Research on the Problems and Paths of the Development of

Traditional "Minor" Courses

Qiao Zhuo

The School of Education, St. John's University, Queens, NY11439, U.S.A.

Keywords: Comprehensive Development, Curriculum Reform, Assessment Methods, Teacher Allocation.

Abstract: In the context of the current surge in demand for talent and the continuous progress and modernization of

education, the issue of how to balance main subjects and side subjects has received widespread attention. This

article analyzes the current situation of traditional side subject education in China. In China, the status of the

main subject is often higher than that of the side subjects, but with the advancement of modernization

development, this concept needs to be changed. This article analyzes that there are still problems with

insufficient emphasis on side subject education in China, unreasonable allocation of teaching staff, inadequate

curriculum design, and single teaching methods. In response to these issues, the following suggestions are

proposed: adopting a diversified evaluation method, optimizing teachers and curriculum configuration, and

improving teaching content to innovate educational methods.

1 INTRODUCTION

Under the background of the rapid development of

times and the arrival of the knowledge economy era,

the role of education is increasingly prominent. As the

world's most populous and largest developing

country, China continuously promotes the

development of its education industry and contributes

to poverty alleviation through education development

(Guo et al., 2019). A comprehensive and balanced

education system is also of crucial significance for

cultivating compound talents who can adapt to the

future society. In the Chinese education system, main

subjects usually refer to subjects such as Chinese,

mathematics, and English, which occupy a dominant

position in school education, while so-called side

subjects such as music, physical education, and art

often do not receive equal attention. However, these

traditional side subjects are equally indispensable for

the all-round improvement of students, the

development of innovation ability, and aesthetic

emotions.

How to change the traditional educational concept

and model that focuses on the main subject, advance

the modernization of secondary subject education,

and fulfill all-round improvement of students'

abilities is one of the main challenges facing China's

current education. Exploring the issues of traditional

Chinese secondary subjects and their improvement

measures can help build a more balanced and

scientific education system. By reforming the

teaching of secondary subjects, students can be

provided with a wider range of knowledge areas and

richer learning experiences. To face this challenge

and build a healthy China, China has introduced a

series of policies such as the "Healthy China" plan as

a national strategy (Weeng, 2021).

This article will focus on the research of the

problems and paths in the development of traditional

side subjects, and develop from three directions: the

current problems, the importance and impact of the

courses themselves, and suggestions.

2 THE PROBLEMS IN CURRENT

SIDE SUBJECT EDUCATION

2.1 Deviation in Educational

Philosophy

In the Chinese education system, the emphasis on side

subjects is much lower than that on main subjects.

This phenomenon stems from the examination-

oriented and resource-allocation methods within the

education system. The education model centered on

exam scores has led schools and parents to tend to

value subjects that have a relatively large proportion

in entrance exams while ignoring the importance of

Zhuo, Q.

Research on the Problems and Paths of the Development of Traditional "Minor" Courses.

DOI: 10.5220/0014003700004912

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development (IESD 2025), pages 583-587

ISBN: 978-989-758-779-5

583

side subjects. In the eyes of parents, the most

important subject is related to further education.

Some students believe that they only need to have

good performance in their main subject. In the

consciousness of the homeroom teacher, the

education of main subjects is much more important

than that of side subjects. In the eyes of school

leaders, just a small number of talented students in a

particular field determines the quality of side subjects

in school, and the level of other students is not

important (Weng, 2021). This attitude and

perspective of not valuing not only affects the quality

of side subjects but also limits the development of

students' creativity and aesthetic ability. In such an

educational environment, students may lose the

opportunity to explore their personal interests and

diverse talents, which not only affects their

personalized development but also hurts the

cultivation of social and cultural diversity.

2.2 Shortcomings in Curriculum

Design

In the curriculum arrangement of many schools, main

subjects such as Chinese, mathematics, and English

usually dominate, while side subjects such as music,

physical education, and art are often marginalized,

and the number of class hours and teaching quality

cannot be guaranteed. Chinese ordinary school

students spend more than half of their day sitting in

the classroom, focusing on their main subjects, with

only a few hours available for other activities. Da

Costa et al. believe that class time is the portion of

sitting time that lasts the most (Xie et al., 2024).

