Teachers’ Stages of Concern and Levels of Use of a Curriculum Innovation in China: A Case Study

Abstract

This paper describes a study of the implementation of a new English language curriculum for senior secondary school in China. The study applied the Concerns-Based Adoption Model and examined the stages of concern and levels of use of the new curriculum of three teachers in a secondary school in Guangdong province. The findings of the study suggest that the three teachers hold a positive view towards the new curriculum, that their concerns are characteristic of three stages - management, personal concerns and consequence, and that they are implementing the new curriculum largely at two levels - mechanical use and routine use. Uncertainty about the National Matriculation English Test, lack of teacher training, and inadequate teaching time are found to be the main factors that hinder the implementation of the new curriculum in their classrooms.