Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Springer Nature - PMC COVID-19 Collection logoLink to Springer Nature - PMC COVID-19 Collection
. 2021 Apr 11;16(1):60–78. doi: 10.1007/s11516-021-0003-6

Australia’s Engagement with Asia in the National Curriculum

Karen Guo 1,✉
PMCID: PMC8036155

Abstract

The 2014 national curriculum of Australia is a significant initiative that the Australian government has taken in proposing a curriculum that stresses Australia’s engagement with Asia. In practice, this means that Asian cultures, beliefs, environments and the connections between Australia and Asia are embedded in the learning processes of Australian schools. This article provides an analysis of Australia’s engagement with Asia, which is a cross-curriculum priority in the Australian curriculum. In particular, using the example of China, the article examines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis involved in Australia’s engagement with Asia from an educational perspective, especially during the global pandemic with the spread of COVID-19 affecting the world so significantly. The intent of this analysis is to map out the educational factors involved and consider what might happen to Australian students and schools as a result of their engagement with the educational cultures, beliefs and practices of China. This is connected to the two countries’ economic engagements and people-to-people ties. By considering some of the current discourses that shape the Australia-China relationships, possibilities are opening up to rethink educational positions.

Keywords: Asian culture, Australian curriculum, global education, international approach, policy analysis

