Belief as the prerequisite to action: Curriculum reform and the transformation of teaching conceptions in rural China

The Chinese New Curriculum reforms that began in primary schools in 2001 aim for the transformation of teachers' beliefs as the prerequisite to the transformation of teaching practices from traditional teacher-centered approaches to more progressive student-centered approaches. This chapter draws on classroom observation and in-depth interview data to investigate the relationship between the New Curriculum reform implementation and the beliefs about teaching and learning held by primary school teachers in rural northwest China. My findings suggest that teachers who are more familiar with, and have more positive attitudes about, the New Curriculum reforms also have more "progressive" beliefs about teaching.