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Country Case Study:

Chinese Education Professionals Interview Report
Elizabeth Mangan
UMUC, fall 2014

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People Selected to Interview

Professor Dr. Haiying Qi - Thermal Institute of Thermal Engineering at Tsinghua
University in Beijing, China. Professor Dr. Haiying Qi was a contact given to me through a
family friend. After making contact and exchanging the interview questions, I did not receive a
response back from Professor Qi. Below are the email exchanges we shared.

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Eric Chan, IT Panel Head/Microsoft Valued Teacher at the Hong Kong Chinese Christian
Churches Union (HKCCCU) Logos Academy in Hong Kong, China. Mr. Eric Chan, responded
to the general email that I had sent to 15 other primary schools in Hong Kong. Although he
agreed to help with this project, after sending him the interview questions, I received no
response. Below are the email exchanges that we made.

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Schools Contacted Through Email

Prior to identifying individuals who would be willing to help better understand the
technology use in education, I sent an email to 16 primary schools in Hong Kong, China. Below
are the names of the schools as well as the link to the schools homepage. Below the names of
the schools is the generic email that was sent to each school.

HKBUAS A School for

Tomorrow

Fukien Secondary School

Affiliated School

Lingnan University Hong

Kong Primary School

St. Margarets Coeducational Co-education

English Secondary and
Primary School

Evangel College

Logos Academy
(Mr. Eric Chan)

Yuen Yuen Primary

School

St. Pauls co-educational

college

Delia Group of Schools

Hkuga Primary School

Po Leung Kuk Lam Man

Chan English Primary
School

W F Joseph Lee Primary

School

Diocesan Boys School

Primary Division

Hon Wah College

Po Leung Kuk Luk Hing

Too Primary School

Ying Wa Primary School

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Ministry of Education in China

I also contacted the Ministry of Education in China. After having one email bounce back
to me due to an error in the email address, I found an alternative email address that seemed to
have sent correctly. Although the email seemed to have been successfully sent, with no error
messages, I did not hear a reply.

Schools Contacted Through Facebook

Finally, I decided to reach out through the social network site Facebook. In the search
option on the Facebook homepage, I typed in schools in China and China schools The
following 5 schools came up with the option to message. I sent the below Facebook message to
the 5 schools and received no response.

Hope International School of

Beijing

Saint Paul American School

British International School

Shanghai

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Shanghai United International
School

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WAB Western Academy of
Beijing

Interview Questions
The following 12 questions were developed to gather information regarding the integration of
technology into education and the effect the technology has on instruction, curriculum,
professional development for teachers and any internal/external factors that occur.
1. What is your current role in education? What different roles in education have you been
involved in? What levels/subjects have you taught?
2. How long have you been teaching/working in education?
3. What type of school systems have you taught in (rural vs urban, low SES, etc)?
4. Why did you become involved in education?
Justification for questions 1-4: These questions are asked in order to get to know the interviewee
and their current ant past experiences with education. Understanding the interviewees

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experiences with education thus far, will help provide perspective to the individuals connection
to education.
5. Are there national educational standards? If so, what is the process of developing these
national educational standards?
a. How are educational standards established in each province? Does the
Ministry of Education determine student performance indicators or are these
established by individual education systems in each province?
b. Is there an easy way to access the educational standards or curriculum
online?
Justification for question 5: While conducting my initial research into the educational system in
China, I found that different areas across the country have their own educational standards and
polices for their particular education system.
6. Are teachers willing to share their lessons and resources? Is there an online format to
make this sharing easier?
Justification for question 6: This question helps to identify if individuals work collaboratively or
if teachers are more independent when it comes to creating lessons and accessing resources.
7. How much input does the average teacher have in the curriculum they teach or the
assessments they give students?
Justification for question 7: Although through research it was clear that the education system
was set for each region or province, it is important to know if teachers have any input or do they
just follow the curriculum and standards given. Teacher input in curriculum is an indicator of
how involved teachers are with the education system.

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8. What do you think the China school systems can do to better to prepare teachers to teach
students about technology?
Justification for question 8: There are always areas that teachers and the education system can
improve. When it comes to technology, teachers need to be as knowledgeable as possible so that
they are able to effectively teacher their students using technology. It is important that teachers
feel comfortable with technology in order to have a fluid teaching approach when technology is
used as a learning tool.
9. In what ways do you encourage creativity in the classroom and how would you integrate
technology to engage students and enrich your lessons?
Justification for question 9: Technology opens doors for students to explore on their own and
become independent learners. Teaching through the same means and using technology in the
same manner regularly does not promote creative thinking that technology should explore and
bring out.
10.

Have you ever done any global projects with your students?

Justification for question 10: Even though teachers may be using technology regularly in the
classroom, I am curious to identify if these practices involve connecting to other classrooms in
other countries or regions
11. What is your favorite project/activity that you like doing with your student that involves
technology?
Justification for question 11: Although technology may be new to some teachers, I am wondering
if there are any go to lessons or activity sites to help promote student learning and
engagement. Are there particular technology resources that are used by the entire school, grade
or group of students?

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12. In the future, how do you hope your students are using technology in their education or
growth?
Justification for question 12: As technology continues to advance and it is important for teachers
to think about how their current students will be using technology in the future and how they can
better prepare them for this future. As new technology emerges, teachers should be teaching
their students that technology is a valuable tool and resource that can promote and foster
learning in all areas.