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2019). Australian demographic statistics. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3101.0/
  2. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Report Authority. (ACARA). (2014). Australian curriculum. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/asia-and-australia-s-engagement-with-asia/
  3. Australian Government: DFAT. (2020). New Colombo Plan. https://www.dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/new-colombo-plan/about/Pages/about
  4. Australian Trade and Investment Commission. (2020). Austrade regional market update on the impact of COVID-19. https://www.austrade.gov.au/australian/education/news/austrade-update/austrade-regional-market-update-on-the-impact-of-covid-19-as-at-16-june-2020
  5. Bisley N. Australia’s engagement with China: From fear to greed and back again. International Journal. 2018;73(3):379–398. doi: 10.1177/0020702018792918. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  6. Casto H, McGrath B, Sipple J W, Todd L. “Community Aware” education policy: Enhancing individual and community vitality. Education Policy Analysis Archives. 2016;24(49/50):1–30. [Google Scholar]
  7. Commonwealth of Australia. (2012). Australia in the Asian century: White paper. http://www.murdoch.edu.au/ALTC-Fellowship/_document/Resources/australia-in-the-asian-century-white-paper.pdf
  8. Crick R D, Goldspink C. Learning dispositions, self-theories and student engagement. British Journal of Educational Studies. 2014;62(1):19–35. doi: 10.1080/00071005.2014.904038. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  9. Dandy J, Durkin K, Barber B L, Houghton S. Academic expectations of Australian students from aboriginal, Asian and Anglo backgrounds: Perspectives of teachers, trainee-teachers and students. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. 2015;62(1):60–82. doi: 10.1080/1034912X.2014.984591. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ditchburn G. A national Australian curriculum: In whose interests? Asia Pacific Journal of Education. 2012;32(3):259–269. doi: 10.1080/02188791.2012.711243. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  11. Dodd, M. (2008, December 5). Kevin Rudd wants to redraw security priorities. The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/pm-wants-to-redraw-security-priorities/story-e6frg6nf-1111118229539
  12. Gan, Y. T., & He, Y. L. (2020). 澳大利亚全国课程 F-10 中的 ICT 能力培养及其启示 [Students’ ICT capability development in the Australian national curriculum F-10 and its implications]. 教学与管理 [Journal of Teaching and Management], (4), 115–118.
  13. Gribble C, Blackmore J. Re-positioning Australia’s international education in global knowledge economies: Implications of shifts in skilled migration policies for universities. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. 2012;34(4):341–354. doi: 10.1080/1360080X.2012.689181. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  14. Guo K. Ideals and realities in Chinese immigrant parenting: Tiger mother versus others. Journal of Family Studies. 2013;19(1):44–52. doi: 10.5172/jfs.2013.19.1.44. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  15. Halse, C. (2015). Introduciton: (Re)thinking Asia literacy. In C. Halse (Ed.), Asia literate schooling in the Asian century (pp. 1–10). Routledge.
  16. He B G. The awkwardness of Australian engagement with Asia: The dilemmas of Australian idea of regionalism. Japanese Journal of Political Science. 2011;12(2):267–285. doi: 10.1017/S1468109911000077. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  17. Henderson, D. (2018). Seeking Asia literacy beyond and within: Examining the nature of future teachers’ learning throughout mobility experiences in higher education. In H. Soong & N. Cominos (Eds.), Asia literacy in the global world: An Australian perspective (pp. 125–144). Springer.
  18. Holdsworth S, Maynes N. “But what if I fail?”: A meta-synthetic study of the conditions supporting teacher innovation. Canadian Journal of Education/Revue Canadienne De l’éducation. 2018;40(4):665–703. [Google Scholar]
  19. Hong Y-Y, Cheon B K. How does culture matter in the face of globalization? Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2017;12(5):810–823. doi: 10.1177/1745691617700496. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Horsley M, Bauer K. Preparing early childhood educators for global education: The implications for prior learning. European Journal of Teacher Education. 2010;33(4):421–436. doi: 10.1080/02619768.2010.509427. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  21. James, R., & Beckett, D. (2000). Australia: Higher education and lifelong learning. An Australian example. In H. G. Schuetze & M. Slowey (Eds.), Higher education and lifelong learning: International perspectives on change (pp. 173–194). RoutledgeFalmer.
  22. Johnson C. The Australian right in the “Asian Century”: Inequality and implications for social democracy. Journal of Contemporary Asia. 2018;48(4):622–648. doi: 10.1080/00472336.2018.1441894. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  23. Laurenceson, J., & Zhou, M. (2020). COVID-19 and the Australia-China relationship’s zombie economic idea. https://www.australiachinarelations.org/sites/default/files/20200507%20Australia-China%20Relations%20Institute%20report_COVID-19%20and%20the%20Australia-China%20relationship%E2%80%99s%20zombie%20economic%20idea_James%20Laurenceson%20Michael%20Zhou.pdf
  24. Li, J. X, (2020). 澳大利亚中小学数字素养教育的发展概况及启示 [Australian primary and secondary school numearcy concept development: Evolution and implication]. 世界教育信息 [Journal of World Education], (8), 48–56.
  25. Liu Q T, Zhang S, Wang Q Y. Surveying Chinese in-service K12 teachers’ technology, pedagogy, and content knoweldge. Journal of Educational Computing Reearch. 2015;53(1):55–74. doi: 10.1177/0735633115585929. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  26. Liu, X. Y. (2020). 澳大利亚维多利亚州学校改进项目研究 [Research on Australian Victorian school reforms]. https://xueshu.baidu.com/usercenter/paper/show?paperid=1u1t0ck01j180a70vp300v90ad589389&site=xueshu_se
