Abstract
Few studies deal with teachers’ receptivity in the initiation stage of educational change, especially in a non-western cultural context like Mainland China. This study aims at investigating teachers’ receptivity to the
system-wide curriculum reform of the senior secondary education in the initiation stage and understanding the factors influencing teachers’ receptivity in Mainland China. Questionnaire survey with open-ended question (n = 763) is employed to explore teachers’ receptivity in four selec-
ted experimental provinces, i.e., the first group of provinces which are selected by Ministry of Education to implement the curriculum reform. Results indicate teachers have positive attitudes and behavioral intentions toward promoting the curriculum reform of senior secondary education, and they consider the reform is valuable but difficult to carry out. The existing theoretical model can explain teachers’ behavioral intentions quite well, but its predicting ability to teachers’ general attitudes is limited, which indicates some new variables that need to be considered, too. Implications of this study and suggestions for future research are also discussed in the article.
Keywords Teacher receptivity · Curriculum reform ·
The initiation stage · Mainland China
Introduction
Previous research has indicated repeatedly that teachers are significant agents of curriculum change (Berman and McLaughlin 1980; Fullan 2001; McLaughlin 2004). Teachers’ receptivity can be crucial in determining the success or failure of curriculum change (Lee 2000; Waugh 2000). Teachers will be more likely to commit themselves to the change if they have a positive attitude to the change. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the receptivity of teachers to any system-wide curriculum reform will be crucial for reform policy-makers as well as researchers.
In general, the process of curriculum reform can be divided into three stages, i.e., the initiation stage, the implementation stage and the institutionalization stage, and factors influencing the development of those stages are also different (Fullan 2001). This reminds researchers that teacher receptivity in different stages should be explored, respectively. However, most studies on teacher receptivity are related to the implementation stage rather than the initiation or institutionalization stage (Lee 1998, 2000; Moroz and Waugh 2000; Waugh and Godfrey 1993, 1995; Yin et al. 2003). As yet, few studies conducted in Mainland China have focused on teacher receptivity to curriculum reform. This study attempts to bridge this gap by exploring teacher receptivity to a system-wide change under the context of the curriculum reform of senior secondary education in Mainland China. To be specific, it aims at investigating teacher receptivity to the curriculum reform of senior secondary education and understanding the factors that influence teacher receptivity in the initiation stage.
Literature and context
Teacher receptivity to system-wide curriculum change
The meaning of receptivity can be described more clearly if compared with the term of resistance. By receptivity is meant how people are oriented internally toward proposed reforms instead of how they behave in relation to those reforms. Therefore, Lee (1998) defined teachers’ receptivity as their positive attitudes and behavioral intentions to proposed reforms. Although teachers’ positive attitudes can not exactly predict their actual behavior in implementingthe reforms, some research shows that there is a strong positive correlation between people’s behavioral intention and their actual behavior (Ajzen1988), and between teachers’ attitudes and curriculum implementation (Brown and McIntyre 1982; Thorsen-Spano 1996). Therefore, research on teacher receptivity has been increasingly concerned since later 1980s.
On the basis of previous literature, Waugh and Punch (1987) introduced the theory of reasoned action into the research on teacher receptivity which considers behavior intention is the direct determinant of human action. They summarized the following six general variables which were mainly related to teacher receptivity: (a) basic attitudes to education; (b) alleviation of fears and uncertainties associated with the change; (c) practicality of the change in operation; (d) perceived expectations and beliefs about the change in operation; (e) perceived school support for the change; and (f) personal cost appraisal for the change. On the basis of this theoretical model, Waugh and his colleagues have conducted a series of studies that aimed at developing the instrument with good psychometric quality for assessing teacher receptivity. For instance, in the study of teacher receptivity to the unit curriculum system, Waugh and Godfrey (1993) found 56% of the variance in general attitudes and 58% in behavioral intentions can be accounted for by teachers’ perceived cost-benefit appraisal, participation in school decisions about the change, perceived improvements of the new system compared with the previous one, and perceived support from the senior teachers and principal for the change. In another study, Moroz and Waugh (2000) combined work organization variables with those traditional variables in analyzing teachers’ receptivity to the implementation of student outcome statement. They found some significant predictors for teacher receptivity such as the non-monetary cost benefits, alleviation of fears and concerns, significant-other’s support, and feelings compared to the previous system. In Hong Kong, Lee (1998, 2000) explored teacher receptivity toward the implementation of various curriculum reforms, including general studies, target-oriented curriculum, and environmental education. In these studies, he suggested a general model of teacher receptivity comprised of two dependent variables, i.e., general attitudes and behavioral intentions, and five independent variables, including personal costbenefit appraisal, perceived practicality, issues of concern, perceived school support, and perceived other support. In Yin et al.’s (2003) analysis of teacher receptivity to a system-wide curriculum reform in Mainland China, they found this model could account for nearly 40% of the variance in attitudes and 54% in behavioral intentions.
