According to China's investigation, the first modern pedagogy book was General Pedagogy. This book was written by German educator Jofriedrich Herbart and published in 1806. Herbart is a famous psychologist and educator in modern Germany, and is called the father of modern pedagogy. General Pedagogy is recognized as the first modern pedagogic work, which initiated the systematic study of educational phenomena by using scientific methods.

This book comprehensively and systematically expounds the general purpose, task, process, means, content, psychological thought and management of education, especially the moral education theory based on ethics and the teaching theory based on psychology, which laid the foundation for scientific pedagogy and marked the beginning of pedagogy as an independent discipline. Therefore, "General Pedagogy" is regarded as the first modern pedagogy work, which has had a far-reaching impact on the research and practice of pedagogy in later generations.