To Search For Meaning

Student curriculum engagement is an "emerging" topic of research with the development of curriculum theory and practice in China. The dynamic concept of curriculum, the constructivism idea of learning and the promotion of children right are calling for building the concept of student curriculum engagement; the thin and weak understanding of student curriculum engagement in the practice asks for further study of it.After curriculum being a specific study field for almost 100 years, three research orientations exist: theory research, practice research by theorist and practice research by practitioner. This study tries to engage in the problem of student curriculum engagement. First, from the angles history, philosophy, psychology and sociology and so on, the concept of student curriculum engagement is understood deeply and comprehensively. This part comprises of chapter 2 and 3. Second, the questions of student curriculum engagement concerned on the practical level are "translated" into theory discourse and inquired. This part is made up of chapter 4, 5, 6. Last, the action research on student curriculum engagement by teachers with the help of researcher will be exhibited. This part constitutes chapter 7.Following idea and content are included in this dissertation:Student curriculum engagement is the essential pursuit of curriculum at the level of value. The nature of existent-value and meaning will of human determine their instinct of seeking meaning, and the making of meaning depends on human's engagement and creation as subject. So, education aimed at "being human" and curriculum as the core of education must be based on the student engagement, orient at meaning making.Back to the history of student curriculum engagement, its practical point experienced the change from "entrance/chance" to "process/quality", and its thought did several stages of initiation, resurgence, maturity, fall and return. The tension among student, knowledge and society (country), form the key of defining the concept of student curriculum engagement. The development of philosophy, psychology and sociology of the time, including holism, complexity theory, constructivism, situated cognitive theory, self-determined theory and student-perception research, inclusion education, curriculum politics, sociology of teaching, make us recognize that the relationship between human and world, human and knowledge, individual and society is not contrary, but rather participant each other, dynamic making. Student curriculum engagement reflects this relationship, and refers to student's subjective orientation and behavior of individual and group, that is surrounding curriculum and teaching activity and interlace individual psychological and social factor.In two basic formats of curriculum operation-----teaching and curriculum change,student curriculum engagement has common idea and different approaches. Student curriculum engagement in the teaching has two approaches of individual engagement and social engagement. They are based on individual experience and social culture respectively, and realized by critical inquiry and existent experience. Student curriculum engagement in the process of curriculum change is driven by the cause of individual development and social democracy. In the engagement in curriculum change, students transform from shaped to shaper, participant decision-making as negotiator and agent.Student curriculum engagement always embodies in some circumstance. It needs listening-centered educational culture circumstance and educational organizational circumstance as learning community. Meanwhile, corresponding change system circumstance and thought circumstance are also needed. The action research of building curriculum continuum based on student curriculum engagement was tried at the same time.