China: The Under-Researched Nexus of Activity

In recent years there has been a significant shift in the international school market in China, from educating predominantly the children of expatriates to educating Chinese nationals. This article will examine the problems such schools face in terms of putting together an international curriculum, not least in terms of the complex web of stakeholders often involved in such schools, and also the need to comply with local curriculum standards. Examining the notion of the ‘glocal’, and intercultural communicative competence as a means of bridging the divide between local and global curriculum themes, this article will consider ways of reducing the impact of these issues on curriculum planning, proposing a model moving forward, and arguing that these schools represent a new paradigm in the evolution of international education in China.