ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the localisation of curriculum models and approaches imported from American – European contexts, with a focus on how they were transplanted and/or transformed in Chinese kindergartens. The findings from the in-depth case studies of five Chinese kindergartens are presented to depict the whole picture of the localisation and transformation of these imported curricula and to understand its dynamic processes and typical characteristics. All case kindergartens have followed the same four-step dynamic process: imitation, absorption, integration, and evaluation. Moreover, all the cases shared three major features: (1) the school-based fusion of local and imported curriculum approaches, (2) a balanced pedagogy between child- and teacher-directedness, and (3) play-based learning (or ‘eduplay’). Through the processes of expansive learning (questioning the original practice, understanding the new model, implementing the new model, and adjusting the new model), Chinese teachers tended to adapt imported curricula into a hybrid status with the diverse strengths of multiple approaches.
