The Case Study Of The Implementation Of "Science" Curriculum In Secondary School

With the development of the new curriculum reform of our country, the implementationof the “science” curriculum gradually begins to gain attention. In2001, the Ministry ofEducation issued “Guideline for the Curriculum Reform of the Compulsory Education(trial)”.The Guideline stipulates that the secondary schools can adopt “science” curriculum ordisciplinary curriculum. From then on,“science” curriculum becomes the organic part of thecurriculum system, and breaks the simple situation of the system. However, considering theimplementing situation, its implementation encounters great difficulties or many problems.Most experimental areas returned to disciplinary curriculum. In38state-level experimentalareas, only7areas chose “science” curriculum. But the overwhelming majority returned todisciplinary curriculum soon. The “science” curriculum in Shenzhen City lasted11years, butin the end its implementation returned to disciplinary curriculum because of lacking offollows-up and so on. While some experimental areas began to retreat from “science”curriculum one after another, the secondary schools in Wuhan City began to implement“science” curriculum, which belongs to province-level experimental areas. The “science”curriculum implementation in Wuhan City was filled with disputes and brought greatinfluence. Finally, it also retreated from the “science” curriculum because of lessadministration support etc. In addition, up to now, the “science” curriculum in Zhejiangprovince is the only experimental area which is still implementing it in our country, and itsimplementation had been stable by the end of2001.In view of above situation, this study sorts out the research literature on curriculumimplementation, influencing factors and implementation situation and so on. Through textanalysis, formal interviews and classroom observations methods etc, relative materials werecollected. In the end, the materials were put into order, sorted out and analyzed. Based onabove reasons, I chose Shenzhen City and Wuhan City as research case to analyze theimplemental features and influencing factors.Through the investigation of “science” curriculum implementation in Shenzhen City andWuhan City, compared with the implementation situation in Zhejiang province, the featuresas below can be found:“top-down” implementation strategy used; administrative promotionand support playing an decisive role on “science” curriculum implementation; inconsistencybetween the interviewees’ identity with the value of “science” curriculum and their teachingbehaviors; the interviewees showing different situations towards the value of “science”curriculum. On the basis of done researches and the investigation of “science” curriculumimplementation, the paper generalizes the influencing factors into3aspects and7elements.The3aspects are the influencing factors from the reform itself, the influencing factors fromschool inner and from school exterior. The paper analyzes every influencing factor. Theanalysis contains the effect of “science curriculum standard” on the “science” curriculumimplementation, the effect of “science” textbook on the implementation, the effect of theteachers on the result of implementation, the effect of the curriculum resources on theimplementation, the intervention of administrative decision in the implementation, therestriction of entrance examination to the implementation and the effect of mark ideas of thestudents’ parents on the implementation.Through the deep analysis of “science” curriculum implementation in Shenzhen Cityand Wuhan City, it can be found that the main factors that make the implementation of“science” curriculum hard contains:“science” curriculum reform causing the “break” ofschool culture; the teachers being the “hub” in the process of “science” curriculumimplementation; the inner curriculum resources in the school restricting the quality of theimplementation; the local administrative decision giving decisive scope to theimplementation; entrance examination being the “bottleneck” which restricts theimplementation.Under the background of our country, in order to further promote the implementation of“science” curriculum, certain conditions have to be given. First, promoting the harmonybetween the “science” curriculum reform and educational realities; Secondly, increasing thepotency of administration decision-making, further expanding the implementation range;Thirdly, further improving the fostering mechanism of science teachers, strengthening theactual effect of teachers training; Fourthly, increasing the education investment andequipping the schools with enough curriculum resources; Fifthly, further improving thecompiling of “science” textbooks; Sixthly, constructing the integrated science curriculumtheory which accords to our county’s situation.