Journal article
Pure blue sky: A soulful autoethnography of chemistry teaching in China
Reflective Practice, Vol.6(1), pp.141-163
2005
Abstract
In this article we portray an inquiry into the problematic impact of the Chinese National Examination system on Chinese chemistry teaching and learning. The inquiry was conducted as a soulful autoethnography, illuminating the first‐hand experiences of a Chinese chemistry teacher struggling to reconcile contradictions between his humanistic ideals (of ‘loose’ teaching) and the technical forces (of ‘strict’ teaching) prevailing in his professional culture. This narrative inquiry yielded a mix of short stories and reflective commentary. In this article, selected stories present vignettes of the teacher's enactment of the national chemistry curriculum at critical periods early in his career. The article demonstrates the value of adopting soulful autoethnogaphy as a form of professional development, illustrating how multiple modes of inquiry can open up spaces for practical moral reflection (phronesis), soulful attunement (poesis) and contemplative thinking (theoria) which, taken together contribute to a loving praxis of transformative education. Consistent with the narrative representational form of the research, this article has a diachronic storied structure, which mirrors the process of the inquiry.
Details
- Title
- Pure blue sky: A soulful autoethnography of chemistry teaching in China
- Authors/Creators
- J. Song (Author/Creator)P.C. Taylor (Author/Creator)
- Publication Details
- Reflective Practice, Vol.6(1), pp.141-163
- Publisher
- Routledge as part of the Taylor and Francis Group
- Identifiers
- 991005540776107891
- Copyright
- © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group Ltd
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Murdoch University
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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