Original title: From Policy to Practice: Implementing Chinese Language Curriculum in UAE Public Schools
The UAE began teaching Chinese in public schools through the Hundred Schools Project in 2019. Researchers interviewed six Chinese teachers in Al Ain and examined teaching-related documents to see how the curriculum worked in practice. They found that teachers had shared plans, books, digital resources, and training, but some lacked materials, follow-up support, or enough lesson time. Teachers changed lesson pace and activities to fit their students and schools. Students showed basic Chinese use and cultural expression, but the evidence did not show lasting, consistent gains in proficiency.
Imagine cooking from the same recipe in different kitchens. One kitchen may be missing ingredients, short on time, or set up for a different number of people, so the cook has to adjust the steps. In this paper, the recipe is the shared Chinese curriculum, and the kitchens are the schools where teachers adapt lessons to local conditions.
Students’ chance to learn Chinese depends on more than having a national curriculum: it also depends on resources, teaching time, and support at each school. The study shows where those supports are uneven and why a programme’s reach does not by itself prove lasting language gains.
The study covers six Chinese language teachers in participating public schools in Al Ain, using a qualitative single-case approach. Its evidence does not establish uniform or sustained gains in Chinese proficiency, and it does not show whether the findings apply to other schools or settings.
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From Policy to Practice: Implementing Chinese Language Curriculum in UAE Public Schools — Shi Yueran, Siti Salina Mustakim, Aminuddin Hassan et al. — International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development — doi:10.6007/ijarped/v15-i4/29157
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.