Chapter 4: History Curriculum Reform in the People’s Republic of China: Context, Content, and Challenges

The literature on curriculum innovation in China has concentrated on mathematics education and science education. What Chinese students learn in the broad area of social education has long been underresearched in the West. Scholars interested in the area of social education tend to focus on analyzing curriculum policy documents such as teaching outlines, textbooks, and examination guidelines to delineate the field’s scope (Barendsen, 1980; Chan, 1999; Gross, 1996; Lo, 2004; Tucker & Gilliom, 1984; Wu & Wan, 1990; Yang, 2001), and examine its historical development and political and ideological orientations (Jones, 2002, 2005; Shen, 1994; Shi & Ross, 2003).

It is expected that this chapter could add to the existing body of scholarship on social education in China by examining the nation’s most recent history curriculum reform and providing much needed teachers’ perspectives on history teaching and learning in secondary schools. Specifically, the chapter aims to address the following three research questions: (1) What are the historical, political, and social backgrounds that have led to the current reform? (2) What are the theoretical framework and guiding principles for establishing the new curriculum objectives, selecting curriculum content, and choosing pedagogical approaches and assessment strategies? (3) How do the classroom teachers perceive the curriculum reform, and especially what challenges have they encountered during its five years of implementation?