A Case Study Of Private Kindergarten Teachers Participating In Curriculum Decision-making

With the coming of knowledge economy era, a wave of curriculum reform was set off at a global scale. A new round of curriculum reform in China makes that teachers' subjectivity in curriculum is drawing more and more attention, and the autonomy of teachers'curriculum decision-making is promoted continuously in the kindergarten. At the same time, with the reform of school system, the school forms are more and more. Private kindergartens have become a powerful force of early childhood education, and gradually pay close attention by more and more people.This study takes the issue of private kindergarten teachers participating in curriculum decision-making, using the case study of the qualitative research methods, and takes A kindergarten in Xian yang, Shaanxi Province as example to investigate and analyze the now status of teachers how to participate in curriculum decision-making at different levels by using multiple methods, such as documentation, observation, interview, analysis and so on. The results showed that:At the kindergarten level of curriculum decision-making, the right of A kindergarten teachers participating curriculum decision-making is not balanced and the chance is unequal. Kindergarten directors, experienced teachers and teachers who have expertise have a greater right but the less experienced teachers have a smaller right to participate in curriculum decision-making because of their less experiences and personal factors. And their focus is different. Kindergarten directors focus on participating in the decision-making how to make the kindergarten's objectives and how to choose the educational materials; Experienced teachers focus on participating in the decision-making how to make the development objectives of all ages in early childhood and how to make curriculum plan; Teachers who have expertise focus on participating in the decision-making early childhood development objectives of different fields which they are good at. At the teaching level of the curriculum decision-making, A kindergarten teachers have greater right of curriculum decision-making, and they can autonomously participate in the decision-making curriculum design, curriculum implementation and curriculum evaluation, but the rights of decision-making are affected by the demand from parents. The decision-making result is different between the less experienced teacher and experienced teacher:when they make a decision on how to make the curriculum objectives and how to choose the curriculum content, the former are over-reliance on the provisions of teaching materials while the latter mainly based on children's needs and their own characteristics; when they make a decision on how to organize the curriculum content, the former tend to the content in curriculum organization, focusing on the inculcation of knowledge while the latter tend to experience in curriculum organization, focusing on children's interests, preferences and needs; when they make a decision on how to implement the curriculum, the former tend to use the linear decision-making model while the latter tend to use the reflection decision-making model; when they make a decision on how to evaluate the curriculum, the evaluation method is different on children, the former mainly in oral evaluation while the latter dominated by portfolio assessment.On the base of investigation and analysis, the author analyzes the factors that affect the private kindergarten teachers participating in curriculum decision-making. Factors analyzed conclude the following:personal factors of teacher, such as curriculum decision-making awareness, professional knowledge and ability, educational and teaching experience; teacher culture of cooperation; the leadership style of kindergarten directors, parents' expectations and demands. In response to these factors, and to enhance private kindergarten teachers participating in curriculum decision-making, the author makes following suggestions:deepening the pre-vocational education to enhance awareness of teachers participating in curriculum decision-making; strengthening the vocational training to enhance teachers'capacity of curriculum decision-making; carrying out the activities of observation and teaching practice and research to enhance exchanges and cooperation between teachers; Kindergarten directors' empowering the rights to teachers and carrying out democratic management; parents' actively participating and giving full support.