Gansu Survey of Children and Families Papers
Title
Revolutionizing Ritual Interaction in the Classroom: Constructing the Chinese Renaissance of the 21st Century
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
10-2009
Abstract
Over the past decade, educational leaders in China have maintained that the pattern of social interactions in Chinese classrooms is not conducive to the cultivation of innovativeness and creativity, and that this lack of creativity is a major barrier to China’s global competitiveness. One key response has been the implementation of the 2001 “New Curriculum Reforms” in basic education. In this study, I draw on qualitative classroom observation and in-depth interview data, and quantitative survey data, from Gansu Province to investigate the extent to which classroom interactions differ substantially in Chinese primary school classrooms that are implementing the “New Curriculum” reforms, compared to those that are not. To the extent that individuals are constructed by the interactions in which they participate, changes in classrooms could have far-reaching implications for contemporary youth socialized differently from those of previous generations, and for the future social, cultural and political order of China.
Keywords
China, education reform, teaching methods, New Curriculum reforms, rural education
Download
Date Posted: 20 October 2009
Comments
Pre-print version. This article is currently in press in:
Revolutionizing Ritual Interaction in the Classroom: Constructing the Chinese Renaissance of the 21st Century. Tanja Carmel Sargent. Modern China, in press.
The definitive final version of this article will be published in:
http://mcx.sagepub.com/