Challenges facing China's Gaokao Reform in 2017

Roy Y. Chan

Ph.D. student

China’s Gaokao Reform in 2017: Exploring Chinese English Teachers Perception of the

National College Entrance Examination Reform in Shigatse, Tibet, China

March 10, [email protected]

Outline• Background and Context• Literature Review• Research Questions• Methods• Data and Findings• Limitations • Further Research• Q & A

March 11, 2016China’s Gaokao Reform in 2017


English Language Education in China• Rapid increase to teach English in China since the Cultural

Revolution (Pan, 2014)o English is compulsory subject on Gaokao since 1978o China entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 (Planned

Economy to Market Economy)o 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (Pan & Seargeant, 2012)

• ~ GOAL: To enhance internationalization activities such as, international mobility (student, faculty), foreign exchange programs, study abroad programs, career development (Gu & Saville, 2016)o Enhance international competition and competitiveness among

graduateso Fulfill China’s National Talent Development Plan and China’s 2020

Blueprint


Challenges to English Education in China

• ~ Urban-Rural Divide: More than 20 million children living in China do not have access to proper English educationo Privileged urban parents send their kids to study English at age 5, while

rural parents don’t start until the age 10 (Hu, 2007).

• “Broken English”: Many students do not speak English well despite having memorized many English vocabulary words in schoolo Too much emphasis on grammar than communicationo China was ranked 37th out of 64th countries in terms of English

proficiency. South Korea was 24th and Japan was 26th (English Proficiency Index, Education First, 2014).

• Focus on Test Scores and Teaching for the GaoKao: Test-driven culture (Smith, 2016)

Growing Skills Gap


Changes to Gaokao in 2020: Moving from “Made in China” to “Created in China”


Preliminary Changes to Gaokao Reform in 2017

• ~ Three of the six subjects will count towards the final gaokao score (students select highest score).

• ~ English section points reduced from 150 to 100; Chinese section increase from 150 to 180.

• ~ Students can take the gaokao examination more than once on the English section.

• ~ 82 percent support the gaokao reform in Beijing (Yang, 2014).• GOAL: To restore English as a tool of communication rather

than a means to receive a high score.


Perception of Gaokao Reform in 2017


Why Now? Why Reform the Gaokao?• To enhance creativity, analytical, and problem solving skills. • To retain talented students from leaving China

• In 2014/2015, 304,040 students from China leave to study abroad in the United States. Many leave to avoid gaokao.

• To increase access to higher education (Improve social mobility between urban-rural).

• To boost equality in education (migrant students)

• To improve Chinese language and culture identity in society

• To reduce parent’s financial investment on private tutoring• To reduce social/psychological problems cause by the gaokao.• To eliminate academic corruption on awarding bonus points • To adopt an U.S. college admission model in China


Research Questions• 1) What are Chinese English teacher’s perception

(e.g., assumptions, attitudes, beliefs, values, experiences) and consciousness (e.g., awareness) of the national college entrance examination (gaokao) reform from rural Shigatse, Tibet, China?

• 2) What are the goals and purposes for the gaokao reform? How do these goals and purposes change or alter teacher’s pedagogy and curriculum in Chinese schools?

• 3) What are the social and political motivation for initiating the gaokao reform in 2017?


Covert Categories of Interest• Chinese teachers perception (e.g.,

assumptions, attitudes, beliefs, values, experiences) and consciousness (e.g., awareness) of the national college entrance examination (gaokao);

• Chinese teachers’ dispositions (behaviors, experiences) of teaching English in rural Tibet, China;

• Chinese teachers engagement with students studying English

Sampling and Data Collection• Time Period: August 2014 and August 2015• Partnership: Educational Service Exchange China,

Inc. (ESEC.org)• Participants: 20 Tibetan English teachers• Location: Shigatse, Tibet, China• Process: Semi-structured focus group interviews with

open-ended follow up questions • Method: Purposeful Sampling Technique• Time of Completion: 58 minutes (10 questions)• Transcription of Data: InqScribe and NVivio

China’s Gaokao Reform in 2017

Participants

Focus Group Questionnaires• 1) Some scholars believe that Chinese schools are placing too much emphasis on learning English

and less emphasis on Chinese studies in both primary and secondary school. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

• 2) At your current school, do you think there should be more English-language instruction or more traditional Chinese culture class? Why?

