The romance and reality of policy-making and implementation: a case study of the target-oriented curriculum in Hong Kong

One of the major innovations in the recent wave of education reform in Hong Kong is the target-oriented curriculum. An interesting feature of this new curriculum initiative was its amoebic characteristics - changing shape and focus in its course of development. It was reshaped from an assessment sys...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of education policy 2003-11, Vol.18 (6), p.641-655
Main Author: Chung Lam, Chi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Curriculum
Education
Education policy
Education reform
Education systems
Hong Kong
Policy implementation
Policy making
Policy studies
Schools
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Summary:One of the major innovations in the recent wave of education reform in Hong Kong is the target-oriented curriculum. An interesting feature of this new curriculum initiative was its amoebic characteristics - changing shape and focus in its course of development. It was reshaped from an assessment system for accountability purposes to a centrally developed curriculum initiative for improving teaching and learning, and finally to a school-based curriculum development. In this paper, this course of development and the reasons behind it will be described and analysed. The study suggests that the two-tier educational policy and implementation system in Hong Kong is a major cause leading to such a phenomenon. If this system were not improved, the possibility of achieving real changes at the school and classroom level would be low.
ISSN:0268-0939
1464-5106
DOI:10.1080/0268093032000145890