In two experiments, we tested whether using a foreign language attenuates neophobia at the lexical (Experiment 1) and discoursal (Experiment 2) levels in comparison to using a native language. A total of 687 native Chinese speakers participated in Experiment 1, and 693 in Experiment 2. All of them learned English as a foreign language. They…

This paper examines the global implications of policy borrowing, employing case examples of Chinese school systems, which enjoy the success of grafting new identities to improve education. The paper comments on contemporary scholars' use of identity grafting theory (Lee in Managing Chineseness: identity and ethnic management in Singapore, Palgrave…

We examined the possibilities of employing collaborative action research (CAR) to promote Mainland Chinese secondary school teachers' engagement with the recent curriculum reform. A brief background of the history of the examination culture and the curriculum reform is provided. We analysed key challenges leading to teachers' resistance to…

This paper examines the challenges and possibilities facing democratic citizenship education in China. It starts by taking on the increasing political repression under Xi's regime and how it is marginalizing or silencing democratic discourses. Then it examines the rising economically-driven populist nationalism in China, and how it complicates the…

This article investigates the exercise of teacher agency in the context of English language education policy changes within China. Thematic analysis of data collected from narrative frame writing and semi-structured interviews identifies what opens spaces for teacher agency and what closes spaces, and the effects of the opening and closing of…

Despite the promised benefits of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) to address the digital divide and promote equity in educational opportunities, the use of MOOCs is still lagging especially in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to investigate the barriers underlying the adoption of MOOCs in the context of a developing country.…

Progressive Education, derived mainly from Anglo-American culture, has been the primary frame of reference for student-centered classroom change in developing countries for over 50 years. Yet in many developing countries, strong evidence shows that progressivism has not replaced teacher-centered formalistic classroom practice. "Classroom…

This study examined if and how the learning-centred leadership of rural school principals in China impacted teachers' trust and agency, as well as their engagement in professional learning. In contrast to prior research, however, this mixed methods study sought to illuminate the impact of ineffective leadership on teachers and school improvement.…

This paper reports on a study that looks at the micro-processes of teacher learning in a language teacher professional community in China. Following the tradition of ethnomethodology, teacher learning in this paper is conceptualised as interactional accomplishment of negotiation of practice through talk. Based on a purposively selected discourse…

In response to an essay by Prof Wu Zongjie that was published in the "Journal of Curriculum Studies" [43(5), (2011), 569-590], I argue that, despite dramatic changes that have taken place in the language of Chinese academic discourse and pedagogy, evidence derived from the fields of psychology and the history of Chinese educational…

This ethnographic study examines the educational struggles of Russian-born Buriat Mongolian children studying in China at a Mongolian/Mandarin school, by emphasizing conflicting educational paradigms between the Russian and Chinese systems. Educational practices are compared. Standardized assessment, teacher-centered classrooms, and group-…

Empirical studies of e-learning practices in Chinese higher education are still controversial. Shared Chinese beliefs in education, moving towards mass higher education for global competitiveness and improving e-readiness levels press for ubiquitous use of e-learning in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. This is a small-scale case study using a…

The Chinese government is pouring resources into building vocational education at all levels of the Chinese educational system. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in three vocational secondary schools in 2007-2012, this article compares rural and urban schools to highlight the persistent urban-rural divide in implementing vocational…

Since the "Quality education" was proposed in China in 1997, the Chinese education reform has had some success; however, the resistance of it is also quite obvious. The academic pressure of the students in China is not reduced but increased instead. The paper analyses the resistance of China's education reform and the source of Chinese…

This book is an invitation to informed and critical participation in the current debate on the role of digital technology in education and a comprehensive introduction to the most relevant issues in this debate. After an early wave of enthusiasm about the emancipative opportunities of the digital "revolution" in education, recent…