The evolution of critical thinking in Chinese education context: Policy and curriculum perspectives

Abstract

In 1999, as part of the broader quality-oriented education reform, the Chinese government introduced initiatives to foster critical thinking skills among students in basic education. However, formal integration into revised curriculum documents did not occur until 2017 and 2020, following the adoption of the core competencies and values framework for Chinese students in 2016. This article conducts a critical discourse analysis of four central policy documents and three curriculum documents at the basic education level in China from 1999 to 2020. The findings suggest a disconnect between the critical thinking components of the national education policies and the curriculum documents. While the 2016 policy document included ethical considerations, only the skills of critical thinking are overemphasised within the curriculum documents. Using Foucault’s genealogy concept, an explanation of how this disconnect is constructed in policy languages is discussed, with implications for incorporating comprehensive critical thinking dimensions in curriculum documents.