Research On Qualification-led Curriculum Reform In British Secondary School

At present,China's high school education is still in a double-track operational system of academic education and vocational education and the exploration of its reform is advancing.Therefore,there is an urgent need to learn from the advanced experience of western developed countries.The qualification system of UK enjoys a high reputation in the international community,and has become a model for the construction of the qualification system in the world.Since the 1980s,the qualification system in the UK has led the secondary school curriculum to change,from a unified model to a trend of diversity,selectivity and personalization,which has attracted great attention from the world.Therefore,under the perspective of“Combining Academic and Vocational Education",this paper makes a systematic study on the formation and development of the qualification system and the secondary school curriculum reform in the same period in the UK by using the methodology of Literature Research,Historical Research,Comparative Research and Case Study.Therefore,the implications of British experience to our country is put forward.Specifically,the following aspects are discussed in this research:First of all,the analytical framework of this dissertation is established based on the analysis of relevant research at home and abroad,and on the definition of curriculum by Brain Male and Mick Waters.That is,how the qualification system in the UK lead the reform of secondary school curriculum in the aspects of National Curriculum,school curriculum and students' individual curriculum in the process of the formation and development of the qualification system.Secondly,after systematizing the development of the qualification system,it is concluded in the research that the development of qualification system has gone through the stages of germination,preliminary accommodation,establishment and perfection,and it has the following characteristics in combining academic and vocational education:(1)the qualification equivalency tool between academic education and vocational qualification is becoming more and more scientific;(2)vocational qualifications and academic certificates in secondary school is becoming more various;(3)the combination of qualifications is becoming more flexible;and(4)new types of qualifications are emerging across general and vocational education.Thirdly,under the background of the qualification system reform in the UK,the reform of the curriculum of secondary schools at the national level has undergone four stages of corresponding changes,it shows the following development characteristics:(1)the curriculum which combines academic and vocational education of secondary schools in the UK has evolved with the reform of the qualification system;(2)the national curriculum of secondary schools has moved from unified academic subjects to a multi-level framework in which the academic and vocational education are combined;(3)the foundation curriculum in academic education has been strengthened,postponing the course of vocational and technical education;(4)the distinction between academic education and vocational education has been emphasized.Fourthly,by doing a case study and comparing the curriculum in three representative secondary school,an academic school,a college,and a comprehensive school,the research found that the statutory curriculum part in the three schools are similar,the curriculum in entitlement areas combines academic education and vocational education but still keep their own characteristics.Fifthly,by doing a case study and comparing the curriculum timetable of three students,the research found that reformed curriculum system can meet the needs of students with different learning bases and abilities,and is beneficial to develop their potentials.Finally,this study explores the implications of British curriculum reform experience for China.It is mainly reflected in the following aspects:(1)the construction of the qualification system should be in proper connection with the reform of high school curriculum;(2)the curriculum of high school should be a multi-level structure,to meet the diverse needs of students;(3)vocational education and general education in high school should have a common core of knowledge;(4)vocational education and general education in high school should maintain their own characteristics.