Teaching secondary school geography in Shanghai : challenges and prospects for curricular reforms in China
Date
1997
Authors
Marton, Wei
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Abstract
In the context of rapid economic and other reforms, the secondary school curriculum in China has recently undergone major changes. Unified national curriculum materials have been replaced by a variety of newly developed curricula, textbooks, and other teaching materials. This study focuses on a comparative analysis of the development and implementation of the new geography curriculum in secondary schools in Shanghai.
The central research objective was to explore the degree to which changes in the geography curriculum achieved the desired results . The analysis was based on a detailed examination of the new geography textbooks and other teaching materials. Data from a questionnaire of teachers, classroom observations, and formal interviews were utilized to determine the impact of curriculum change on teaching practice. Two city-wide geography examinations were also analyzed to determine their influence on the implementation of the new curriculum. The findings of these investigations are situated in the context of conventional models of curriculum change and a review of the literature regarding the teaching of geography.
The analysis reveals that geography curriculum reform in Shanghai did not have the desired impact on the content and structure of the subject, nor did it have any significant positive affect on geography teaching practice. The nature of the examination system was clearly the dominant influence, both in terms of curricular content and classroom teaching methodologies in secondary school geography. The findings highlight a dichotomy between the intended goals of curriculum reform and the examination system which compelled teachers to cling to the traditional teaching methods of lecturing and rote learning in order for their students to perform well on examinations. Elements of a comprehensive plan for curriculum change, highly sensitive to Chinese circumstances, and which include the provision of adequate resources and professional development for teachers, and a fundamental restructuring of the examinations, are suggested.