Knowledge and skills needed by teachers in Chinese agricultural schools regarding curriculum and instruction reforms

Agricultural schools in China have undergone numerous transitions as the system is shifting from non-effective academic institutions to vocational-oriented education brought by China’s economic reforms during the past two decades. Changes of traditional curricular and instructional methods have been recognized as an important strategy to strengthen vocational offerings of the existing agricultural educational system. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ current and desired knowledge and skills related to curriculum and instruction. The population for the study was teachers of 12 agricultural schools in China. A systematic randomization resulted in a sample of 398 participants from the population. A survey questionnaire was constructed and used to collect data from randomly selected teachers. The results showed that teachers indicated a significantly lower level of current knowledge and skill and they desired to have a higher level of knowledge and skills regarding curriculum and instruction. Teachers also indicated that they were particularly in lack of expertise in educational technology and curriculum and innovative teaching. Based on the results from this study, a need for teacher training and professional development is evident at these 12 schools. It is strongly recommended that teachers should be given opportunities and support to attend teacher training and professional development programs, which will increase their current knowledge base and enable them to successfully implement curriculum innovations.