A Study of the Reform of the Textbook Anthologies and Collections Used in Chinese Education at Science and Technology Universities for Meeting the Needs of the 21st Century
Abstract
In Taiwan, there are regular calls for the revision and innovation of freshman Chinese courses, which have long been compulsory classes for first-year university students. These calls have included requests for changes in teaching objectives and pedagogies, how textbooks are compiled, and how teaching and learning are assessed. This dissertation seeks to provide the science and technology universities in Taiwan with a reference for use when compiling materials for teaching Chinese. This is done through an analysis of 49 textbooks used for freshman Chinese courses that were obtained from a variety of science and technology universities between 2003 and 2020. This study also considers the criteria required for teaching and achieving educational objectives, the similarities and differences in the compilations used in the textbooks at the different universities for meeting the needs of the 21st century, and the changes that have occurred in teaching materials in response to teaching reform.
This study begins by introducing the reform to the Chinese curriculum at the science and technology universities in Taiwan by depicting its historical transformation. The study then continues by analyzing and generalizing the changes in the principles used when compiling textbooks and planning content for Chinese courses based on the editorial purpose of course materials, their layout and style, and the standards for choosing their contents. The essays included in the 49 textbooks were divided into two subcategories: literature (including both classical and modern literature) and practical Chinese usage. This study further analyzes these teaching materials by emphasizing the principles used by editors in selecting either classical or modern texts or considering either literary appreciation or practical use as well their understanding of writers and their works. This study also describes the shifts in teaching Chinese at Taiwanese universities in terms of literary appreciation, cultural inheritance, and Chinese language skills training
Finally, this study offers three suggestions for the compilation of Chinese teaching materials for science and technology universities. First, the compilation of teaching materials should be innovative. Second, in addition to paper-based teaching materials, there should be the establishment and effective use of cloud-shared resources. Third, editors should be aware of the exemplary selection of teaching materials and consider student needs and interests.
Keywords:Freshman Chinese Course, College Chinese, University of Science and Technology, Chinese teaching materials, General Education