Less Is More:A Study On Curriculum Design Of Higher Vocational Education In Belgium

The optimization of curriculum design in higher vocational education and training(HVET)is such a significant issue that needs to be solved urgently in the reform of instruction and curriculum in Chinese HVET.It is also the core subject of this study.The logic of the core research is as follows:the curriculum is an essential guarantee for the quality of talents,and the professional curriculum design is the key to the curriculum optimization in HVET.Based on the rethinking of the curriculum design in a dilemma and the research of Vocational Less is More(VLIM)in Chinese HVET,this study describes the theme of comparative research of curriculum design in HVET and tries to provide the specific theoretical contributions and practical values for the curriculum design in Chinese HVET.The curriculum design of HVET in Belgium applies "LIM" as the logical starting point,which constructs a complete curriculum design based on professional curriculum from theory to practice,discusses the integration of both external influences and internal content to simplify the curriculum design.The study benefits from the rewarding Belgian experience and explores a new path for the curriculum design with distinctive characteristics of Chinese HVET.Regarding research design,this study,by definition of the key words proposes two main research questions.Firstly,what is the primary form of curriculum design for Belgian HVET,and how to promote the development of HVET?It is the questioning of "ought to be" for curriculum design.Secondly,what is the fundamental experience of curriculum design in Belgian HVET and how does the Chinese HVET get a salutary lesson?It is the exploration of“to be”for curriculum design.Based on the domestic and overseas literature review,this study comprehensively presents and analyses the representative research results from three aspects:Less is More(LIM),curriculum design of HVET and comparison of curriculum design of HVET.A comparative analysis of curriculum design of HVET in Belgium focuses on the two perspectives of external form and internal substantive simplicity.Among them,the external form simplicity concentrates mainly on the institutional structure of the professional curriculum design system in HVET;the internal substantive simplicity focuses on the optimization and development of the curriculum design itself.Based on this analytic logic,Chapter 2 constructs the comparative analysis framework of the study.First,according to the development of the curriculum model and the two criterions in HVET,this study selects Belgium as a corresponding object of the study.Second,according to the Comparative Method in Education by G.Z.Bereday(1964),it clarifies the two leading clues:historical analysis and factor analysis.Eventually,under the paradigm of structural functionalism,we select the tree essential elements(curriculum objectives,curriculum content,curriculum model)and the Vocational Less is More(VLIM)principle in HVET,which are regarded as a reference for the comparative analysis.We ultimately constructed a comparative analytical framework for the curriculum design in HVET.Concerning the comparative analytical framework,this study attempts to establish a highly analytical model of professional curriculum design.From the analytical model,the outer circle represents the external environment for the curriculum design of HVET,referring to the various stakeholders(such as government,employers,professional organizations,training institutions,teachers/trainers,learners and so on)that influence the curriculum design of HVET.The middle circle indicates that the curriculum design system refers to the institutional structure of the entire curriculum design in HVET.The inner circle means the core circle of the curriculum design system in HVET and refers to the three essential elements of the professional curriculum design.Also,the relationship among the three circles are discussed.Hence,a highly abstract model will ensure this study on Belgian curriculum design in HVET to keep the same systematic level.The finding makes the final construction of a curriculum design model in HVET put forward the compelling end in China.