2. English Curriculum Standards

Curriculum is the program by which school meets its educational goals. It includes planned and unplanned experiences, and involves the means and materials with which students interact. (Edward, 2011: 158)

Curriculum standards are the programmatic documents, which determine the level and structure of the curriculum. School curriculum standards ordinarily include two parts: one is the general principle and the other is subject standards. The general principle is an overall outline, containing the guiding ideology of the curriculum, course setting, time allocation, requirements for the implementation of extra-curricular activity. Based on the overall outline, the subject standards part provide suggestions for the specific teaching objectives, teaching outlines, allocation of teaching time, teaching equipment, teaching methods and textbook compiling, etc. (Gu Mingyuan, 1998).

Curriculum standards are guidance documents, which are compiled under the curriculum theory and based on training goals and curriculum programs. They are about the teaching contents, teaching proposals and developments of curriculum resources. Curriculum standards are compiled by teaching subjects, which reflects the nature, the feature, tasks, contents and the special methodology of implementation. In the Chinese Mainland, they are entitled “Curriculum Outlines” before 2001, and “Curriculum Standards” after 2001. (Wang Jundao, 2009: 122-133)

2.1 Researches on English Curriculum Standards

In the Chinese Mainland, English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education was promulgated in 2001, then followed by some studies. 

XuYonghua (2001) discusses the primary and modern connotation of curriculum standards, and analyzes the alteration and modification of curriculum standards and its effect on education reform. 

GaoYongting (2003) compares six English syllabuses, which have been consecutively promulgated since 1978, with the English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education. This comparative study gives us a clear picture on the alteration on English syllabuses and English curriculum standards.来.自>优:尔论`文/网www.youerw.com

English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education is analyzed by Cheng Xiaotang and Gong Yafu (2005). They point out that English Curriculum Standards represents the language outlooks of high unity with instrument and humanity. Besides, the basic rational of the English Curriculum Standards is that learning language is not only helpful to the all-round development of inpiduals but also to their participation in social activities. In addition, the outlook of language learning in the English Curriculum Standards is that students do not receive knowledge passively from textbooks and teachers, but construct knowledge and develop language ability from language practical activities, and the outlook mainly has three combinations, that is, the combination of knowledge and skills, the combination of language goals and non-language goals, the combination of process and result.

Cheng Xiaotang (2008) discusses the suitability of the English curriculum for basic education by examining three aspects: the suitability of curriculum targets, the suitability to different localities and the suitability of the recommended teaching approaches and methods. 

The nature, targets, makers and function of curriculum standards are elaborated by Rong Weidong (2009). He further points out that good curriculum standards should be academic, scientific and so on, at last gives some suggestions about improving the Chinese Mainland “Standards”.

2011 saw the revision of English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education (2011 Edition). Since then, some studies have shown up.

According to the interpretation of the major changes of English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education (2011 Edition) (Wang Qiang, 2013), some key changes have been made regarding the value, the nature, the design of the curriculum and the specific standards along with suggestions for implementation.