All of the above studies concern about the teacher receptivity in the implementation stage of curriculum reform. Among the literature, only two studies are related to teacher receptivity in the initiation stage. They investigated Catholic school teachers’ receptivity to the proposal of moving Year 7 classes from the primary schools to the secondary schools in Australia (Collins and Waugh 1998; Waugh and Collins 1997). In these studies, teacher receptivity also included two dependent variables, i.e., general attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the proposed change, but related independent variables were slightly different from those factors influencing teacher receptivity in the implementation reform which included general beliefs about education, alleviation of fears and uncertainties, perceived practicality, school preparation, influence on teachers, and cost-benefit appraisal. The two studies indicated that although the variables were helpful in understanding teacher receptivity to curriculum change in the initiation stage, other factors might work to shape teacher receptivity in this stage. Therefore, it was suggested that further studies should modify the theoretical model, and introduce new factors into the studies (Collins and Waugh 1998; Waugh and Collins 1997).
The curriculum reform of senior secondary education in mainland China
At present, curriculum reform is a central agenda of basic education in Mainland China. China has experienced a return of large-scale reform in the public education system as a trend observed in other parts of the world since the late 1990s (Fullan 2000). People are no longer satisfied with the development of individual innovative schools, but try to improve the quality of the overall school system (Fullan and Earl 2002). There are two main criteria of this kind of educational changes: (a) the focus of reform is an entire system and/or (b) a minimum of 50 or so schools and some 20,000 or more students are involved (Fullan 2000). The ongoing national curriculum reform in China echoes this international trend.
As pointed by Zheng (2005), there have been eight waves of national curriculum reform since the foundation of P. R. China in 1949, three of which have been initiated
over the past three decades. When new waves of curriculum reform emerge, teachers are always required toadopt different curriculum materials, subject contents, and teaching approaches into their own classroom practices. However, after several rounds of national curriculumreform, some major problems still exist in the educational system of Mainland China, such as educationalaims lacking a unified definition, curriculum content ignoring students’ overall development, inflated subject content, distorted instruction and pedagogy, and improper curriculum evaluation (Guan and Meng 2007). Therefore, in the wake of the sixth nation-wide curriculum reform from 1981 to 1985 and the seventh from 1988 to 1996, the Ministry of Education (MoE) put forth the Action Plan for Educational Vitalization Facing the 21st Century in 1998 and proposed to activate another round of national curriculum reform in the new century. It seems that the three waves of national curriculum reform have brought continuous challenges to the schools and teachers in the past three decades.
As for the eighth national curriculum reform in Mainland China, the MoE issued Guidelines for the Curriculum Reform of Basic Education (Tentative) in June 2001, and implemented the curriculum reform for primary and junior secondary education in September 2001. In March 2003, the MoE issued The Curriculum Compendium of Senior Secondary Education (Experimental) and new curriculum standards for 15 subjects of senior secondary school (SSS). Then, the curriculum reform of senior secondary education has been implemented in four selected experimental provinces, including Shandong, Guangdong, Hainan and Ningxia, since September 2004.
In short, the ambitious reform initiatives in the senior secondary education aimed at bringing a systematic change to the curriculum of senior secondary education, especially in the following aspects: (a) replacing the existing subjectbased SSS curriculum structure with a three-level structure consisting of learning fields, subjects, and modules; (b) adopting an elective course and credit system; (c) granting the opportunity of choosing courses to students; (d) improving students’ generic skills of independent inquiry, cooperation, communication, and problem-solving; (e) establishing a formative evaluation system and connecting students’ academic performance with their growth portfolio; and (f) decentralizing the existing educational system and encouraging school-based curriculum development.
