Hong Kong and Taipei have similarities in their ethnic compositions, geographic locations, economic structures, and relationships with Mainland China. However, they also have significant differences in each of these spheres, and in other socio-political dimensions. Socio-political factors have had an impact on curriculum as well as on other domains of education. This thesis compares the intended, resourced and implemented curricula in Hong Kong and Taipei. Comparisons across place and across dimensions of curriculum help to identify the forces which are unique to particular locations and dimensions and the forces which are more generalisable.
The thesis focuses on music in junior secondary schools, and is constructed around one main research question and two supporting questions. The main research question is "What is the nature and extent of Chinese music in the curricula of junior secondary schools in Hong Kong and Taipei, and what socio-political forces have determined these patterns?" This has two supporting research questions: (1) What is the nature and extent of Chinese music in the curriculum at the intended, resourced and implemented levels in both places? and (2) What are the roles and status of Chinese and non-Chinese elements in the curricula in the two places? The answers to these questions are then interpreted within the context of analysis of socio-political forces.
This analysis is undertaken with the help of a set of conceptual models drawn from the literature on comparative education. The research methods included content analysis of two official syllabi and four sets of music textbooks, as well as interviews with syllabus designers, textbook publishers, and music teachers in Hong Kong and Taipei. The analysis centres on the curricular choices made regarding Chinese and non-Chinese music. This is a significant area of political, cultural and educational decision-making which is bound up with questions of national identity, allegiance and citizenship