ERIC Number: EJ1110757
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Aug
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1573-1812
EISSN: N/A
Teacher Agency and School-Based Curriculum in China's Non-Elite Schools
Tan, Charlene
Journal of Educational Change, v17 n3 p287-302 Aug 2016
Mainland China has been embarking on a nation-wide education reform as part of its modernisation project for the past few decades. A relatively under-researched topic is teacher agency in non-elite schools where educators critically shape their reactions to new situations brought about by the reform. Focussing on the introduction of school-based curriculum in China, this article discusses how some educators from non-elite schools respond strategically to new opportunities and resources by promoting indigenous knowledge via engaging teaching methods. The essay illustrates, through two examples, how non-elite schools seek to provide the best kind of education available to their students by integrating Confucian and ethnic cultures into the formal curriculum. China's experience demonstrates the exercise of teacher agency that arises from the interplay of human efforts, available capital and contingent factors. It also highlights the potential of utilising indigenous sources and synthesising them with non-local sources as part of implementing education reform.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Educational Change, Curriculum Development, Indigenous Knowledge, Teaching Methods, Asian Culture, Cultural Influences, Confucianism, Culturally Relevant Education
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A