Abstract:
The need for an understanding of Asia has attracted increasing attention in
Australia in recent years. One strategy In response to the need for greater
Asia literacy has been the development of networks of Access Asia schools.
The Asia Education Foundation (AEF)supports Access Asia schools in their
efforts to increase and improve the Asia content in their curricula. This
paper reports on the development of studies of Asia in one western Sydney
primary school, which is a member of an Access Asia network. The project
adopts a case study approach and attempts to provide comprehensive
obselVations on the forces which drive and constrain the introduction of
curricular change in this school. The study also features dialectic
hermeneutic c1rcles,seeking diverse opinions of various staff members, such
as the Access Asia coordinator and the librarian. ascertaining factors such
as the amount and availability of resources, and the attitudes of the school
staff. In particular, the research pointed to the centrality of teacher practice
in implementing change in schools, and the interplay between teachers and
curriculum. It found that while some staff members have expended great
energy in producing resources and encouraging others to undertake studies
of Asia, the teaching of Asia related material in the school is somewhat
sporadic.
