Changes and Innovations in the New Generation State Standard for Senior Secondary Schools in the People’s Republic of China on the Subject “Russian Language”

Abstract

Background. In 2018, China published the State Standard for the subject “Russian Language” for senior high school, developed by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. Consideration of the concept underlying the new standard and its comprehensive analysis in comparison with the previous generation standard is essential for determining directions for improving the system of teaching Russian as a foreign language in Chinese school education. Objectives. The problem field of the study suggested that currently there is a noticeable gap between the new state requirements for the study of the Russian language as a school subject and the traditional system of its teaching in Chinese schools. Results. The analysis showed that, in comparison with the regulatory requirements of the previous generation, the new State Standard for senior secondary schools of the People’s Republic of China in the subject “Russian Language” is distinguished by a fundamentally new conceptual framework based on a communicative-activity approach to teaching a foreign (Russian) language. This is reflected in the learning objectives; characteristics of the subject of study; structure and content of the curriculum; a new methodological system for teaching Russian as a foreign language; methods of assessing learning outcomes. The “Standard 2017” for the first time defines four key competencies: “linguistic competence”, “cultural awareness”, “mental abilities”, “learning ability”, the development of which in students occurs as part of their mastery of the subject “Russian language” in high schools in Chinese schools. The corresponding structural components of the curriculum and tools for comprehensive assessment of the quality of education are proposed. Taking into account the principles of the new educational policy of China and the state requirements for a modern specialist, the Standard is aimed at ensuring a close connection between communicatively oriented teaching of the Russian language and the formation of a comprehensively developed student’s personality, establishing the role of studying the Russian language as a favorable factor in the student’s personal growth.

Keywords

• state standard
• teaching russian as a foreign language
• chinese secondary school
• key competencies
• assessment system
• curriculum structure
• russian language teaching reform
• combining teaching and education