From Rote to Real: To What Extend can Learner-Centred Pedagogy Enhance Knowledge-Based Geography Learning in Chinese Secondary Schools?
Keywords:
Chinese secondary schools, learner-centred pedagogy, pedagogical innovation
Abstract
This study investigates how learner-centred pedagogy can enhance knowledge-based geography education in Chinese secondary schools. Drawing on Watkins' (2017) framework of learning-centred classrooms, the research analyzes the potential integration of active, collaborative, learner-driven, and learning-focused approaches into China's traditional geography curriculum. While implementation faces cultural and systemic challenges within China's examination-oriented education system, findings suggest that learner-centred pedagogy can effectively complement the existing knowledge-based framework while developing critical thinking and collaborative skills. The study concludes that despite practical obstacles, this integrated approach offers a viable path to modernizing geography education in Chinese secondary schools while maintaining academic rigor.
References
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Bremner, N. (2021). The multiple meanings of ‘student-centred’ or ‘learner-centred’ education, and the case for a more flexible approach to defining it. Comparative Education, 57(2), 159–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2020.1805863
Bremner, N., Peppin Vaughan, R., & Shah, R. (2022). The outcomes of learner-centred pedagogy: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Development, 94, 102649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2022.102649
Chang, C. H., & Kidman, G. (2019). Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in geographical education – for whom and for what purpose? International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 28(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2019.1578526
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Deng, Z. (2015). Michael Young, knowledge and curriculum: An international dialogue. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 47(6), 723–732. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2015.1101492
Driven. (n.d.). Driven. Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from https://www.oed.com/dictionary/driven_adj?tab=factsheet#6011375
Fielding, M. (2001). Students as radical agents of change. Journal of Educational Change, 2, 123–141.
Fu, G. P. (2020). The knowledge-based versus student-centred debate on quality education: Controversy in China’s curriculum reform. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 50(3), 410–427. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2018.1523002
Gao, C. J. (2003). A narrative of the reform of secondary geography textbooks over past decades [in Chinese]. Curriculum, Teaching Material and Method, 5, 55–58.
Hanso, S., & Moser, S. (2003). Reflections on a discipline-wide project: Developing active learning modules on the human dimensions of global change. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 27(1), 17–38.
He, Y., Zhang, X., & Wang, Y. (2022). Exploring the gap between academic geography and school geography: Knowledge transformation of the competencies-based curriculum making in China. Geography, 107(3), 128–136.
Herranen, J., Vesterinen, V.-M., & Aksela, M. (2018). From learner-centered to learner-driven sustainability education. Sustainability, 10(7), 2190. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072190
Hirsch, E. D. (2016). Why knowledge matters: Rescuing our children from failed educational theories. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Huang, X., Li, J., & Zhang, Y. (2018). Geography Gaokao-oriented knowledge acquisition for comparative sentences based on logic programming. In Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Vol. 11142, pp. 101–113). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01310-3_9
Iftode, D. (2020). Generation Z and learning styles. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3518722
International Geographic Union–Commission on Geographical Education. (2016). International charter on geographical education. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from http://www.igu-cge.org/2016-charter
Jenkins, A. (1992). Active learning in structured lectures. In G. Gibbs & A. Jenkins (Eds.), Teaching large classes in higher education (pp. 63–77). London: Kogan Page.
Kirkpatrick, R., & Zang, Y. (2014). Erratum to: The negative influences of exam-oriented education on Chinese high school students: Backwash from classroom to child. Language Testing in Asia, 4(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/2229-0443-4-1
Laal, M., & Laal, M. (2012). Collaborative learning: What is it? Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 491–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.092
Lee, C. F., & Tang, J. Z. (1982). Geography in higher education in China. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 6(1), 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098268208708833
Lekule, T., & Langu, N. (2017). The effectiveness of learner-centred approach in teaching and learning geography in secondary schools: A case of Nkoaranga and Nasholi Secondary Schools in Arumeru. Tanzania Journal of Education, 3, 126–136.
