Fulfilling Set Objectives - A Case Study of Teacher Development in Two Primary Schools in Beijing

Oct 15, 2026

Study examines school-based teacher development (STD) in China as a key lever for improving educational quality. Using a qualitative design, the research conducted in-depth interviews with 18 teachers in two Beijing primary schools. Findings interpret how district authorities shaped teacher communities’ objectives adaptation, using cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT). STD is analyzed as a venue for teachers to learn, implement initiatives, and sustain continuous professional development through school-level communities guided by education bureau teaching research officers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Design/Approach/Methods

Findings

Introduction

Research questions

Major issues in teacher development and teacher leadership

Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT)

Fulfilling Set Objectives: A Case Study of Teacher Development in Two Primary Schools in Beijing Manhong Lai The Chinese University of Hong Kong Lijia Wang East China Normal University ECNU Review of Education 2019, Vol. 2(2) 178–195 ª The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/2096531119853083](DOI: 10.1177/2096531119853083)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/2096531119853083)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: This study aims to reveal the recent characteristics of school-based teacher development (STD) in China since it is perceived as a key measure to achieve success in raising educational quality in the country. Design/Approach/Methods: A qualitative research approach with in-depth interviews of 18 teachers at two primary schools in Beijing was used. Findings: Through the lens of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), it was observed that the objectives adaptation of teacher communities was made under the control of the District Education Bureau. STD provides the venue for ordinary teachers to learn, understand, and implement the teaching initiatives promoted by the district. Teacher communities at school level therefore implement continuous professional development initiatives promoted by Education Bureau teaching research officers. Corresponding authors: Manhong Lai, Department of Educational Administration and Policy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China; Lijia Wang, Department of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. [Emails: mhlai@cuhk.edu.hk](Emails: mhlai@cuhk.edu.hk); ljwang@dedu.ecnu.edu.cn Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Originality/Value: This article argues that the administrative style of local government affected teacher community’s object, rules, and division of labor. It also contributes an indigenous interpretation of the CHAT theory. Keywords Collective lesson preparation, cultural-historical activity theory, primary school, teacher development, teaching research officer Date received: 2 October 2018; accepted: 6 May 2019 Introduction In the last two decades, the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (MOE) has focused on the quality of education. Curriculum reform since 2001 has targeted raising education quality by focusing on students’ all-round development and empowering schools to adopt studentcentered teaching (MOE, 2010) . School-based teacher development (STD) was viewed as a key element in the success of this curriculum reform. In the meantime, STD is also a key concern of teacher professional development in the international academic arena. This study is guided by three major questions: 1. How do teachers perceive the teaching aims introduced by standardized textbook and teaching initiatives introduced by District Education Bureau? 2. How do teaching and research activities at district level promulgate these initiatives? 3. How does the STD improve teachers ’ understanding and implementation of these initiatives? These three questions reflect the major characteristics and challenges of STD in Mainland China as well as its response to the key concerns in international debate. A qualitative research approach is adopted to gain an in-depth understanding of how helpful the teachers perceived the activities organized by teachi

FAQs

What is the purpose of this study on school-based teacher development in China?

The study aims to reveal recent characteristics of school-based teacher development (STD) in China, viewed as essential for raising educational quality.

How was the research conducted in the two Beijing primary schools?

The study used a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews of 18 teachers across two primary schools in Beijing.

What does the study conclude using cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT)?

Through CHAT, the study observes that district-level control shaped teachers’ community objective adaptation and that STD provides a venue for teachers to learn, understand, and implement district initiatives.

Oct 15, 2026

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