Obviously, the SSS curriculum reform meets the two criteria of large-scale reform mentioned above (Fullan 2000). In order to know teachers’ receptivity to this reform in the initiation stage, the present study was conducted in midSeptember 2004 when a new school year just started and all the four experimental provinces had completed the preparation work for the SSS curriculum reform.
Method
Instrument
On the basis of the theoretical model and instrument suggested by Waugh and Collins (1997), a 35-item questionnaire of teacher receptivity was adapted to assess teacher receptivity in the initiation stage of the SSS curriculum reform in Mainland China. The questionnaire contained the following six variables such as teachers’ general attitudes toward the curriculum reform; behavioral intentions; preparation for the curriculum reform; perceived practicality; cost-benefit appraisal; and issues of concern. All items in the questionnaire were scored on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (not at all true of me) to 5 (very true of me). Teachers’ demographic information such as gender, subject, teaching age and education attainment, and the forms, contents and effects of teacher training activities were measured in another part of the questionnaire, too.
In addition, the questionnaire also included an openended question of ‘‘what else do you want to say about the SSS curriculum reform?’’ that aimed at getting teachers’ opinions on and suggestions about the reform. The questionnaire was revised in line with the comments of three university researchers on curriculum and 18 senior secondary school teachers before it was administered to teachers in the main study.
Subject
The survey was conducted in mid-September 2004. A sample of teachers was drawn from Grade One of senior secondary schools involved in the curriculum reform in the four experimental provinces of Shandong, Guangdong, Hainan, and Ningxia. In order to ensure the return rate, this survey was carried out under the help of MoE and the local educational administration section. According to the principles of sampling suggested by our research team, the educational administration department in each province distributed 200 questionnaires to the participating schools. Therefore, a total of 800 questionnaires was distributed and 763 usable questionnaires were received with a return rate of 95% or so. In selecting the sample schools, three kinds of schools were considered which include the schools in capital cities, middle cities, and small cities and/or towns in each province.
In the returned questionnaires, the teachers from each province accounted for about one quarter of the total sample. Of the sample, 383 teachers (50.2%) were male and 371 teachers (48.6%) were female; 201 teachers (26.3%) had
1–3 years of teaching experiences, 215 teachers (28.2%) had
4–10 years of teaching experiences, 213 teachers (27.9%) had 11–20 years of teaching experiences, 91 teachers
(11.9%) had 21–30 years of teaching experiences, and 40 teachers (5.24%) had more than 30 years of teaching experiences. Moreover, 706 teacher of the sample (92.5%) had bachelor degree in different subjects.
Analysis
The methods of ANOVA, correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression were used to analyze the quantitative data, and the results will be reported in the following sections.
A total of 249 pieces of statements about the open-ended question was collected in the present study. On the basis of analyzing the main idea of each statement, they were coded and classified by two members of our research team individually and then collectively. Through this procedure, investigator triangulation was employed to ensure thevalidity of the qualitative data analysis. Finally, five themes containing various categories and subcategories weregenerated as follows: (a) the necessity of the reform, including the importance for improving national development (12 pieces) and for students’ individual growth (11 pieces); (b) comments on the design of the new curriculum, including concerns about the new textbooks and teaching approaches (54 pieces), and concerns about the new evaluation system (31 pieces); (c) comments on the expected support for the implementation, including teacher development activities (35 pieces), facilities and resources (28 pieces), and coordination with parents (15 pieces);
(d) suggestions to the stakeholders of the reform, including suggestions to the educational administration sections (16 pieces), the students (14 pieces), and other teachers (10 pieces); and (e) teachers’ emotions or expectations, including teachers’ emotional responses to the reform (15 pieces) and the expectation on the sustainability of the reform (8 pieces). The appendix showed the selected examples from two themes in the refined coding system for the qualitative data.>
Results of quantitative data analysis
Descriptive statistics and reliability analysis
Table 1 shows the results of descriptive statistics and reliability analysis. All values of Cronbach’s a are higher than 0.70, which indicates the six subscales of teacherTable 1 Descriptive statistics and reliability analysis (n = 763)
SubscaleNo. of itemsMSDCronbach’s a
General attitudes63.390.94.88
Behavioral intentions54.160.56.75
Preparation63.820.65.79
Practicality63.770.64.79
Cost-benefit54.170.63.86
Issues of concern74.250.57.79
In order to get more detailed information of teachers’ attitudes, Table 2 lists the items that teachers respond negatively or with low scores. These items reflect the aspects that teachers are not satisfied with the preparation work in the initiation stage. From Table 2, it is obvious that quite a few teachers consider it difficult to implement the curriculum reform due to insufficient school resources and inadequate parental support.
The effects of personal characteristics on teacher receptivity
As for teachers’ demographic characteristics, the results uncover that teachers’ gender, subject, and education attainment are not related to their receptivity, and there is no significant interaction effects among the three variables. However, teaching age has significant effects on teachers’ general attitudes and behavioral intentions, and it also does not have interaction effects with other three variables, i.e., gender, subject, and education attainment. Figure 1 presents the comparison of teacher receptivity among different teaching age groups. Specifically, teachers with less than 10 years of teaching (i.e., 1–3 years and 4–10 years) have more positive attitude to the curriculum reform than those with 11–20 years or 21–30 years of teaching. In addition, teachers with 4–10 years of teaching experience have receptivity questionnaire have high internal consistency. For the two dependent variables of teacher receptivity,
general attitudes and behavioral intentions, although teachers’ attitudes to the reform are mild positive, most teachers intend to behave quite positively toward the reform, with mean of 3.39 and 4.16, respectively.
practicality, cost-benefit appraisal, and issues of concern, are significantly correlated with teachers’ general attitudes higher behavioral intentions than those with 11–20 years and 21–30 years of teaching experience.
This study also finds that degree of perceived gains after teacher training influences teacher receptivity to the curriculum reform. The analysis shows that after training,teachers who have different degrees of perceived gainsand levels of confidence about the curriculum reform hold various levels of receptivity, and there is no significant interaction effect between the degree of perceived gains and level of confidence. Table 3 summarizes the result of differences of receptivity among teachers with various degrees of perceived gains after training. Generally, teachers who think they have gained greatly after training are more positive toward the reform than those in other three groups, and they also show higher behavior intentions.
Correlation and regression analysis between teacher receptivity and the influencing factors
In order to avoid the influence of the interaction between years of teaching experience and degrees of perceived gains after training on teacher receptivity, this study analyzed the relationships between the variables, using the method of the partial correlation. The result supports the hypothesis that these four independent variables, and behavior intentions (see Table 4). However, although all the correlation values are statistically significant, the four independent variables are much more correlated with behavioral intentions than with general attitudes.
In the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, teachers’ general attitudes and behavioral intentions were used as the dependent variables, respectively, and three groups of variables were employed as predictors which are added into the regression model step by step. In the first step, the group of teachers’ demographic characteristics was added that included gender, teaching age, and education attainment. The second step added the four independent variables of teacher receptivity, i.e., preparation for the curriculum reform, perceived practicality, cost-benefit appraisal and issues of concern. In the third step, the two factors of teachers’ evaluation on the teacher training activities were added, i.e., degree of perceived gains after training and level of confidence about the curriculum reform. Table 5 shows the results of regression analysis.
As shown in Table 5, when teachers’ general attitudes are considered as the dependent variable, teaching age in
group one, the cost-benefit appraisal and preparation for the curriculum reform in group two, and teachers’ confidence level in group three are the significant predictors which explain a total of 17.4% of general attitudes’ variance. The values of unstandardized coefficient indicate that a unit change in cost-benefit appraisal contributes 38.9% unit of change in teachers’ general attitudes, and a unit increase in confidence level positively brings 20.2% unit of change in teachers’ general attitudes. It is notable that a unit increasein teachers’ teaching age can bring 10.8% unit of decrease in teachers’ general attitudes. These findings show thatthe previous four independent variables in the theoreticalmodel of teacher receptivity have low ability to accountfor the variance of general attitudes toward the curriculum change. However, besides the four variables, the years of teaching age, levels of confidence are also significant predictors of general attitudes.