Li, L. (2015). A Confucian perspective on teaching thinking in China. In R. Wegerif, L. Li, & J. C. Kaufman (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of research on teaching thinking (pp. 69–81). Routledge.
Meadows, M. E. (2020). Geography education for sustainable development. Geography and Sustainability, 1(1), 88–92.
Ministry of Education. (2001). Outlines for basic education curriculum reform [in Chinese]. People's Education, 9, 6–8.
Ministry of Education. (2007). Geography curriculum standards for general senior secondary schools [in Chinese]. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A26/s8001/202204/W020220420582354066450.pdf
Moore, A. (2012). Theories of teaching and learning. In Teaching and learning (2nd ed., pp. 30). Routledge.
NewsRx Science. (2022). Little objective evidence to show effectiveness of learner-centred teaching methods, study warns. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from https://link-gale-com.libproxy.ucl.ac.uk/apps/doc/A728046223/AONE?u=ucl_ttda&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=e4d464e7
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2012). Education for life and work: Developing transferable knowledge and skills in the 21st century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Piaget, J. (1954). The construction of reality in the child (M. Cook, Trans.). Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Pardjono, P. (2016). Active learning: The Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky, and constructivist theory perspectives. Journal Ilmu Pendidikan (Jakarta), 9(3).
Purwantara, S., Farisi, M. I., & Rofiuddin, A. (2023). Teaching the fundamentals of geography to Generation-Z students with collaborative learning in Indonesia. Geography Teacher, 20(1), 29–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/19338341.2022.2163494
Qian, C. (2023). A comparative analysis of Chinese traditional educational thought and Western educational thought—Taking Chinese high school education as an example. Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies, 1(2).
Reiss, M. J., & White, J. (2014). An aims‐based curriculum illustrated by the teaching of science in schools. The Curriculum Journal, 25(1), 76–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2013.874954
Sagendorf, K., Noyd, R. K., & Morris, D. B. (2009). The learning-focused transformation of biology and physics core courses at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Journal of College Science Teaching, 38(3), 45–50.
Scheyvens, R., Griffin, A. L., Jocoy, C. L., Liu, Y., & Bradford, M. (2008). Experimenting with active learning in geography: Dispelling the myths that perpetuate resistance. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 32(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098260701731496
Schlee, R. P., Eveland, V. B., & Harich, K. R. (2020). From Millennials to Gen Z: Changes in student attitudes about group projects. Journal of Education for Business, 95(3), 139–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2019.1622501
Shea, J. H. (1995). Problems with collaborative learning. Journal of Geological Education, 43(4), 306–308. https://doi.org/10.5408/0022-1368-43.4.306
Shun, D. (1991). Consideration of the reform of geography course and texts. Geography Teaching, 7, 2–4.
Tilbury, D., & Wortman, D. (2008). How is community education contributing to sustainability in practice? Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 7, 83–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/15330150802185930
Waite-Stupiansky, S. (2023). Jean Piaget’s constructivist theory of learning. In L. J. Santoro (Ed.), Theories of early childhood education (2nd ed., pp. 3–18). Routledge.
Watkins, C. (2017). Developing learning-centred classrooms and schools. In R. Maclean (Ed.), Life in schools and classrooms (Vol. 38, pp. 443–457). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3654-5_25
Watkins, C., & Mortimore, P. (1999). Pedagogy: What do we know? In C. Watkins & P. Mortimore (Eds.), Understanding pedagogy and its impact on learning (pp. 1–19). London: SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446219454
Williams, M. (2006). Geographical education in a changing world: Past experience, current trends and future challenges. Dordrecht: Springer.
Winter, C. (2012). Enframing geography: Subject, curriculum, knowledge, responsibility. Ethics and Education, 7(3), 277–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449642.2012.732121
Wyn Roberts, G. (2010). Advancing new approaches to learning and teaching – Introducing appreciative inquiry to a problem-based learning curriculum. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 2(1), 16–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/17581184201000004
Yang, D. (2013). Comparing assessments within junior geography textbooks used in mainland China. Journal of Geography, 112(2), 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221341.2012.701204
Zanden, V. D., Denessen, E., Cillessen, A. H. N., & Meijer, P. C. (2020). Fostering critical thinking skills in secondary education to prepare students for university: Teacher perceptions and practices. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 25(4), 394–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/13596748.2020.1835379
Zhaohe, W., & Bradbury, I. K. (1993). Geography in high schools in China. Journal of Geography, 92(6), 244–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221349308979147
Bligh, D. A. (2000). What's the use of lectures? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. ERIC Digest.
