The Dynamic Models in School-based Curriculum Development and College English Reform in Mainland China

Abstract

School-based curriculum development (SBCD) features the role of schools in curriculum decision-making and highlights the importance of school-based curriculum designs. By means of literature reviews on the dynamic models in SBCD, namely Stenhouse’s process model and Skilbeck’s situational model, this paper evaluates the two models to point out the strengths and weaknesses of SBCD. Both the process model and the situational model highlight the importance of dynamic process and regard curriculum development as a dynamic interactive progress rather than a linear process. Additionally, they reveal the high demands for autonomy in curriculum development, emphasizing the interaction between the curriculum developers. However, although teachers as the major implementers shift their positions to the chief curriculum developers in the dynamic models of SBCD, more attention should be paid to the external and internal factors influencing the change of their roles. On the other hand, curriculum evaluation should consider both the suitability and sustainability of the curriculum. In the end, the paper ends with a case, an ongoing school-based college English curriculum reform in a provincial university in mainland China, that puts these abovementioned theories into practice. The case reflects the dynamic features of curriculum design concerning a lot about teaching process and students’ needs in specific university contexts. Apart from the short-term goal of using the curriculum to fit current students’ needs, more attention should be paid to cover the sustainability of the curriculum for its long-term use. Through the documented literature review and case analysis, it is indeed conducive to better our understanding of this reform pattern and get more inspiration about the feasibility and applicability of SBCD in our actual practice of education reform.