China's quest for world-class teachers: a rational model of national initiatives and institutional transformations

Abstract

Dr. LI Jun Education Policy Unit Faculty of Education, the University of Hong Kong Teacher education has been undergoing significant transformations worldwide in recent decades, and China has made continuous efforts in its quest for world-class teachers. This paper aims at a comprehensive investigation of the complex policy process in China's national initiatives to nurture a world-class teaching force, with qualitative findings from a case study. It focuses on policy initiatives in China's unique sociocultural context, system transformations and developmental challenges from a rational prospective. Meanwhile, the challenges of institutional change and the limitations to change are examined within two framesthe contextually less amenable to change and the institutionally remediable. Policy implications for teacher education reform in the future are illustrated within these two frames. Lastly, this paper concludes that along with its rising status, in terms of excellence in educational performance and students' academic achievement as shown in PISA 2009, China provides an alternative model for building a world-class teaching force and may have multiple implications for the international community in an age of globalization.

Passion and vision for inclusion

“…The overall credit requirement is 160 credits and it is required that students complete the program between three and six years. This corresponds to the findings reported in Li's (2013) study that contemporary China experiences reforms in higher education system and enhances teacher education quality by upgrading the contents and requirements of teacher education courses, and offer more choices of education courses for preservice teachers.…”

“…It is recommended that all preservice teachers, regardless they major in special education or not, take some special education courses, because it is very likely that the preservice teachers have chance to work with children with special needs in the future. This suggestion actually corresponds with trends in China's higher education reform that teacher training institutions enhance teacher education quality by upgrading the contents and requirements of teacher education courses, and offer more choices of education courses for preservice teachers (Li, 2013).…”

“…Previous studies on China's teacher preparation programs, in-service teachers teaching practices and training needs, China's inclusion, and preservice teachers' views and perceptions towards teacher profession in China were reviewed and summarized. Li (2013) discussed that in response to nurture world-class teachers China issued policies on initiating institutional change of its teacher education systems and implemented national initiatives on teacher education reform. In Li's study the selected university experienced radical reform and development including "starting new degree programs, transform from an academicyear system to credit system, strengthening teaching workforce and its management upgrading teaching facilities and improving the learning environment" (Li, 2013, p. 323).…”

“…In Li's study the selected university experienced radical reform and development including "starting new degree programs, transform from an academicyear system to credit system, strengthening teaching workforce and its management upgrading teaching facilities and improving the learning environment" (Li, 2013, p. 323). New degrees were offered at the studied university to address new challenges in education from information technology; ensure quality teaching through teacher job performance evaluation using quantifiable indicators; enhance teacher education quality by upgrading the contents and requirements of teacher education courses; offer more choices of education courses for preservice teachers; and provide more training opportunities for in-service teachers and administrators (Li, 2013). Liang et al (2013) also studied teacher preparation programs and teaching practices through interviewing secondary math in-service teachers in Shandong province.…”

Same Mindset, Different Pedagogical Strategies: A Case Study Comparing Chinese and Finnish Teachers

“…As indicated in Table 1, although the teaching profession can be traced back to Confucian times, the formal establishment of teacher education in China is considered to have begun by the 1900s (Guo, 2005;Li, 2012Li, , 2013 with the first teaching training school, Nanyang Gongxue, in 1897, and to have developed especially after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 (Wen, 1989). To improve the social position of teachers, the first national Teachers' Day was celebrated in 1985, and the Law of Teachers was formulated in 1993 to guarantee teachers' legal rights.…”