Teachers’ moral agency under neo-liberal influences: what is educationally desirable in China’s curriculum reform?

This study examines a group of teachers’ moral agency in the context of China’s curriculum reform. While the reform possesses neo-liberal features such as decentralisation and education for global competitiveness, it also attempts to undermine the long-standing influence of exam-oriented education in China. Employing ethnographic approaches, the results indicate that teachers’ moral agency within this context has three specific foci: (1) directing students to become moral people; (2) dedication to teaching; and (3) developing knowledge for and about teaching. Although the study acknowledges that external accountabilities do constrain teachers’ autonomy, teachers’ moral agency is shaped and enabled by engagement with students and teachers still have a say in what is educationally desirable.