Bremner, N. (2021). The multiple meanings of ‘student-centred’ or ‘learner-centred’ education, and the case for a more flexible approach to defining it. Comparative Education, 57(2), 159–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2020.1805863
Bremner, N., Peppin Vaughan, R., & Shah, R. (2022). The outcomes of learner-centred pedagogy: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Development, 94, 102649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2022.102649
Chang, C. H., & Kidman, G. (2019). Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in geographical education – for whom and for what purpose? International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 28(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2019.1578526
Centre. (n.d.). Centre. Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from https://www.oed.com/dictionary/centre_n1?tab=meaning_and_use#9943989
Deng, Z. (2015). Michael Young, knowledge and curriculum: An international dialogue. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 47(6), 723–732. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2015.1101492
Driven. (n.d.). Driven. Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from https://www.oed.com/dictionary/driven_adj?tab=factsheet#6011375
Fielding, M. (2001). Students as radical agents of change. Journal of Educational Change, 2, 123–141.
Fu, G. P. (2020). The knowledge-based versus student-centred debate on quality education: Controversy in China’s curriculum reform. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 50(3), 410–427. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2018.1523002
Gao, C. J. (2003). A narrative of the reform of secondary geography textbooks over past decades [in Chinese]. Curriculum, Teaching Material and Method, 5, 55–58.
Hanso, S., & Moser, S. (2003). Reflections on a discipline-wide project: Developing active learning modules on the human dimensions of global change. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 27(1), 17–38.
He, Y., Zhang, X., & Wang, Y. (2022). Exploring the gap between academic geography and school geography: Knowledge transformation of the competencies-based curriculum making in China. Geography, 107(3), 128–136.
Herranen, J., Vesterinen, V.-M., & Aksela, M. (2018). From learner-centered to learner-driven sustainability education. Sustainability, 10(7), 2190. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072190
Hirsch, E. D. (2016). Why knowledge matters: Rescuing our children from failed educational theories. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Huang, X., Li, J., & Zhang, Y. (2018). Geography Gaokao-oriented knowledge acquisition for comparative sentences based on logic programming. In Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Vol. 11142, pp. 101–113). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01310-3_9
Iftode, D. (2020). Generation Z and learning styles. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3518722
International Geographic Union–Commission on Geographical Education. (2016). International charter on geographical education. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from http://www.igu-cge.org/2016-charter
Jenkins, A. (1992). Active learning in structured lectures. In G. Gibbs & A. Jenkins (Eds.), Teaching large classes in higher education (pp. 63–77). London: Kogan Page.
Kirkpatrick, R., & Zang, Y. (2014). Erratum to: The negative influences of exam-oriented education on Chinese high school students: Backwash from classroom to child. Language Testing in Asia, 4(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/2229-0443-4-1
Laal, M., & Laal, M. (2012). Collaborative learning: What is it? Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 491–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.092
Lee, C. F., & Tang, J. Z. (1982). Geography in higher education in China. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 6(1), 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098268208708833
Lekule, T., & Langu, N. (2017). The effectiveness of learner-centred approach in teaching and learning geography in secondary schools: A case of Nkoaranga and Nasholi Secondary Schools in Arumeru. Tanzania Journal of Education, 3, 126–136.
Li, L. (2015). A Confucian perspective on teaching thinking in China. In R. Wegerif, L. Li, & J. C. Kaufman (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of research on teaching thinking (pp. 69–81). Routledge.
Meadows, M. E. (2020). Geography education for sustainable development. Geography and Sustainability, 1(1), 88–92.
Ministry of Education. (2001). Outlines for basic education curriculum reform [in Chinese]. People's Education, 9, 6–8.
