Research On Developmental Curriculum Evaluation

The theory and practice of the curriculum face unprecedented challenges at the period of secular changing when knowledge economy is emerging and the globalisation of economy and multi-culture is forming. The curriculum evaluation, as a critical part of the curriculum research, needs to be considered carefully. At the beginning of the 21st century, the eighth curriculum reform of the schooling education is being carried out vigorously all around the country. The curriculum reform was promoted in the historic background of global education reform and China's society system transition. The curriculum evaluation reform is a part of the education reform. In the curriculum reform based on the new education philosophy, curriculum evaluation is the focus of attention of people caring about the curriculum reform. How to explore the new ideas about future curriculum evaluation, which meets requirements from curriculum theories and practices, is a historic task for us. The developmental curriculum evaluation is originated in this background. It is a kind of curriculum evaluation research concerning the issues of present situation, prospect, and sustained development.My research begins with the review of value and evaluation, and puts forward a developmental curriculum evaluation on the basis of analysing the essence of curriculum and the models of curriculum innovation. It indicates that the developmental curriculum evaluation is based on the interaction of the criterion and the super-criterion evaluations, and aims at stimulating the all-round development of the students, improvement of the teachers, and updating of curricula.The developmental curriculum evaluation is based on the profound theories. The research analyses the three kinds of curriculum value orientation including the knowledge orientation, the society orientation, and the human orientation. On the basis of the new concept of knowledge and the new concept of social service, this research takes humanistic spirit incorporated with scientific spirit as the value orientation of the developmental curriculum evaluation. The research analyses the relationship between the subjectivity development and the curriculum evaluation, and establishes a view of subjectivity curriculum, which stimulates all-round development of the students and illustrates the life meaning of the teachers and students, to be the education basis of the developmental curriculum evaluation. The research also analyses the developments of the view of praxis, and constructs a view of interactive praxis characterised by the interaction of multi-polar subjectivity and social associations to be the basis of ontology of the developmental curriculum evaluation. From the point of the interaction of theory and practice, three kinds of fundamental ideas are advanced for the developmental curriculum evaluation. The ideas emphasize on the students' development, the curriculum improvement, and the plurality.Various curriculum evaluation models were proclaimed during the development of the modern curriculum evaluation. The birth of every models leads to the transformation of evaluation content,ideas, and methods. The research compares the various models, and constructs an open and tri-cyclical system incorporated by curriculum design evaluation, curriculum implementation evaluation, and curriculum achievement evaluation.The curriculum evaluation method is one of the most sensitive factors affecting curriculum evaluation. Two fundamental methods evolved in the curriculum development, namely, positive method and humanistic method. The research makes deep analysis on the contradictions between positive method and humanistic method. The research also tries to compromise the two methods, and develops a method system with the principles of understanding, plurality, and practices. The method system is inner- corporate with the net structure model, and basic strategy focusing on action research.