When behavioral intensions are considered as the dependent variable, teaching age in group one, all of the four independent variables in group two, and confidence level in group three become significant predictors, accounting for 68.2% of the variance in behavior intensions toward the reform. To be specific, given one unit increase in cost-benefit appraisal, preparation work, issues of concern, practicality and teacher’ confidence level, 37.3%, 15.5%, 22.2%, 13.2%, and 4.2% unit of positive change can be expected in teachers’ behavioral intentions, respectively. Clearly, the four independent variables in the theoretical model of teacher receptivity are powerful predictors of behavioral intentions.
Discussion
Teacher receptivity to the SSS curriculum reform in mainland China
The results of the present study indicate that teachers have positive receptivity to the SSS curriculum reform. Although teachers scored low on general attitudes, they had quite positive behavioral intentions toward the reform. The major reasons for the great disparity in scores between general attitudes and behavioral intentions are insufficient preparation work in the initiation stage and teachers’ inadequate understanding of the new curriculum project. These results support the conclusion that although teachers think there is large room for the SSS curriculum reform to improve in the implementation stage, they are willing to put the reform into practice, which is definitely a good sign for the SSS curriculum reform.
Perceived non-monetary cost-benefit appraisal is found to be the most significant predictor for teacher receptivity, including general attitudes and behavioral intensions, in the regression analysis. The implementation of the curriculum reform requires teachers to spend much time and energy for adapting to the new curriculum contents, teaching methods, and assessment rationale, etc. Rewards from the curriculum reform are mainly non-monetary, such as the improvement of student learning, teachers’ professional development, and potential chance of promotion and so on (Morris 1987). Fortunately, teachers’ perceived cost-benefit appraisal in this study is highly positive (M = 4.17). As for the open-ended question in
the survey, teachers’ evaluation about the SSS curriculum
reform is far beyond the benefits to students and teachers. They think it would bring a lot of advantages to the development of the whole nation and society. The following statements are used to explain the necessity of the reform:
The SSS curriculum reform is imperative. As a need of the new era, it deserves our attention because it is a dynamic curriculum system aiming to push educational innovation, based on the current situation of our country. The SSS curriculum is vitally important to advance the overall development of citizen’s quality and is imperative. The idea of the curriculum reform is based on humanistic approach and focusing on whole-person development. I support the new curriculum reform definitely.
However, it is also found that teachers think there is still a long way to cover for the preparation of the reform in the initiation stage. As shown in Table 2, 21.6% of teachers are concerned about insufficient facilities and resources. Some previous studies found the insufficient resource is one of the most important barriers of the curriculum reform of primary and junior secondary education (Ma and Tang 2002; Research team 2003). The case can also be generalized to the SSS curriculum reform. Compared with the curriculum reform of primary and junior secondary education, the SSS curriculum reform places high-level requirements on the textbooks, teaching staff, teaching aids, laboratory rooms, and facilities, and it is impossible for many schools to reach the above requirements in a short time. Furthermore, 59.5% of teachers (see Table 2) do not think parents support the curriculum reform, and consequently, teachers shouldered heavy social pressure. Therefore, many teachers suggest social dissemination should be strengthened to get more social recognition:
The SSS curriculum reform should be propagated and the contents of the new curriculum should be paraphrased. Parents’ innocence of the curriculum reform is a great barrier to the work of teachers and schools.
The mass-media should help parents learn more about the SSS curriculum reform. It is important for the reform that society, parents, and students share the common vision.
Collins and Waugh (1998) suggested the decisionmakers should explain the rationale to teachers and parents in the initiation stage before the reform is adopted. Under the circumstance of insufficient school resources and inadequate supports from parents, it is not surprising that over half (55.6%, see Table 2) of the surveyed teachers think it is hard to implement the reform though they all recognize the importance of the change.
