Reading instruction in primary schools in China: General status and development trends

Abstract

This paper discusses reading instruction in primary schools in China from two perspectives, namely the current status of reading instruction as it plays out in Chinese schools, and development trends in China which have emerged during the curriculum reform since 2001. In the section that looks at the general status of reading instruction, the focus is on the following three aspects: the three-tiered system made up of the overall objectives for reading instruction in primary schools, prioritised objectives for each phase of schooling, and class period targets for each class; seven focus areas in reading instruction; and major strategies applied in reading instruction, including: both general strategies and prioritised strategies for each phase of schooling. In the section that explains the development trends, the changes to the objectives underlying reading instruction, the type of readings, the procedure and the pattern of reading instruction are discussed. The last part/section of the paper supplements previous sections by exploring four principles and four pairs of key concepts that provide guidance to current practices of reading instruction in primary schools in China.