A Comparison Study On High School Physics Curriculum Standard Content Breadth And Depth Of Knowledge

The physics curriculum standard of high school will be revised soon after the revised compulsory physics standard has been completed. Therefore, it is very valuable and significant for a comparison study of physics curriculum of high school between the international and regional content standards.The curriculum content is the very important component in the various curriculum elements, by which the other curriculum elements can be carried out and realized. There are different aspects for course and it can be studied through different perspectives. This quantified comparative study from two microscopic dimensions: the breadth and depth of the course for students of science-engineering and non-science-engineering. The feature of breadth and depth for physics content of high school can be concluded as followingCharacteristics of physical content for science-engineering students:1. The total number of breadth in physics of Mainland China is less than other regions. The physics for science-engineering students in Mainland China has different emphases in the first and second-level topics.2. The average depth is as same as Hong Kong, less than Ireland and slightly smaller than Taiwan; the depth has its different emphasis in the first and second level topics.3. Conclusion can be get that the breadth and depth in Mainland China are both greater than the other compared areas because of "the knowledge dislocation".Characteristics of physical content for non-science-engineering students:1. The total number of knowledge is the least of all, and the distribution is focused too much on the classical physics.2. The total average depth value is between Hong Kong and Taiwan, the depth focuses on classical physics.3. Through qualitative analysis, the breadth and depth of Chinese physics content for non-science-engineering students are also both larger than other regions.Based on the conclusions, this paper proposes the following recommendations:1. Integrate physical content in middle and high school to adjust the width and depth of the structure of high school physics content effectively.2. Strengthen the theory and practice study of non-science-engineering physical content, and comprehensively improve the public scientific literacy.