As seen from the analysis of teachers’ teaching age groups, teachers with 4–10 years of teaching experience hold more positive general attitudes and behavioral intentions than teachers with 11–30 years of teaching experience. Teachers with less than three years of teaching have more positive general attitudes than teachers with 11– 30 years of teaching experience, but there is no significant difference between their behavioral intentions. This can be explained that it is fast for the novice teachers (i.e., below three years of teaching experience) to accept the curriculuminnovation, but they do not know how to put the innovation into classroom practice due to their limited teachingexperiences. Hence, their behavior intentions are relatively less positive than their attitudes. This finding is consistent with Hargreaves’ (2005) observation that while young teachers might be more enthusiastic about and open to change than their older colleagues, they may be less competent and confident in implementing and even understanding it. The teachers with longer years of teaching, i.e., 4–10 years, have more teaching experience and are in the stage of professional growth, so they are likely not only to accept but also to use the new curriculum. It is hard for the experienced teachers to change their attitudes and intentions owing to their firm belief and teaching practice developed over years of teaching, which is consistent with Berman and McLaughlin’s (1980) finding that the more experience teachers have, the harder can they implement the innovation. Additionally, the continuous waves of national curriculum reform in Mainland China can also account for part of this problem, given that these reform waves may make experienced teachers tired of the rhetoric of change.
Implications for teacher training and the management of curriculum reform
As Brown and McIntyre (1982) pointed out, to persuade teachers to change their classroom practices, one has to give them convincing reasons for doing so. Therefore, besides providing the evidence about the necessity and practicality of the reform, policy-makers and change facilitators should upgrade teachers’ change capacity on the one hand, and alleviate their fears and concerns about the reform on the other.
Teacher training is the dynamo which enhances teachers’ professional ability and pushes forward the curriculum reform. The results of this study indicate that teacher receptivity to the SSS curriculum reform is closely related to their degrees of perceived gains and levels of confidence about the reform after participating in the teacher training activities, which means that the teacher training in the initiation stage has taken effect and is exerting a positive influence on teachers’ acceptance and support to the curriculum reform. Nevertheless, it is also found that there are many defects of the teacher training activities in the initiation stage, such as inflexible or monolithic forms, unclear aims, and unpractical training contents, which are uncovered in teachers’ statements as follows:
It is necessary to carry out the SSS curriculum reform, but there are too many abstract theories and ideas in training. Teachers feel at a loss about how to do in practice.
We need more chances to learn. Is it possible to provide us with some more concrete standardized models of the curriculum reform, such as demonstration lessons to make teachers have clear understanding of the orientation and characteristics of the SSS curriculum reform?
The curriculum change is open and exploratory. Therefore, teachers across four provinces should strengthen their communication more frequently and learn from each other.
Teachers’ receptivity to curriculum reform is influenced by the practical ethic and one component of the ethic is the instrumentality of the innovation (Doyle and Ponder 1977; Lee 2000). If teachers think the SSS curriculum reform is too abstract, it is difficult for them to put it into practice. Therefore, it can be inferred that the reform can achieve considerable effects if the forenamed problems are settled in the implementation stage. Future teacher training activities should arrange training contents such as micro teaching and case classroom teaching in accordance with the new curriculum. At the same time various forms of training should be carried out such as demonstration lessons, school-based research, and cross-school communication.
According to Concern-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) proposed by Hall and Hord (2001), if policy-makers and change facilitators can offer appropriate teacher development programs, support, and interventions based on teachers’ concerned issues, the process of curriculum reform will be put forward more smoothly. In the present study, teachers have the highest scores in the subscale of issues of concern (M = 4.25). Combined with teachers’
comments in the open-ended question, the main issues of concern are the following: (a) the continuity of the SSS curriculum reform; (b) the reform of assessment systems, including the college entrance examination, teacher evaluation and school assessment so on; (c) the guiding regulations about how to implement credit system and elective courses; (d) the influence on teachers’ and students’ development brought by the reform; and (e) experience of other teachers in successfully implementing the reform.
Although some of the problems can be solved through the efforts of teachers and schools, many of them such as the continuity of the curriculum change, assessment systems, and guideline for elective courses are related to relevant regulations and guarantees of the curriculum reform. Therefore, the educational administration sections should integrate the construction of measures in accordance with the curriculum reform. An important task for the change facilitators is to put them into effect and lessen teachers’ fear of disturbance.
