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Examining the Senior Secondary School Chemistry Curriculum in China in View of Scientific Literacy

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Chinese Science Education in the 21st Century: Policy, Practice, and Research

Part of the book series: Contemporary Trends and Issues in Science Education ((CTISE,volume 45))

Abstract

The notion of scientific literacy has been advocated as the central goal in the current chemistry curriculum in China. This chapter aims to examine the embedding of the idea of scientific literacy in the new senior secondary school chemistry curriculum. This analysis was built on the concept of curriculum balance and scientific literacy and was defined by the four themes: (a) the knowledge of science, (b) the investigative nature of science, (c) science as a way of knowing, and (d) the interaction of science, technology, and society. A content analysis method was employed to analyze the Senior Secondary School Chemistry Curriculum Standards (SSSCCS), three series of the new chemistry textbooks, and a volume of a traditional series of chemistry textbooks (prior to the curriculum reform). It was found that the issue of curriculum balance has not been well dealt with in the new senior secondary chemistry curriculum, with the theme of “science as a way of knowing” greatly lacking; however, compared with the traditional textbook, the occurrence of the themes of “the investigative nature of science” and “the interaction of science, technology, and society” has greatly increased in the new chemistry books. The problem of the imbalanced distribution of the themes of scientific literacy in the senior secondary school chemistry curriculum is discussed in the last part of this chapter.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    According to the Outline of Curriculum Reform of Basic Education (MoE 2001), at the junior secondary school level (Grades 7–9), the science curriculum can take either of two forms: separate curriculum (biology, chemistry, or physics ) or integrated science curriculum.

  2. 2.

    Since the 1950s, the PEP has been the designated national education press that produces the national unified syllabi and textbooks directly under the leadership of the Ministry of Education (Wu et al. 1992). Although its status as a monopoly has decreased in recent years, textbooks produced by the PEP are still popular in primary and secondary schools in China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Macau, E33, Av. da Universidade, Taipa, Macau, China

    Bing Wei

  2. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou University, 230 Wai Huan Xi Road, Guangzhou, China

    Bo Chen

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  1. Bing Wei
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  2. Bo Chen
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Correspondence to Bing Wei .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ling L. Liang

  2. Department of Learning & Instruction, Graduation School of Education University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA

    Xiufeng Liu

  3. Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Gavin W. Fulmer

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Wei, B., Chen, B. (2017). Examining the Senior Secondary School Chemistry Curriculum in China in View of Scientific Literacy. In: Liang, L., Liu, X., Fulmer, G. (eds) Chinese Science Education in the 21st Century: Policy, Practice, and Research. Contemporary Trends and Issues in Science Education, vol 45. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9864-8_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9864-8_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-017-9863-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-9864-8

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