Understanding China’s curriculum reform for the 21st century

Law, Wing-Wah

Abstract: This article uses curriculum-making frameworks to analyze and reconstruct the Chinese curriculum-making model and unpack the dynamics, complexity and constraints of China’s curriculum reform since the early 1990s. It argues that curriculum reform is China’s main human capital development strategy for coping with the challenges of the 21st century, and that the state plays an important role in the reform of curriculum-making mechanisms and in the social distribution of knowledge, skills and dispositions through curriculum making. Data are drawn from a discourse analysis of public texts, such as official documents and curriculum standards. This study has four major findings. First, China uses curriculum reform as a key strategy to counter manpower-related global challenges and to empower the country in the 21st century. Second, to this end, China has re-oriented its curriculum making from a state-dominated model to one that is state-led, expert-assisted and evidence-based. Third, China’s new curriculum reflects the increasing tension between globalization and nationalism; while preparing its students to compete globally, China also urges them to identify with and take pride in the nation’s achievements and culture. Fourth, Chinese curriculum reform for the 21st century may not unfold as the state expects, as it is constrained by curricular and extra-curricular factors.

Key words: China;curriculum reform;globalization;nationalism state

总结：本文使用的课程决策的框架来分析，重建了中国的课程决策模型，并且压缩中国的从90年代初期开始的课程改革的动态性，复杂性和限制。他认为，课程改革是中国应对主要人力资本发展战略的21世纪的挑战，同时，国家在课程决策机制改革以及在知识，技能和通过社会分配的课程决策中扮演重要角色。数据来自公开文献，如官方文件和课程标准的文字分析。这项研究有四个主要结果。首先，中国使用的课程改革，以应对人力的全球性挑战，并授权中国在21实际的重要战略。二，中国已重新导向从国家主导的模式，一个是国家主道的课程决策，专家辅助和以证据为基础的模式。三，中国的新课程体现了全球化和民族主义之间日益紧张的关系，同时为学生参与全球竞争，中国也敦促他们认同并引以为豪的民族成就和文化。四，中国的课程改革在21世纪可能不会展开为国家所期望的那样，因为它是由课内和课外因素共同制约的。

来源:Journal of Curriculum Studies. May2014, Vol. 46 Issue 3, p332-360. 29p.