Professional Experience Reform in China: Key Issues and Challenges

Source: Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, Volume 38, Issue 3, p. 235 – 248.
(August 2010).

The Chinese Ministry of Education proposed recently reforms in professional experience for pre-service teachers.
The current study explores the attitudes of teacher educators in China toward these educational reforms and their perception of the challenges facing the implementation of the proposed reforms.

Data were collected through online survey and semi-structured interviews with Chinese teacher educators.

The findings indicate that some of the challenges related to the effective implementation of professional experience for pre-service teachers are similar to those identified in the Australian context.
Others reflect the unique context in China, where supply of teachers now exceeds demand, the management of professional experience is marginalized, there is minimal contact between schools used for professional experience placements and teacher education institutions, and where teaching is not the preferred profession of the majority of students undertaking teacher education courses.