An evaluation of the large-scale senior secondary science curriculum reform in China

Abstract

This thesis aims to evaluate the new large-scale science curriculum in China. The large-scale reform changes curriculum, pedagogical content and assessment methods from 2016. This reform raises a concept new in China called ‘core competencies’ which intends to have a major change in curriculum and education system. The evaluation of this study aligns with the three-level curriculum framework: intended, implemented, and attained, which focuses on national context of this reform, experience from participators of this reform, including principals, teachers, and students.
A mix-method approach was employed in this study to better explore and evaluate the reform at different levels. For the intended curriculum, qualitative documentary analysis of official documents, curriculum standards, and textbooks could raise a context of this reform. For the implemented curriculum, perceptions of principals and teachers come to be vital for evaluation. Thus, interviews and thematic analysis can elicit their in-depth beliefs and attitudes. For the attained curriculum, Quantitative students’ science-related attitudes questionnaire data and qualitative interview data are collected to concrete what students is experiencing and evaluate the reform at the student level.
The research findings indicate that during the early stages of reform, policymaking still followed the pattern of the previous curriculum reform, taking into full consideration the current political, economic, and social factors in China and attempting to establish curriculum standards and comprehensive evaluation systems based on core competencies. However, these policies were not effectively translated into textbooks and school-based curricula. School principals need to balance the relationship between school management and curriculum leadership, facing many difficulties in implementing the new curriculum. Regarding the new curriculum, teachers are mainly limited to their understanding of subject teaching content and classroom management. In contrast, students have a more positive attitude towards the new curriculum reform; there are gender differences and grade differences in their science-related attitudes, but they are positive-minded.