Changing China, Changing Education: Cultural Clashes and Educational Inequality in School

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Since its economic reforms and opening-up in late 1970s, China has experienced dramatic changes in economic structure as well as in cultures and ideologies. Social inequalities have grown to an alarming level and individualism prevails over collective values. The social transformations have penetrated the educational system and brought both opportunities and challenge for schools, teachers and families. Cultural clashes awaken schools and parents to a more diverse educational universe, and yet, the persistent rural-urban inequality poses great challenges to teachers and students. The panel collects four empirical studies on curriculum, teachers, and parents to document and better understand the multiple meanings of these transformations for a changing China and changing education.

Sub Unit

• SIG-International Studies

Chair

• Dan Wang, University of Hong Kong

Papers

• Cultural Fusion for Social Change: A Case Study of School-Based Curriculum Development in Chinese Kindergartens - Weipeng Yang, Singapore University of Social Sciences; Hui Li, University of Hong Kong

• Parenting Profiles and Children's School Readiness in Urban China - Sha Xie, University of Hong Kong; Hui Li, University of Hong Kong

• The Rural-Urban Learning Gap: Effect of Professional Learning Communities on Student Literacy Achievement in China - Jingying Wang, The University of Hong Kong; Dan Wang, University of Hong Kong

• Organizational Social Capital and Teacher Professional Learning Communities: Comparison of Rural and Urban Schools in China - Dan Wang, University of Hong Kong

Discussant

• Min Yu, Wayne State University