Based on a four-month fieldwork in two local schools, Pioneer School and Merits School, in China, the study explores how local schools and parents responded to the Chinese New Mathematics Curriculum Reform. The study found that the schools responded to the reform out of school people's practical concerns as well the established school cultures. Meanwhile, schools' implementation decisions were mediated by the interpretation powers of local educational authorities. Merits School arrived at the two-faces strategy to implement the reform. Pioneer School managed to maintain a balance between promoting reform pedagogies and employing examination-oriented approaches. Both schools marginally involved parents in the implementation of the reform. This study suggests that to achieve successful reformers need to place equal emphasis on the transformation of teachers as well as local policymakers. Future studies may employ quantitative research methods and investigate in larger scale how schools in China enact the reform to date.
","abstract_html":"<p>Based on a four-month fieldwork in two local schools, Pioneer School and Merits School, in China, the study explores how local schools and parents responded to the Chinese New Mathematics Curriculum Reform. The study found that the schools responded to the reform out of school people's practical concerns as well the established school cultures. Meanwhile, schools' implementation decisions were mediated by the interpretation powers of local educational authorities. Merits School arrived at the two-faces strategy to implement the reform. Pioneer School managed to maintain a balance between promoting reform pedagogies and employing examination-oriented approaches. Both schools marginally involved parents in the implementation of the reform. This study suggests that to achieve successful reformers need to place equal emphasis on the transformation of teachers as well as local policymakers. Future studies may employ quantitative research methods and investigate in larger scale how schools in China enact the reform to date.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gao, Wei"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Teaching and Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Gerald M. Mager","Patricia P. Tinto"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-05-30T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-05-30T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:54:51Z","subjects":["Chinese education","Curriculum reform;","mathematics education","reform implementation","Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://surface.syr.edu/etd/108","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Gerald M. Mager","Patricia P. Tinto"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gao, Wei"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Teaching and Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Chinese education","Curriculum reform;","mathematics education","reform implementation","Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://surface.syr.edu/etd/108"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Based on a four-month fieldwork in two local schools, Pioneer School and Merits School, in China, the study explores how local schools and parents responded to the Chinese New Mathematics Curriculum Reform. The study found that the schools responded to the reform out of school people's practical concerns as well the established school cultures. Meanwhile, schools' implementation decisions were mediated by the interpretation powers of local educational authorities. Merits School arrived at the two-faces strategy to implement the reform. Pioneer School managed to maintain a balance between promoting reform pedagogies and employing examination-oriented approaches. Both schools marginally involved parents in the implementation of the reform. This study suggests that to achieve successful reformers need to place equal emphasis on the transformation of teachers as well as local policymakers. Future studies may employ quantitative research methods and investigate in larger scale how schools in China enact the reform to date.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["THE CHINESE NEW MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM REFORM AT TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: TWO CASES COMPARED"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Gerald M. Mager","Patricia P. Tinto"],"dc:creator":["Gao, Wei"],"dc:description.abstract":["Based on a four-month fieldwork in two local schools, Pioneer School and Merits School, in China, the study explores how local schools and parents responded to the Chinese New Mathematics Curriculum Reform. The study found that the schools responded to the reform out of school people's practical concerns as well the established school cultures. Meanwhile, schools' implementation decisions were mediated by the interpretation powers of local educational authorities. Merits School arrived at the two-faces strategy to implement the reform. Pioneer School managed to maintain a balance between promoting reform pedagogies and employing examination-oriented approaches. Both schools marginally involved parents in the implementation of the reform. This study suggests that to achieve successful reformers need to place equal emphasis on the transformation of teachers as well as local policymakers. Future studies may employ quantitative research methods and investigate in larger scale how schools in China enact the reform to date.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://surface.syr.edu/etd/108"],"dc:subject":["Chinese education","Curriculum reform;","mathematics education","reform implementation","Education"],"dc:title":["THE CHINESE NEW MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM REFORM AT TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: TWO CASES COMPARED"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Teaching and Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:54:51Z"}