Contradictions and Adaptations: A CHAT Analysis of Western Educational Ideologies in Chinese Preschools

Abstract This study examines the adaptation of western educational ideologies in Chinese preschools, focusing on the contradictions, and resolutions that emerge during the transformation of western approaches within China. Using Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a theoretical lens, the study conceptualizes curriculum adaptation through three interconnected phases: interpretation, internalization, and operationalization. Findings reveal that Western ideologies are selectively integrated into National Guidelines and local curricula while accommodating Confucian traditions and institutional structures. Contradictions emerge between policy-driven innovation and entrenched pedagogical traditions, child-centered learning and teacher authority, and idealized curricula and localized implementation. These tensions result in a hybridized curriculum model balancing global trends with local norms. This research contributes to early childhood education studies by illustrating how curriculum borrowing and adaptation is shaped by cultural and institutional constraints, emphasizing teachers as active mediators in negotiating western pedagogies within an Eastern educational system.