Taking the three-year vocational college as an

example, most vocational colleges and universities

offer physical education classes for the first and

second years, while the third year does not have

physical education classes. According to relevant

documents, the class hours for three-year vocational

college students are 108 hours, but many schools have

physical education class hours lower than this number

(Xie, 2023). In rural places, Hastie et al. found that

due to the factors of economic, cultural,

transportation, and teachers, the implementation of

side subjects such as PE is not optimistic (Fu et al.,

2022). More than half of the schools are unable to

complete the required courses. The insufficient

setting of side subject class hours can lead to students'

knowledge structure leaning towards the main

subject, which cannot form a fully developed

knowledge system and can also cause the loss of

students' interest and motivation. Not only that, but it

may also affect students' physical and emotional

health.

2.3 The Single Assessment Method

The traditional assessment and teaching methods for

minor subjects in China are relatively single, which

greatly limits the comprehensive development and

interest cultivation of students. In many schools, the

main subject usually only focuses on imparting

theoretical knowledge, lacking practical and

interactive elements, which sometimes leaves

students confused. At the same time, the assessment

methods often only evaluate students' learning

outcomes through written exams or mandatory

physical exams, ignoring the examination of students'

actual skills and creativity, which further exacerbates

the singularity of teaching models. The evaluation

system for side subjects has problems such as

incomplete evaluation indicators, unreasonable

weights, and single ways of evaluation. Its evaluation

content and perspective also have certain limitations

(Li et al., 2022). Under such a model, it is difficult for

side-subject education to achieve the expected

teaching effects and educational goals.

2.4 Limited Teaching Staff and

Difficult Allocation

The traditional side subjects in China face significant

challenges in terms of faculty allocation and urban-

rural resource allocation. Because side subjects are

often not considered key subjects in the education

system, they often do not receive sufficient attention

and investment. At present, in the western region,

especially in towns and villages, many primary

schools only focus on student's academic

performance and ignore the important significance

that side subject education can bring to students'

growth (Wang et al., 2022). In many schools,

especially those in rural and remote areas, there is a

relative shortage of full-time side subject teachers,

and these subjects are often taught part-time by

teachers from other subjects or completely ignored.

There are significant differences between urban and

rural children in terms of sports resources, such as

sports facilities and music facilities. Children in rural

areas also have fewer opportunities for side subject

education than children in urban areas (Primo et al.,

2023). Although the situation in urban schools is

relatively good, there are still problems faced by side

subject teachers, such as heavy teaching tasks, limited

training opportunities, and limited career

development space. This unequal allocation of

IESD 2025 - International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development

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resources and teacher resources exacerbates regional

differences in education quality and limits students'

comprehensive development.

3 THE NECESSITY AND

IMPORTANCE OF THE

EXISTENCE OF MINOR

COURSES

In today's society, the purpose of education is no

longer limited to imparting theoretical knowledge,

but to enable students to develop comprehensively.

Traditional Chinese education emphasizes the all-

around improvement of moral, intellectual, physical,

aesthetic, and labor education, which has a long

history and still has important guiding significance in

modern society. These five aspects are important for

cultivating students to become useful talents in

society. Side subjects education is an indispensable

part of these five aspects, mainly covering physical,

aesthetic, and labor aspects. While pursuing academic

excellence, it should not ignore the promoting role of

these nonmainstream disciplines in physical

education, aesthetics, and labor.

3.1 Physical Literacy and Labor

Aspects: Strengthening Students'

Physical and Mental Health

The side subjects play a crucial role in students'

physical and mental health as well as aesthetic

emotions. In terms of sports literacy, as an influential

concept, sports literacy (PL) has rapidly developed

and gained global attention and has been integrated

into multiple sports and education policies (Ma et al.,

2020). Participating in the study of subjects such as

sports, music, and art can provide students with

opportunities to relax and help alleviate the pressure

of studying their main subjects. Sports and other side

subjects enhance students' physical fitness, prevent

diseases, and promote healthy growth through various

sports projects. In addition, secondary education

emphasizes practical and hands-on abilities, such as

labor skills and handicraft courses, which can

effectively cultivate students' labor awareness and

labor skills.