• 3) In your opinion, do you think your headmaster is spending too much or too little resources to help students study English in your school? Why?

• 4) Starting in 2017, the English section will be removed from China’s national college entrance examination (gaokao) to make way for more mathematics and Chinese language testing. What do you think about this change? Should English be taken out of the gaokao? Why or why not?

• 5) In China, few educators believe that the removal of the English section on the gaokao may decrease student motivation and interest to study English in both primary and secondary schools. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

• 6) In your opinion, if the English section is removed on the gaokao, what do you think Chinese teachers must do to push students to learn English? How?

• 7) Some Chinese researchers fear that the removal of the English section on the gaokao will decease students writing and reading ability and thus, make them less employable for the job market in China. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

• 8) In your opinion, do you think the Chinese Ministry of Education should remove the English section of the gaokao OR to decrease the total points of the gaokao English section? Why?

• 9) In the future, do you believe there will be fewer Chinese English teachers working in Chinese schools as a result of the recent gaokao changes? In other words, will there be less interest to teach English in Chinese schools? Why or why not?

• 10) And finally, is there anything you wish to add to this interview?

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)Theoretical Framework

• CDA examine the relationship between (a) discursive practices, events and texts, (b) wider social and cultural structures, relations and processes, and (c) how such practices, events and texts are shaped by relations of power and structure (Fairclough, 1995).o GOAL: To address social problems through

their analysis and accompanying social and political action.

Theme One: Chinese teachers are unsure whether schools should place more/less emphasis on English after gaokao reform

• “I am not sure. In Chinese schools, we place both English and Chinese on high score. However, we pay more attention to Chinese…we don't have a very good environment in learning English.”

• “I think we should pay much more attention on English. I think our schools is paying too much attention to Chinese….students should pay more attention on English so they can get better score on English.”

• “I think we should teach them Chinese grammar first before English because when you‘re in primary school or secondary school, I can’t understand my students grammar. When we teach grammar, we often use Chinese. We never use English. We have no environment.”


Theme Two: Chinese teachers are unsure whether gaokao reform would increase or decrease

students motivation to learn English

• “Definitely increase, because in the future, China will be an international country. Many students like to learn English. In our English class, we must teach some grammar…but some students don't understand many words…so, if gaokao change, we can find a better way to teach them. We can find a good way that is of interest for the students.”

• “I think it will decrease student learning. In my school, students heard the news and many of my students have decreased their motivation to learn English. I think this the reform is a bad idea… For example, if you want to get into Peking University, we must get A score. You must learn English very well. I think this structure is very good in China.”

Theme Three: Most Chinese teachers believe that English section of gaokao should not be removed.

• “I think English should not be taken out of the gaokao; instead, we should maybe decrease the gaokao score. That way, we won't decrease student motivation or interest to study English, as long as students motivation to study English is based on test score. Student will continue to study hard because children parents believe in the examination system.”

• “Students learn most of the subject in high school in order to take part of the examination, as well as to receive high test score. English is more important than art or science. Our country has become more developed, so more foreigners will come to China.”

• “Depends on the students…and depends on the school’s location. When students graduate, some students work very hard to study English because they want to find a good job. If they are graduate, it doesn't matter the score. They can learn by themselves. And be employable.”


Preliminary Findings• 1) Most interviewees responded positively

surrounding the gaokao reform in 2017• 2) Some respondents were uncertain whether the gaokao reform would increase or decrease student motivation to study English

• 3) Most respondents believe that gaokao should NOT be removed in China

• 4) Some Chinese English teachers believe that the gaokao reform would affect and change their pedagogy and curriculum.

• 5) Most respondents believe that the gaokao reform is good for students well-being.

Limitations and Further Research• Current sample size is too small to generalize the

entire population and country of China.• Future research will be conducted in July 2016 to

further understand teacher’s attitudes, behaviors and beliefs of the gaokao reform o Interview local education policy leaders and

senior officials this summer in Tibet, Chinao Preliminary findings will be presented at the “XVI

2016 World Congress of Comparative Education Societies” in Beijing, China this August 2016


Questions? Comments?

Roy Y. Chan

Ph.D. candidate

Department of Educational

Leadership and Policy Studies

School of Education

Indiana University, Bloomington

[email protected]

www.rychan.com


mailto:[email protected]

Challenges facing China's Gaokao Reform in 2017

Education

Transcript of Challenges facing China's Gaokao Reform in 2017