  27. Liu Y Y, Lu Z H. Chinese high school students’ academic stress and depressive symptoms: Gender and school climate as moderators. Stress and Health. 2012;28(4):340–346. doi: 10.1002/smi.2418. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Medcalf R. Australia and China: Understanding the reality check. Australian Journal of International Affairs. 2019;73(2):109–118. doi: 10.1080/10357718.2018.1538315. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  29. Moss P. Bringing politics into the nursery: Early childhood education as a democratic practice. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. 2007;15(1):5–20. doi: 10.1080/13502930601046620. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  30. Moss P. Toward a new public education: Making globalization work for us all. Child Development Perspectives. 2008;2(2):114–119. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2008.00051.x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  31. Murphy, K., & Kaiman, J. (2014, April 6). Tony Abbott goes to China “to be a friend,” not to chase deals. Australia News. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/tony-abbott-goes-to-china-to-be-friend-not-chase-deals
  32. OECD. (2016). Education in China: A snap shot. https://www.oecd.org/china/Education-in-China-a-snapshot.pdf
  33. Paris R, Biggs M. Why Canada needs a global education strategy. Internatonal Journal. 2018;73(1):146–157. [Google Scholar]
  34. Perry L B, Southwell L. Access to academic curriculum in Australian secondary schools: A case study of a highly marketised education system. Journal of Education Policy. 2014;29(4):467–485. doi: 10.1080/02680939.2013.846414. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  35. Phelan M. Power and place in teaching and teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education. 2001;17(5):583–597. doi: 10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00015-4. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  36. Power, C. (2006). Education for the future: An international perspective. Educational Research Policy and Practice, (5), 165–174. 10.1007/s10671-006-9003-9
  37. Rao N, Chan C K K. Moving beyond paradoxes: Understanding Chinese learners and their teachers. In: Chan C K K, Rao N, editors. Revisiting the Chinese learner: Changing contexts, changing education. Dordrecht: Springer; 2009. pp. 3–34. [Google Scholar]
  38. Reid, A. (2020). Changing Australian education: How policy is taking us backwards and what can be done about it. Taylor & Francis.
  39. Rieckmann, M. (2018). Learning to transform the world: Key competencies in ESD. In A. Leicht, J. Heiss, & W. J. Byun (Eds.), Issues and trends in education for sustainable development (pp. 39–60). UNESCO.
  40. Rimmer, S. H. (2019). Foreign policy under the coalition: Turbulent times, dwindling investments. In M. Evans, M. Grattan, & B. McCaffire (Eds.), From Turnbull to Morrison: The Trust Divide. Australian Commonwealth Administration 2016–2019 (pp. 59–72). Melbourne University Press.
  41. Sheng X M. Parental expectations relating to children’s higher education in urban China: Cultural capital and social class. Journal of Sociology. 2014;50(4):560–576. doi: 10.1177/1440783312467096. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  42. Sidhu R, Dall’Alba G. “A strategy of distinction” unfolds: Unsettling the undergraduate outbound mobility experience. British Journal of Sociology of Education. 2017;38(4):468–484. doi: 10.1080/01425692.2015.1131143. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  43. Song, X. L., & McCarthey, G. (2019). Transformed Australian Eduscape: The Mobility of Asian international students and academics. In X. L. Song & G. McGarthey (Eds.), Governing Asian international mobility in Australia (pp. 1–28). Springer.
  44. Soong, H. (2018). Asia literacy in Australian education and its nexus with cosmopolitan praxis. In H. Soong & N. Cominos (Eds.), Asia literacy in the global world: An Australian perspective (pp. 25–36). Springer.
  45. Tadich B, Deed C, Campbell C, Parin V. Student engagement in the middle years: A year 8 case study. Issues in Educational Research. 2007;17(2):256–271. [Google Scholar]
  46. Tan C. Tensions and challenges in China’s education policy borrowing. Educational Research. 2016;58(2):195–206. doi: 10.1080/00131881.2016.1165551. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  47. Tan, C. (2021). Confucian philosophy for contemporary education. Routledge.
  48. Thompson, S., Wernert, N., O’Grady, E., & Rodrigues, S. (2016). TIMSS 2015: A first look at Australia’s result. Australian Council for Educational Research.
  49. Tran, A.-D., Lefever, S., & Ragnarsdóttir, H. (2016). Equitable pedagogical practice in culturally diverse classroom: Perspectives of teachers and students in upper secondary schools. Netla: Veftímarit um uppeldi og menntun [Netla: Online Journal on Pedagogy & Education], 1–14.
  50. Yan C M. “We can’t change much unless the exams change”: Teachers’ dilemmas in the curriculum reform in China. Improving Schools. 2014;18(1):5–19. doi: 10.1177/1365480214553744. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  51. Yin H B, Lee J C-K, Wang W L. Dilemmas of leading national curriculum reform in a global era: A Chinese perspective. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. 2014;42(2):293–311. doi: 10.1177/1741143213499261. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  52. Worldometer (2021). Coronavirus updates. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
  53. Zarb, N. (2015). A SWOT analysis of the Maltese further education sector. In V. Cassar & F. Bezzina (Eds.), Proceedings of the 14th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management (pp. 405–415). Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited.
  54. Zhang, C. Y., & Wang, M. J. (2014, November 14). Maths, the Chinese way in the UK. http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2014-11/14/content_18915059.htm

Articles from Frontiers of Education in China are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES