實現生活自理自主，尋求職業工作便成為必要，而這也是資本主義社會實生活的樣貌。在統治臺灣之前，日本已確立小學校教授生活必要事項之知識技能，以達實用的教育觀點，臺灣的公學校與教育所同樣延續此教育觀點，確立以生活必須的知識技能教學為主。但在臺灣的「實生活」，並非臺灣人的傳統生活型態，而是日本式的近代生活型態，因而此教育的本質仍是殖民同化教育。此延伸出兩種意涵，一是兒童本就從生活周遭開始認識起，反映在教科書的內容需符應兒童所能認知到的生活世界；二是此知識技能在學校畢業後能謀得維生的職業，因而在課程中有實科和實業科。

This article mainly discusses Taiwan’s primary education during the Japanese colonial period, taking “real life” as the focus of discussion. During the Meiji Restoration period in Japan, Fukuzawa Yukichi advocated a self reliant personal perspective which applies knowledge to real life, and t his perspective influenced Japan’s school system in 1872. Not long after, the “Edict on Teaching” was issued in 1879. In order to avoid being separated from people’s real lives and allowing students to return to be farmers and merchants, primary and secondary schools could offer specific subjects based on local social conditions, and these specific subjects were usually vocational subjects. With the further development of Japan’s capitalism and industry, it became necessary to seek an occupation in order to achieve self-care and independence in life. This was generally considered to be what real life in a capitalist society would be . Before ruling Taiwan, Japan had already established a pragmatic educational perspective in primary schools to teach knowledge and skills that are necessary for daily life. However, under Japan’s governance, “real life” in Taiwan was not the traditional lifestyle of Taiwanese people, but instead the Japanese modern lifestyle. Therefore, it is arguable that the essence of education at the time was for the purpose of colonial assimilation . Taiwan’s public schools and educational institutions continued this educational perspective and established the teaching of knowledge and skills necessary for daily life as the main focus. This extends to two meanings: the first was that children begin to understand their surroundings, which was reflected in the content of textbooks; And the second was that there were vocational and industrial subjects in the school and to obtain an occupation.