Ministry of Education. (2007). Geography curriculum standards for general senior secondary schools [in Chinese]. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A26/s8001/202204/W020220420582354066450.pdf
Moore, A. (2012). Theories of teaching and learning. In Teaching and learning (2nd ed., pp. 30). Routledge.
NewsRx Science. (2022). Little objective evidence to show effectiveness of learner-centred teaching methods, study warns. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from https://link-gale-com.libproxy.ucl.ac.uk/apps/doc/A728046223/AONE?u=ucl_ttda&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=e4d464e7
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2012). Education for life and work: Developing transferable knowledge and skills in the 21st century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Piaget, J. (1954). The construction of reality in the child (M. Cook, Trans.). Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Pardjono, P. (2016). Active learning: The Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky, and constructivist theory perspectives. Journal Ilmu Pendidikan (Jakarta), 9(3).
Purwantara, S., Farisi, M. I., & Rofiuddin, A. (2023). Teaching the fundamentals of geography to Generation-Z students with collaborative learning in Indonesia. Geography Teacher, 20(1), 29–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/19338341.2022.2163494
Qian, C. (2023). A comparative analysis of Chinese traditional educational thought and Western educational thought—Taking Chinese high school education as an example. Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies, 1(2).
Reiss, M. J., & White, J. (2014). An aims‐based curriculum illustrated by the teaching of science in schools. The Curriculum Journal, 25(1), 76–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2013.874954
Sagendorf, K., Noyd, R. K., & Morris, D. B. (2009). The learning-focused transformation of biology and physics core courses at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Journal of College Science Teaching, 38(3), 45–50.
Scheyvens, R., Griffin, A. L., Jocoy, C. L., Liu, Y., & Bradford, M. (2008). Experimenting with active learning in geography: Dispelling the myths that perpetuate resistance. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 32(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098260701731496
Schlee, R. P., Eveland, V. B., & Harich, K. R. (2020). From Millennials to Gen Z: Changes in student attitudes about group projects. Journal of Education for Business, 95(3), 139–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2019.1622501
Shea, J. H. (1995). Problems with collaborative learning. Journal of Geological Education, 43(4), 306–308. https://doi.org/10.5408/0022-1368-43.4.306
Shun, D. (1991). Consideration of the reform of geography course and texts. Geography Teaching, 7, 2–4.
Tilbury, D., & Wortman, D. (2008). How is community education contributing to sustainability in practice? Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 7, 83–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/15330150802185930
Waite-Stupiansky, S. (2023). Jean Piaget’s constructivist theory of learning. In L. J. Santoro (Ed.), Theories of early childhood education (2nd ed., pp. 3–18). Routledge.
Watkins, C. (2017). Developing learning-centred classrooms and schools. In R. Maclean (Ed.), Life in schools and classrooms (Vol. 38, pp. 443–457). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3654-5_25
Watkins, C., & Mortimore, P. (1999). Pedagogy: What do we know? In C. Watkins & P. Mortimore (Eds.), Understanding pedagogy and its impact on learning (pp. 1–19). London: SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446219454
Williams, M. (2006). Geographical education in a changing world: Past experience, current trends and future challenges. Dordrecht: Springer.
Winter, C. (2012). Enframing geography: Subject, curriculum, knowledge, responsibility. Ethics and Education, 7(3), 277–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449642.2012.732121
Wyn Roberts, G. (2010). Advancing new approaches to learning and teaching – Introducing appreciative inquiry to a problem-based learning curriculum. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 2(1), 16–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/17581184201000004
Yang, D. (2013). Comparing assessments within junior geography textbooks used in mainland China. Journal of Geography, 112(2), 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221341.2012.701204
Zanden, V. D., Denessen, E., Cillessen, A. H. N., & Meijer, P. C. (2020). Fostering critical thinking skills in secondary education to prepare students for university: Teacher perceptions and practices. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 25(4), 394–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/13596748.2020.1835379
Zhaohe, W., & Bradbury, I. K. (1993). Geography in high schools in China. Journal of Geography, 92(6), 244–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221349308979147
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2025-04-19
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