A study of Chinese language teachers' curriculum beliefs on the teaching of classical Chinese in mainland China's senior high schools = 中國內地高中語文教師文言文教學的課程信念研究

Abstract

Study of Classical Chinese teaching has always been a hot issue in Chinese education. TIMSS curriculum framework is adopted to explore Chinese language teachers’ curriculum beliefs on the Classical Chinese in mainland China’s senior high school: intended curriculum (syllabus, college entrance examination, textbooks),implemented curriculum (teaching practice), and attained curriculum (students’ performance and students' attitudes). The pilot study is conducted in a common high school in Shan Dong Province, semi-structured interviews and class observation are adopted to collect 4 teacher participants and 6 student participants to identify the applicable of research questions and interviews’ content.Case study is applied to analyze teachers' curriculum beliefs in a demonstrative high school in Beijing, 10 teacher participants (12 teachers in this school in total) and 24 student participants are recruited to take part in a 3-month case study. Semi-structured interview (36 clips in total), class observation (23 tapes collected) and text analysis are used in this study. The detailed analysis of teachers’ curriculum beliefs is based on how they narrate content knowledge and implement the content knowledge;students’ status in senior high school education is taken into consideration to analyze how and why they narrate the content knowledge. Based on teachers’ definition and attitudes towards Classical Chinese during analysis of interview content, 10 teachers could be divided into 3 categories: academic-oriented teacher; individual-oriented teacher; teaching- oriented teacher.Generally, academic-oriented teachcers are novice teachers or between novice and experienced teachers;in similarity with the academic process when analyze and handle with the content knowledge; individual-oriented and teaching-oriented teachers both are experienced teachers,the former ones are intended to analyze content knowledge from individual interest,but not always transfer this cognition into practice; occupation characteristics and context are taken into consideration by the latter ones. These three teachers differ in the analysis and practice of relationship between general content knowledge (mainly the intended currirulum content) and specific content knowledge. Via the analysis of students’ interviews and paper materials, general content knowledge in different stages will influence students’ level of Classical Chinese knowledge.To some extent,students’ specific content knowledge depends on how they choose and expand teaching content from the individual demands.The findings of this study will contribute to the improvement of Classical Chinese related teacher training, curriculum reform and school policy.