Abstract
This qualitative, interview-based study investigates the process of developing a glocalized school-based curriculum (GSBC) and evaluates the effectiveness of two GSBCs within the Kindergarten divisions of two internationalized K-12 schools in China. Given the rapid expansion of internationalized schools and the urgent need for well-developed GSBCs, this research is critical. It evaluates the effectiveness of GSBCs from the perspectives of key implementors, including teachers and Kindergarten principals. These front-line practitioners have professional educational backgrounds. Most importantly they deliver the curriculum to the children, who are the center of early childhood education, and receive immediate responses from them.Structured around three sets of research questions, the study is divided into two phases focusing on curriculum design at School A and implementation at School B. Initially prompted by School A’s need to adopt foreign early childhood curricula, the study evolved to include School B to enhance generalizability and reduce power relations. As a participant researcher with roles in both schools, I navigated the complexities of balancing insider and outsider perspectives to enrich the research findings and ensure the research’s validity and reliability.
The results revealed that the formation of a GSBC was developed through a self-reflexive, glocalized, and collaborative approach. Two levels of curriculum development, school and class levels, were also discovered, because of the flexibility of the general curriculum. In addition, positive perceptions of curriculum effectiveness in general were found, with an appreciation for autonomy at the class level. However, there was a desire for more structure at the school level. Moreover, due to the nature of the schools, the findings also indicated that the outcomes or effectiveness of the curricula were evaluated from two main stances based on stakeholders’ valued considerations. One focused on meaningful education and the other is more focused on Marketing andAdmissions (M&A).
Factors influencing the curriculum were also investigated and revealed in the key implementors’ sharing regarding the major influential factors to their curriculum practice. Various groups of people closely associated with the school were presented in the exchange of key implementors, including teachers, children, parents, and school leaders, as well as other specific influences, including professional development, resources, research, and physical conditions.
This thesis significantly contributes to the literature and practice of curriculum development, particularly on GSBC, through a robust research design. The developed frameworks offer technical support for curriculum integration and evaluation, applicable beyond the two research settings. The research enriches the global dialogue on educational practices, providing insights from China’s perspective, thus enhancing the understanding of international education.
| Date of Award | 15 Jul 2026 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Robert Adamson (Supervisor) & Christine Lee Seow Ching (Supervisor) |