ICI Honors║Institute Wins 5 Awards at the Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Outstanding Achievement Awards

The Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Outstanding Achievement Award is the highest honor in the field of philosophy and social sciences in Shanghai. Conducted under the leadership of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPC and commissioned by the Shanghai Municipal Government, this award recognizes the highest quality research outcomes in the region.

Recently, the list of winners for the 17th edition of these prestigious awards was announced. The Institute of Curriculum and Instruction (ICI) at East China Normal University (ECNU) achieved remarkable success with 5 winning projects:

· 2 First Prizes:Awarded to projects led by Professors Cui Yunhuo and Chen Shuangye.

· 3 Second Prizes:Awarded to projects led by Professors Gao Desheng, Zhong Qiquan, and Lei Hao.

Award Winners and Project Summaries

First Prize (Academic Achievement)

Project:Interdisciplinary Thematic Learning: An Attempt at Autonomous Construction of Curriculum Discourse

Authors:Cui Yunhuo, Guo Hongrui

Published In:Educational Research(Issue 10, 2023)

Summary:As a core concept of the new curriculum for compulsory education, "Interdisciplinary Thematic Learning" is both a highlight and a challenge, often suffering from ambiguity.

Definition:In the context of the new curriculum reform, it refers to cross-subject teaching organized around themes to cultivate students' comprehensive core competencies.

·Typology:It can be categorized into "Subject A crossing into Subject B" and "Subject A crossing into Subject B+".

·Key Characteristics:Starting from cross-subject integration, utilizing thematic organization, following a path of practical learning, and aiming for competency cultivation.

·Practical Strategies:The study advocates for implementation based on units, meaningful thematic construction, structured content organization, practice-oriented learning methods, and performance-based assessment.

About the Authors:

·Cui Yunhuo:Director of ICI, ECNU; Executive Director of the National Center for School Curriculum and Textbook Development; Editor-in-Chief ofGlobal Education.

·Guo Hongrui:Lecturer at Hangzhou Normal University; PhD Graduate (Class of 2022, First Prize), ICI, ECNU.

Project:Exploring the Mechanism of Principal's Instructional Leadership on Student School Well-being

Authors:Chen Shuangye, Rong Jiani, Guo Shaoyang

Published In:Educational Research(Issue 2, 2023)

Summary:Against the backdrop of the "Double Reduction" policy, this study explores how school leadership influences student well-being.

·Methodology:Utilizing the "ICIC" database (China School Curriculum and Instruction Survey), the study analyzed data from 53 representative middle schools in a central Chinese province.

·Findings:The study reveals that a principal's instructional leadership has both direct and indirect effects on student well-being. Teacher efficacy and teacher-student relationships serve as chain mediators in this process.

·Significance:This research provides evidence-based pathways for improving student happiness by enhancing instructional leadership and fostering positive school ecosystems, offering insights into the underlying logic of Chinese educational practice.

About the Authors:

·Chen Shuangye:Executive Deputy Director, Faculty of Education, ECNU; Professor at ICI; Editor-in-Chief of ECNU Review of Education.

·Rong Jiani:PhD Student (Class of 2025), ICI, ECNU.

·Guo Shaoyang:Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of AI in Education, ECNU; PhD Graduate (Class of 2022), ICI.

Second Prize (Academic Achievement)

Book:Educational Reflections on Moral Indifference

Author:Gao Desheng

Published By:Fujian Education Press (September 2023)

Summary:Spanning 15 years of research, this book addresses "Moral Indifference" as a critical issue of our time. It explores the relationship between moral indifference and moral evil, its educational connections, and how education can resist it.

Core Arguments:

1.Defines moral indifference as a lack of concern for the urgent moral needs of others—a balanced concept that acknowledges the limits of responsibility.

2.Positions moral indifference on the moral spectrum as "Not Doing Good" (distinct from "Doing Evil").

3.Identifies links between school education (e.g., intensified competition, neglect of inner spiritual life) and the fostering of indifference.

4.Proposes "Good Education" as a remedy, emphasizing facing pain, reclaiming educational love, and constructing a "middle-way" education.

Value:This work reconstructs moral education theory from the perspective of preventing indifference, expanding the field to include topics like weakness of will, resistance to moral evil, and the ethics of competition.

About the Author:

·Gao Desheng:"Zijiang Scholar" Distinguished Professor and Professor at ICI, ECNU.

Book:Instructional Design

Author:Zhong Qiquan

Summary:Instructional design is an indispensable topic for teacher education.

Content:This new work focuses on frontier research in international instructional design. It traces the development of the field from both theoretical and practical perspectives, elaborating on representative modern conceptual frameworks and typical case studies worthy of reference in China.

Goal:To empower teachers to create instructional designs that are more "Effective, Efficient, and Engaging" in a predictable manner.

About the Author:

·Zhong Qiquan:Honorary Director of ICI, ECNU; Founding Editor-in-Chief of Global Education.

Project:Changes in Teacher-Student Relationships in Primary and Secondary Schools over the Past Two Decades of New Curriculum Reform

Authors:Lei Hao, Wang Chenxin

Published In:Educational Research(Issue 10, 2022)

Summary:Using a cross-temporal meta-analysis, this study tracks the evolution of teacher-student relationships since the inception of the New Curriculum Reform.

Key Findings:

·Attachment and friendliness in teacher-student relationships have increased year by year, while conflict and avoidance have decreased.

·The duration of the reform positively predicts attachment/friendliness and negatively predicts conflict/avoidance.

·Higher per-student educational expenditure positively correlates with attachment.

·Higher student-teacher ratios positively correlate with conflict and avoidance.

Demographic Nuances:Changes are more pronounced in primary schools than in secondary schools. Female students show a more significant increase in perceived attachment/friendliness and a decrease in conflict/avoidance compared to males.

Implication:The study calls for increasing educational reform supply and respecting student group characteristics to foster benign teacher-student relationships.

About the Authors:

·Lei Hao:Vice Dean of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, ECNU; Professor at ICI.

·Wang Chenxin:Master's Graduate (Class of 2023), ICI, ECNU.