Educational reforms have been widely discussed across the world in the 21st century, and recent research suggests that teachers are the mediating agents in implementing educational reforms, particularly curriculum reforms. The eighth curriculum reform in China, which requires a paradigm shift from the teacher-dominated, knowledge-based transmission mode of teaching to the student-centered, experience-based inquiry mode of teaching, has greatly challenged teachers. Notwithstanding the great importance of teachers’ responses to China’s new curriculum reform, there is a little qualitative research that examines teachers’ responses to the new curriculum reform. The present study sets out to examine teachers’ responses to the new curriculum within the particular social, cultural and institutional context, and to explore the factors that might influence teachers’ responses through a qualitative multiple case study. Three dyads of mentor-mentee senior secondary English teachers in three schools at different levels in Beijing, China were selected as the main research participants. Data were collected over a period of time in each school through interviews, observations and analysis of documents such as teaching logs and students’ homework. Data were analyzed following a grounded approach in an iterative process to provide insights into the process of teachers’ implementation of the new curriculum and to ascertain the mediating factors impacting teachers’ responses. Findings from case studies reveal that secondary English teachers in China responded to the new curriculum reform at both cognitive and behavioral levels. These responses altogether triggered changes in teachers’ professional world, which constituted teachers’ professional growth. Grounded in Wenger’s theory of identity formation, this study suggests that the changes in teachers’ professional world mediated teachers’ professional identity reconstruction through the participative and reificative dual process of identification and negotiation of meanings, in which teachers’ competences, trajectories, and participation in the new curriculum implementation were negotiated. During this process, secondary English teachers reappropriated the meaning of secondary EFL teaching in China as a student-centered, individually selective, pedagogically integrating communicative and traditional methods, Chinese context-adapted, but still exam-oriented teaching process in relation to the curriculum reform, and also reclaimed that secondary EFL teachers need to be equipped with updated knowledge pool, be aware of individual needs, make compromises to seek a balance between the prescribed curriculum and teaching reality, and allow an interactive teacher-student relationship in response to the curriculum reform. Findings suggest that the process of teacher identity reconstruction was mediated through three-level factors, socially and culturally: national policies, institutional powers, and teachers’ personal factors. This study contributes to an understanding of teachers’ cognitive and behavioral actions and the interplay between the two in response to a paradigm-shift curriculum reform from a sociocultural perspective. It provides a theoretical lens, namely teacher identity formation to interpret teachers’ responses to the curriculum reform. Situated in a Chinese context where Confucius largely impacted the culture of teaching and learning, this study provides a fresh perspective on Chinese culture of teaching and learning, and raises positive voices from frontline teachers, suggesting that teachers’ responses to the curriculum are not simply mass resistant, but rather complex and dynamic. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Philosophy

龐朗華 = The development of Chinese history in the secondary school of ... / 據手稿複印. / Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學硏究院敎育學部. / Ju shou gao fu yin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 213-225). / Pang Langhua = The development of Chinese history in the secondary school of ... / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue yan jiu yuan jiao yu xue bu. / Chapter 第一章 --- 緒論 / Chapter 一 --- 研究目的 --- p.1 / Chapter 二 --- 研究範圍 --- p.2 / Chapter 三 --- 文獻述評 --- p.4 / Chapter 四 --- 研究方法 --- p.22 / Chapter 五 --- 論文限制 --- p.25 / Chapter 六 --- 香港中學中國歷史科課程轉變的社會背景──香港和會的發展 --- p.26 / Chapter 第二章 --- 香港中學會考中國歷史科課程之轉變 --- p.33 / Chapter 甲 --- 導言 --- p.34 / Chapter 乙 --- 英中會考課程 --- p.35 / Chapter 丙 --- 中中會考課程 --- p.41 / Chapter 丁 --- 英中和中中會考課程之異同(1952-1973) --- p.47 / Chapter 戊 --- 合併後的課程(1974-1988) --- p.49 / Chapter 第三章 --- 從會考命題及評鑑所見課程之偏重 --- p.57 / Chapter 第四章 --- 香港初中和預科中國歷史科課程之轉變 --- p.76 / Chapter 一 --- 導言 --- p.77 / Chapter 二 --- 初中中國歷史科課程之轉變 --- p.78 / Chapter 三 --- 一年制預科(中大入學誠)中國歷史科課程之轉變 --- p.82 / Chapter 四 --- 兩年制預科(港大入學誠)中國歷史科課程之轉變 --- p.88 / Chapter 五 --- 初中、一年制預科、兩年制預科中國歷史科課程轉變與會考中國歷史科課程之關係 --- p.93 / Chapter 第五章 --- 課程內所傳遞的古代中國形象 --- p.98 / Chapter 第六章 --- 中國大陸和台灣中學的中國歷史科課程 --- p.128 / Chapter 一 --- 導言 --- p.128 / Chapter 二 --- 台灣中學的中國歷史科課程的轉變與特色 --- p.130 / Chapter 三 --- 中國大陸中學的中國歷史科課程的轉變與特色 --- p.132 / Chapter 四 --- 中國大陸、台灣和香港中學的中國歷史科課程的比較 --- p.135 / Chapter 第七章 --- 香港中學中國歷史科教科書之編排與轉變 --- p.149 / Chapter 一 --- 導言 --- p.150 / Chapter 二 --- 香港會考中國歷史科散科書各項編排之轉變 --- p.150 / Chapter 三 --- 香港會考中國歷史科教科書編排之轉變的原因 --- p.163 / Chapter 四 --- 與中國大陸．台灣中國歷史科教科書的比較 --- p.165 / Chapter 第八章 --- 香港中學中國歷史科課程轉變的因素 --- p.197 / Chapter 第九章 --- 緒論 --- p.209 / 附參考書目 / Chapter 一 --- 中文書目 --- p.213 / Chapter 二 --- 英文書目 --- p.222 / 附大表a-w --- p.226

This research project examines whether the new 4-year curriculum is for local student development in the future and internationalization is the primary espouse of the reform. 8 in-depth interviews were conducted in five local universities. Student development is framed from a multi-functional mindset in which students get exposed to all kinds of possibilities, expand their intellectual thinking and capabilities as well as become self-reflective. There are changes in student demographics, workplace environment, social convergence and intercultural tolerance. The urge of graduates with global mindset, higher-order thinking and multiple skill sets is geographically indivisible. In elaborating on the findings, internationalization is one of the factors leading to student all-roundedness, the centrality of the curriculum reform. Realizing that there was learning experience re-conceptualization, participants evaluated the reform tended to be structural and administrative. There is little spared time for university teachers’ inspirations on students inside or even outside classrooms. But governmental and institutional foci are still put on more research than teaching in which participants were disheartened. A structural change could help little. In a long run, a revolution on the university teaching to wholly facilitate student development is vitally essential. To inspire students to be self-reflective and have sustainable growth, university teaching staff needs time for inspiring works and interdisciplinary co-operations. Too many research and administrative burdens hinders teaching practices, even though teachers are passionate. It is time for the government, UGC, universities and individual professors to put all small pieces together and make the current reform in a more holistic way. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Curriculum Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy