On The Cultural Character Of English Curriculum

Curriculum plays an important role in the schooling. The objective and value of education are incarnated and implemented by curriculum. So the curriculum reform is the core of the educatinal reform. Nowadays, curriculum reform is emphasized in all countries of the world. Great changes has taken place in all aspects within the curriculum, such as the philosophy, objectives, contents, implementation and evaluation. The research paradigm of curriculum has broke the bondage of the traditional research frame, and begin to the deeper invesigatiom of curriculum from the more wider field. Furthermore, the economic cooperation and trade exchange become more and more frequently with the advent of the globalization and the global village with the diversity culture is come into being at the same time. Under these circumstances, the meaning and value of the foreign language teaching is reconsiderized. The purpose of the foreign language education is no longer focus on the ability to say several foreign languages and the translation, but for the better survival and development in the global village of the students. All of these provides a new opportunity of the development in the reform and innovation of the English curriculum. But also accompanied with the new challenge.Reviewing the process of development in English curriculun, we can see that although the reform is never interrupted, the momentous innovation is scarce in last decades. The narrow perspective in English research is the main reason. And it also incapable of providing a broder space for the development of the English curriculum. So breaking the traditional limitation of the research perspective,and adopting the cross-disciplines research paradigm from the lingustic,culture, anthripology and other disciplines to proceed a deeper research are becoming a trend in English curriclum.Established in the point of culture, this paper provides an comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the cultural nature and cultural function of the English curriculum. The paper talks about the significant cultural character of the English curriculum based on the relationship between language and culture, and between curriculum and culture. Through the investigation of the present situation and the explaination of the cultural character of English curriculum, the paper criticized the "cultural character absent" phenomenon in English curriculum. And puts foward with the "language-culture-curriculum" trinity in English curriclum theory framwork. The paper also discusses the cultural reconstruction of English curriculum from the perspective of curriculum theory and curriculum construction. Generally speaking, the basic points of this paper can be stated as follows:Any research is based on some research background and has various relation with former research. Starts from the background, the introduction talks about the reasones, purposes and meaning of this topic, and also discuss the relevent research both domestic and other countries. The ideas, mathods and the possible innovation are also mentioned in this part.The Chapter One gives a rational reflection on the development process of English curriculum since the reform and opening police. This period is devided into three stages by the means of content and appellative of the curriculum standards. The rules and characters of the English curriculum in our country is exposed through the investigation of its history and the analysis of the relative documents. And the close relationship between English curriculum and culture is interpreted as well.The connotation of the English curriculum’cultural character is one of the important chapers. So in Chapter Two, the connotation of English curriculum’cultural character firstly is interpreted by the means of the exploration of some core concepts, such as culture and cultural character. English curriculum’cultural character refers to the special cultural morality of English curriculum as the course of teaching and learning of a foreign language. The theoretical fundation such as linguistics, curriculum theory and sociocultural theory are also discussed. Based on this fundation, the paper depicted the independent, constructive and practical characters of the English curriculum’cultural character.The Chapter Three is the survey about cultural character of English curriculum. This chapter gives a elaborate investigates and analyzed the objectives, contents, implementation and evaluation of the English curriculum by combining the qualitive research and quantitative research methods, such as quesionaire, interview and obsrevation. And it also pay more attention on the cultural problems that come up from the English curriculum. The further analysis of these problems porvides a stable foundation for the transmutation and reconstruction of English curriculum’cultural character.In order to highlight the cultural character of English curriculum, it is necessary to conduct the cultural reconstruction in English curriculum systemically. The objectives and the priciples are firstly stressed in this process. Based on this fundation, the paper gives a thorough analysis of the reconstruction of cultural character of English curriculum from the following four aspects:objectives, contents, implementation and evaluation. Chapter Four and Chapter Five provide a detailed answer to these questions.The cultural character of English curriculum is generated from the practice. Its development needs the cultural atmosphere and its innovation relys on its cultural mission. So, in the future practice of English curriculum, we must improve teacher’s cultural literacy, pay much attention to the construction of the cultural environment and accomplish the cultural mission of English curriculum consciously.