Teacher training and curriculum reform in Chinese agricultural schools

The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' current and desired knowledge and skills related to curriculum development and instructional methodology. The study also identifies teacher training and professional development needs as well as the major factors attributed to new curricular implementation.; The population for the study was teachers in 12 agricultural schools that were part of a United Nations pilot project to reform agricultural education in China. A systematic random sampling method was used to select participant teachers from the population. A questionnaire was constructed and used to collect data from selected teachers. The questionnaire included five parts, in which 41 items measured current and desired knowledge/skills regarding curriculum and instruction. Those 41 questions were divided into six categories: planning and management, curriculum and innovative teaching, adopting competency-based education, teaching methods and activities, evaluating and assessing, and educational technology. Thirteen factors related to curriculum reform were presented in the instrument and the respondents were asked to rate the top three. Attitudes and perceptions toward reform policies and strategies as well as training programs were included in two sections in the instrument.; The questionnaire was translated into Chinese and validated both in China and at Penn State University. The researcher traveled to China and conducted the data collection. Three hundred and ninety-eight questionnaires were sent to 12 schools with 350 returned. The response rate was 88%. Data were input and analyzed through SPSS.; The results from the study showed that the average age of the teachers surveyed was 36 years old, with 14 years of work experience and 13 years of teaching experience. The majority of respondents were male, bachelor degree holders, and were lecturers by professional title. The respondents indicated that they desired professional training at least once per year.; Overall, teachers surveyed supported the reform movement in curriculum and instruction. They didn't think there were sufficient resources and policies in teacher professional development programs and activities. Meanwhile, teachers perceived that teacher training was very important to assist them in implementing curriculum innovations.; The teachers indicated their working conditions related to reforms were unfavorable as they were overloaded by heavy teaching loads, beset with inadequate technical and administrative support, and they encountered obstacles due to insufficient equipment and funding.; In general, teachers desired to have a higher level of knowledge and skills regarding curriculum and instruction as well as the utilization of competency-based education. Among six categories of knowledge/skills in the survey, the results revealed that teachers felt particularly inadequate in three categories. These three categories were educational technology, curriculum development, and innovative teaching. Therefore, appropriate training programs and activities should be conducted to address these weaknesses.; Teachers surveyed indicated that knowledge and skills of teachers, new facilities and equipment, and attitudes of teachers were the top three factors attributed to successful curriculum reform among 13 factors.; Based on the results from this study, a need for teacher training and professional development is evident at these pilot schools. It is strongly recommended that teachers should be given the opportunities and support to attend teacher training and professional development programs, which will increase their current knowledge base and enable them to successfully implement curriculum innovations.