Chinese primary school mathematics teachers working in a centralised curriculum system
A case study of two primary schools in North‐East China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11919141 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yunpeng Ma (0009-0008-9629-1549), Ma Yun‐peng, Chi‐Chung Lam (Chinese University of Hong Kong, corresponding author), Lam Chi‐chung, Ngai‐ying Wong (Chinese University of Hong Kong), Wong Ngai‐ying |
| Year | 2006 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 197-212 |
| Publication date | 2006-06-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Compare A Journal of Comparative and International Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-7925 • E-ISSN: 1469-3623 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03057920600741206 |
| OpenAlex | W2164188623 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 11 |
Mainland China has a highly centralised curriculum development system. A study of two schools in northeast China, one in a rural area and the other in an urban area, indicates that the primary mathematics curriculum has been widely adopted by teachers at the classroom level. Feeling the intense pressure generated by the national mathematics Olympiad,1 1. The mathematics Olympiad is a type of ‘extracurricular’ activity that aims to promote students' interest and improve their ability in mathematics. Students participating in the competition are required to complete some challenging and non‐routine mathematical operations. The international mathematics Olympiad is held every year. In Mainland China, this competition is commonly organised at city, provincial and national level. Students who perform exceptionally well are exempted from the highly competitive national university entrance examinations for entry to universities teachers in the urban school tended to give more difficult mathematics problems to their students in the hope that above‐average students would perform well in the competition. In the rural school, the ability of students was more varied and generally lower. Teachers there worked very hard to push their students to meet the national requirements. The driving force behind this was the county‐wide public examination in which students' performance was taken as an indicator of teachers' competence. Teachers in both schools also have not taken effective steps to adapt the curriculum for students' individual differences. A comparison of the practices between the teachers in the two schools suggests that teachers' beliefs, their professional knowledge and skills shape their inclination and ability in curriculum adaptation and differentiation
China · Competence (human resources · Competition (biology · Connected Mathematics · Core-Plus Mathematics Project · Curriculum · Feeling · Mainland China · Mathematics education · Olympiad · Pedagogy · Political science · Reform mathematics · School teachers · Global Educational Reforms and Inequalities · Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques · Psychology · School Choice and Performance
Tracing teachers’ change of pedagogical design capacity through professional development
Understanding the Ecologies of Education Reforms
Influence of centralized curriculum on Chinese beginning teachers' geometry lessons
The dilemma of time
Characteristics and causes of China's mathematics teaching paradigm
Teaching transformation under centralized curriculum and teacher learning community
Changes in the curriculum adaptation skills of teachers as a result of professional development support
Change in beliefs after first-year of teaching
The knowledge-based versus student-centred debate on quality education
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2008 - 2025 (18) |
| Highly cited | No |