Wu, Ling (2009) Developing positive teacher pupil relationships in response to current Chinese educational reform : the potential contribution of circle time. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This mixed design research sought to introduce, conduct and investigate Circle Time as
a pedagogical practice for developing an equal and positive teacher-pupil relationship in
a Chinese secondary school and as a contribution to current Chinese educational reform.
This study started from exploring English secondary students’ experience of and
perspectives on Circle Time. Therefore, a Chinese secondary school was chosen as an
experimental school to investigate the operation of Circle Time, students’ and teachers’
reaction to Circle Time and affective education. The adoption of western pedagogy into
Chinese schools resulted in an examination of both the contexts: the practical pedagogy,
Circle Time; and the environment, the Chinese secondary school. The first concept was
that Circle Time is a tool to be examined as a contribution to students’ personal and
interpersonal development. Could Circle Time function in the same way as it does in
Western Countries? The second concept was that Circle Time is an intervention, to
investigate the issues of teacher-pupil relationships and affective education in the
current Chinese educational system.
Although this study was not a pure comparative study, the significance of comparing the
students’ experience and understanding of Circle Time in both the UK and China firstly
provided guidance about the conduct of Circle Time in Chinese school; and also drew a
comprehensive picture of how to do Circle Time in Chinese school by comparing
students’ views and opinions. For the Chinese school, the comparative results provide an opportunity to examine the pedagogical practice. For the English school, they provide
the chance to understand how Circle Time functions in other cultures. However, this
study was not just about comparing students’ experience and opinions about Circle Time,
but exploring Chinese teachers’ and students’ perceptions and reactions to affective
education by investigating their attitudes and experience of participation and reflection
on this.
The findings showed that Circle Time not only provided an exceptional opportunity in
which students could express feelings, release burdens, understand and learn from each
other, develop personal and interpersonal skills and potentially raise their self-esteem
and achieve emotional competency, but it also created a unique environment in which
individuals were respected and encouraged to develop an equal and open relationship
among students and between teachers and students. The study also looked at issues
that arise for Chinese teachers in transferring their traditional hierarchical role to an
equal and democratic teacher-pupil relationship and in adopting a child-centred teaching
method to replace or supplement the current examination-orientated teaching. The
findings also showed that Chinese teachers are in need of motivation and support in
adopting new pedagogy, teaching methods and social economic change.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1603 Secondary Education. High schools
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Teacher-student relationships -- China, Education, Secondary -- China -- Foreign influences, Education, Secondary -- China -- Psychological aspects
Official Date:	December 2009
Dates:	Date Event December 2009 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Institute of Education
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Lang, Peter
Extent:	xiii, 369 leaves : ill., charts
Language:	eng

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