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UBC Theses and Dissertations

Teacher empowerment and China's curriculum reform : to what extent do teachers feel empowered by Chinese curriculum reform? : a case study based on Dalian No. 24 Senior High School Wang, Xiao

Abstract

This study examines the enactment of teacher empowerment in Dalian No. 24 Senior High School within the context of the current Chinese Curriculum Reform Movement (CRM). A review of current Chinese and American literature on teacher empowerment was given to provide a background to better understand specific issues that impact teacher empowerment. Additionally, a qualitative case study on this leading Chinese high school is presented with the aim of raising awareness of teacher empowerment involving Chinese curricular reform. Data collection included a literature review, semi-structured open-ended interviews and surveys. Face-to-face interviews and questionnaire surveys were conducted at Dalian No. 24 Senior High School. Accordingly, this study aims to provide practical insights on issues affecting teacher empowerment as applicable to Dalian No. 24 Senior High School. Two additional purposes of the study are to build on the existing, but limited, research knowledge in this area and to provide avenues for future inquiry. Results from this study highlight the benefits of teacher empowerment, including increased performance and productivity, improved teacher morale, and increased knowledge of subject matter and pedagogy. At Dalian No. 24 Senior High School, three key issues were discovered: first, most of the teacher participants hold a positive attitude towards teacher empowerment and the latest National Curriculum Reform (NCR); second, this school holds a supportive environment to teacher empowerment and teachers’ professional development; and third, there are still drawbacks to implementing teacher empowerment and the changes required by the NCR that the teachers and the school need to address.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada