CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION 01
1.1 Background 01
1.2 Aims of the study 02
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 05
2.1 Introduction 05
2.2 The RCS 05
2.3 What it means to be a good teacher 08
2.4 Teachers�� knowledge 012
2.5 Relationship between teachers�� beliefs and practices 015
2.6 Teacher training 018
2.7 Relationship between curriculum and society 019
2.8 Curriculum and curriculum definitions 023
2.9 Educational change 024
2.10 The use of resources in English language teaching in China 045
2.11 Conclusion 049
CHAPTER THREE
METHODS AND METHODOLOGY 051
3.1. Introduction 051
3.2 The epistemology underpinning the study 051
3.3 The research approaches 052
3.4 Data collection methods and the timeline 055
3.5 Ethical considerations 089
3.6 Reliability and validity 090
3.7 Conclusion 093
CHAPTER FOUR
FINDINGS OF PHASE 1 095
4.1 Introduction 095
4.2 Results of the analysis of the 2001 curriculum and the RCS 095
4.3 Findings from the web forum data 0116
4.4 Conclusion 0123
CHAPTER FIVE
FINDINGS OF PHASE TWO 0125
5.1 Introduction 0125
5.2 The characteristics of the participants in this study 0125
5.3 Features of questionnaire responses 0128
5.4 Presenting the questionnaire results 0128
5.5 Are teachers teaching the 2001 or the RCS��0128
5.6 Teachers�� views on the RCS 0129
5.7 Humanistic values 0137
5.8 Progress and continuity 0142
5.9 Teaching practice 0147
5.10 Professional development of teachers 0179
5.11 Happiness and cooperation in teaching English 0192
5.12. Similarities and differences between Chinese and English?speaking cultures 0194
5.13. Putting more emphasis on phonetic skills 0196
5.14 Teachers�� views about teaching and teacher��s roles 0198
5.15 Training for the RCS 0213
5.16 Conclusion 0220
CHAPTER SIX
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN FINDINGS 0223
6.1 Introduction 0223
6.2 Challenges the RCS poses for teachers 0224
6.3 The adaptive and enactment perspectives of the implementation of the RCS 0247
6.4 Questions about whether teachers learned phonetics�� linguistics��
pedagogy and psychology 0250
6.5 Methodological limitations of the study 0250
6.6 Conclusion 0253
CHAPTER SEVEN
CONCLUSION 0255
7.1 The implications of this research 0255
7.2 The contributions of this research 0257
7.3 Recommendations 0258
APPENDICES 0261
Appendix 1�� Teaching Case in the RCS 0261
Appendix 2�� Participant Information Sheet�� For Teachers 0262
Appendix 3�� Participant Consent Form 0264
Appendix 4�� Revised Questionnaire 0265
Appendix 5�� Revised Interview Questions 0273
Appendix 6�� The Characteristics of the Questionnaire Respondents 0277
Appendix 7�� The Characteristics of the Interview Respondents 0278
REFERENCES 0279