Introducing Circle Time in a Chinese Middle School: A Response to the Current Needs of Education in China?

This article is concerned with a research undertaken in a middle school on the Chinese mainland and the implications of its findings. The research involved the introduction of an experiential pedagogy usually described as circle time. The article describes the contribution of circle time to affective education and its pedagogical nature. The historical and broader cultural context in which the research was undertaken and the significance of these are discussed. Aspects of the research and its findings are then presented. Though the impact of the intervention (i.e., circle time) on students ’ self-esteem was limited, it appeared to have some positive effects on their academic achievement. Data was collected using a range of methods. Both the students involved in the circle time and the teachers showing an interest responded positively. There were at least three important implications from the research: (a) an experiential approach developed in a Western context could be effectively transposed to an Eastern one; (b) based on the positive response from the students, it could have potential value for other students on the Chinese mainland; (c) young people have an affective need to which education in China is Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Peter Lang, Institut