Implications for the research on teacher receptivity in the initiation stage
This study indicates that the variables in the teacher receptivity questionnaire are generally reliable, and the four independent variables are significant predictors of teachers’ behavioral intentions. All these show that the instrument being used can be considered as the basis of developing teacher receptivity theory model in future.
However, partial correlation and regression analyses indicate that although the four independent variables are able to cover about 67% of the variance of teachers’ behavioral intentions, they are insufficient in predicting teachers’ general attitudes and can only account for nearly 13% of the variance. The following reasons lead to the great disparity in difference: On one hand, the SSS curriculum reform is a top-down, large-scale, and systematic change. As teachers from the four experimental provinces, i.e., Shandong, Guangdong, Hainan, and Ningxia, they are clear that the implementation of the reform is not an individual affair and far beyond their control, and they also understand the importance and necessity of the curriculum reform. On the other hand, most of the teachers have attended the teacher training activities organized by the local educational administration sections in the summer holiday 2004, but in the past they rarely had chance to know, no mention to use, the new SSS curriculum. In fact, the preparation and teacher training have been completed in only several months for schools and teachers, although The Curriculum Compendium of Senior Secondary Education (Experimental) and new curriculum standards have been issued since April 2003. As for the teachers working in the front, it is difficult to understand the requirements in every aspect of the SSS curriculum reform. Therefore, under the condition of inadequate preparation and unclear understanding, the predicting ability of the variables such as preparation situation and perceived practicality are naturally limited. It can be seen clearly in teachers’ responses to the open question:
I don’t think the preparation is enough, which is hasty. It is very necessary for the initiation of the SSS curriculum reform, but I think it is too hurried and the preparation is not enough.
The results of hierarchical multiple regression indicate that teachers’ demographic characteristic (i.e., teaching ages) and their feelings after training (i.e., level of confidence about the reform) are significant predictors of teacher receptivity. The results suggest that, researchers should take other variables into consideration when they study teacher receptivity in the initiation stage. The finding is consistent with previous research conducted in Australia (Waugh and Collins 1997; Collins and Waugh 1998). In a recent research, Waugh (2000) suggested the receptivity model should involve four categories of variables, namely, characteristics of the change, managing the change at school, value for the teacher, and perceived value for students. Therefore, future studies can try to introduce other factors such as teachers’ participation in school decisions, cooperation with their colleagues, individual professional development and the value of the innovation to students into the receptivity model in the initiation stage of curriculum reform. Future research can also consider adopting other statistical methods such as structural equation model (e.g., Yin, Jin, and Ma 2008) and Rasch model (e.g., Waugh 1999) to examine the psychometric quality of the teacher receptivity questionnaire in the initiation stage.
Brief summary of findings and implications
Just as Ornstein and Hunkins (2004) suggested, the leaders and facilitators of curriculum reform must understand how people react to change, and then we can know how to encourage them to be more receptive to change. In summary, this study on teacher receptivity to the SSS curriculum reform in Mainland China in the initiation stage leads to the results as follows:
First, in general, teachers demonstrate positive attitudes and behavioral intentions toward implementing the curriculum reform of senior secondary education. Teachers perceive that the reform is valuable but difficult to carry out due to insufficient school resources and parents’ support. In addition, teachers with teaching experience below 10 years reveal more positive receptivity toward the curriculum reform.
Second, teacher training activities have positive influences on teacher receptivity to the reform in the initiationstage. However, more practical contents concerningthe new curriculum and various training forms should beconsidered in future teacher development. Educational administration sections should set up regulations to guarantee the implementation of the reform, especially,theconstructions of assessment systems and guidance systems. Third, the instrument used in the present study can to alarge extent explain teachers’ behavior intentions.Apart from the original independent variables, teachers’ teaching experience and the evaluation on teacher training influenceteacher receptivity. Future research on teacher receptivity in the initiation stage should take other factors into consideration, for example, teachers’ participation in schooldecision-making, teachers’ collaboration, teachers’professional development, and benefits of the reform to
students.
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