ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the ideologies of constructivism and postmodernism that underpins the New Curriculum Reform (NCR), with a focus on their cultural compatibility in the Chinese context. To discuss the cultural issues and challenges, the chapter asks a fundamental question: How are constructivism and postmodernism understood and appropriated by Chinese academics and educators?. The chapter expounds on the tenets and characteristics of constructivism and postmodernism. It focuses on the three key cultural challenges that arise from the adoption of these two ideologies in Chinese classrooms. As the constructivism more commonly cited and emphasised compared to postmodernism by Chinese academics and educators, the discussion in the chapter focuses more on the former. Postmodernism is regarded and utilised by Chinese policymakers and educational stakeholders as an accompaniment to constructivism to critique exam-oriented education (EOE). The challenge concerning the adoption of constructivism and postmodernism for education in China is the undermining of the traditional transmission approach of teaching in China.
