Curriculum policy implementation: how schools respond to government's ‘soft’ policy in the curriculum reform

Abstract

‘Soft’ policy has newly emerged as a policy implementation concept in relation to governance. Non‐binding in character, ‘soft’ policy is designed for multi‐level systems of governance in which there is relative autonomy at different levels of collective decision‐making. ‘Soft’ policy has gained attention since the adoption of curriculum reforms in various countries that involve governance and coordination among multi‐level systems. In real practice, ‘soft’ methods or measures are used to assist implementation at various levels. The present study explores how ‘soft’ policy has been realised in recent large‐scale curriculum reform in Hong Kong. In essence, the study explores the ‘soft’ measures used by the government in the curriculum change, how these ‘soft’ measures have brought changes to schools, and how they were received by school principals and teachers. Implications are also drawn from these real cases of ‘soft’ policy implementation.