In an era marked by increasing globalization, nations have sought to attain and maintain a competitive edge in the global realm by various means, such as investing in enhancing early childhood education. This commitment is evident in their experimentation with implementing globally-endorsed progressive early childhood ideologies (e.g., constructivist, child-centered, play-based, and inquiry/process-oriented) and curriculum approaches (e.g., the HighScope Curriculum, the Project Approach). Since the 1990s, Hong Kong’s pre-primary education reform has been importing foreign curricula and pedagogical approaches, especially from the United States, which is recognized as a socioeconomically advanced powerhouse. The U.S.-originated Project Approach is an example of such pedagogical importation. However, my previous research (Chen, 2024; Chen et al., 2017) and additional analysis in this book chapter examining the teachers’ implementation of the Project Approach in one Hong Kong kindergarten revealed a lack of fidelity due to cultural incompatibilities and contextual constraints. Yet, it has also compelled these teachers to adopt hybrid pedagogy (combining traditional Chinese pedagogy and innovative globally-endorsed pedagogy), reflecting a localized version of the Project Approach. This hybrid approach is deemed the most sensible and viable solution to bridging the cultural principles underlying the Project Approach and the local realities of Hong Kong. This solution is an example of glocalization at work, reflecting the melding of inherent strengths and demands of both global and local forces. It can also be explained aptly by two conceptual frameworks that I have propounded: (1) the Chinese philosophy’s Tian Shi, Di Li, Ren He (天时, 地利,人和): Tian Shi (Timing), Di Li (Context), Ren He (Human Capital) (Chen & Li, 2023), and (2) the foreground-middle ground-background theory (Chen, 2022). Furthermore, given the practice of glocalization that considers both global and local dynamics, it is natural for kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong to embrace hybrid pedagogy as the culturally situated “third space” (a concept introduced by Bhabha, 1994). This third space appears to transcend either/or boundaries by embracing both tradition (created by localization) and innovation (promoted by globalization) to ensure that cultural integrity is preserved (Chen, 2022, 2024; Chen & Li, 2023; Li & Chen, 2023). Considered together, both glocalization and hybrid pedagogy may be viewed as representing what I described as the “middle ground” within the foreground-middle ground-background theoretical landscape (Chen, 2022), with glocalization being culturally responsive in theory and policy, and hybrid pedagogy in practice.

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Implementing the Project Approach in a Hong Kong Kindergarten: A Tale of Glocalization and Hybrid Pedagogy as a Situated “Third Space” in Both Theory and Practice

  • Jennifer J. Chen

摘要

In an era marked by increasing globalization, nations have sought to attain and maintain a competitive edge in the global realm by various means, such as investing in enhancing early childhood education. This commitment is evident in their experimentation with implementing globally-endorsed progressive early childhood ideologies (e.g., constructivist, child-centered, play-based, and inquiry/process-oriented) and curriculum approaches (e.g., the HighScope Curriculum, the Project Approach). Since the 1990s, Hong Kong’s pre-primary education reform has been importing foreign curricula and pedagogical approaches, especially from the United States, which is recognized as a socioeconomically advanced powerhouse. The U.S.-originated Project Approach is an example of such pedagogical importation. However, my previous research (Chen, 2024; Chen et al., 2017) and additional analysis in this book chapter examining the teachers’ implementation of the Project Approach in one Hong Kong kindergarten revealed a lack of fidelity due to cultural incompatibilities and contextual constraints. Yet, it has also compelled these teachers to adopt hybrid pedagogy (combining traditional Chinese pedagogy and innovative globally-endorsed pedagogy), reflecting a localized version of the Project Approach. This hybrid approach is deemed the most sensible and viable solution to bridging the cultural principles underlying the Project Approach and the local realities of Hong Kong. This solution is an example of glocalization at work, reflecting the melding of inherent strengths and demands of both global and local forces. It can also be explained aptly by two conceptual frameworks that I have propounded: (1) the Chinese philosophy’s Tian Shi, Di Li, Ren He (天时, 地利,人和): Tian Shi (Timing), Di Li (Context), Ren He (Human Capital) (Chen & Li, 2023), and (2) the foreground-middle ground-background theory (Chen, 2022). Furthermore, given the practice of glocalization that considers both global and local dynamics, it is natural for kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong to embrace hybrid pedagogy as the culturally situated “third space” (a concept introduced by Bhabha, 1994). This third space appears to transcend either/or boundaries by embracing both tradition (created by localization) and innovation (promoted by globalization) to ensure that cultural integrity is preserved (Chen, 2022, 2024; Chen & Li, 2023; Li & Chen, 2023). Considered together, both glocalization and hybrid pedagogy may be viewed as representing what I described as the “middle ground” within the foreground-middle ground-background theoretical landscape (Chen, 2022), with glocalization being culturally responsive in theory and policy, and hybrid pedagogy in practice.