Side subjects play an indispensable role in

students' development, providing them with a

platform to release stress, cultivate interest, and

enhance physical fitness through art, sports, and

practice. In side subjects education, students can find

joy in the tense study life, reduce the physical and

mental burden caused by academic pressure, and thus

be more conducive to their healthy growth.

3.2 Moral, Intellectual, and Aesthetic

Aspects: The Development of

Aesthetics, Moral Emotions, and

Intelligence

Through courses such as music and art, students can

enhance their aesthetic ability and cultural literacy,

thereby achieving significant improvement in

aesthetic education. More importantly, secondary

education advocates interdisciplinary and

comprehensive practical activities, which are

conducive to students' ability to solve practical

situations. At the same time, group projects and

collaborative tasks promote the development of

students' moral emotions, such as a sense of

responsibility, empathy, and citizenship.

The promotion of aesthetic education, moral

education, and intellectual education, helps to shape

harmonious and balanced personalities, enabling

students to achieve balanced development in all

aspects of morality, intelligence, physical fitness,

aesthetics, and labor.

4 MPROVEMENT

SUGGESTIONS

4.1 Optimize Teacher Allocation and

Curriculum Design

Firstly, increase the recruitment of associate teachers

and strengthen the talent cultivation and professional

development of these disciplines in normal

universities. Improve the treatment and social status

of secondary teachers, and enhance social awareness

of secondary education through policy incentives and

media promotion. Furthermore, optimize the

mechanism for allocating teacher resources, adopt

flexible talent mobility policies, and encourage

outstanding teachers to teach in areas with talent

shortages. Simultaneously promoting distance

education and online teaching, utilizing modern

technology to narrow the education gap between

urban and rural areas. In addition, it will increase the

school's management efforts, enhance the importance

of secondary subjects, and ensure the proportion and

quality of secondary subject teaching in school

education.

Research on the Problems and Paths of the Development of Traditional "Minor" Courses

585

4.2 Update Teaching Content and

Methods

In terms of teaching philosophy, secondary education

plays an indispensable and prominent role in

cultivating students' innovative and practical abilities.

Early on, the content should keep pace with the times,

integrate the latest technological, cultural, and social

development achievements, and make the course

content more relevant to students' lives and the times.

In terms of teaching methods, adopt more interactive

and experiential teaching modes, such as group

cooperation and project-based learning. In addition,

implement diversified teaching methods based on

individual student and class situations (Zhang, 2023).

Moreover, an interdisciplinary curriculum system can

be established to encourage the integration and

infiltration between secondary and main subjects,

enabling students to master knowledge in the context

of comprehensive disciplines and enhance the

relevance and practicality of learning.

4.3 Improving Assessment Methods

To improve the quality of side subjects education and

students' learning experience, diversified evaluation

methods can be adopted. Not only based on final

exam scores, but also attitude and progress, as well as

comprehensive evaluation of specialized skills,

physical fitness, and exercise (Xie, 2023). Traditional

written and closed-book exams are not sufficient to

comprehensively evaluate students' learning

outcomes in minor subjects. Therefore, introducing

performance evaluation, self-evaluation, and peer

evaluation is not limited to a single exam score, but

can more comprehensively reflect students' practical

operational ability, creativity, and participation. At

the same time, timely feedback and guidance from

teachers during the evaluation process are also very

important, as they can help students understand their

progress and shortcomings promptly and promote

their continuous growth. In addition, incorporating

students' interests, level of effort, and progress into

the evaluation system can better stimulate their

enthusiasm for learning and their emphasis on sub-

subjects, making them aware of the importance of the

learning process, not just the results. This

comprehensive and diversified evaluation method is

not only fair and reasonable, but also can better

motivate students to develop comprehensively and

reflect the value of side subjects education.

5 CONCLUSIONS

This article combines previous research and analyzes

from three aspects: phenomena, impacts, and

practices, and concludes that side subjects should

have the same status as main subjects and should not

be ignored or underestimated. To continuously

modernize teaching methods and concepts, keep up

with the times, and promote the development of side

subjects education under government policies. This

article also analyzes the insufficient emphasis on

secondary education in Chinese education, as well as

the relatively rigid and unbalanced nature of

secondary education. Based on these issues, the

significance of secondary education and its

importance for students' comprehensive development

are derived, and further suggestions for solving these

problems are proposed. These issues reflect the

shortcomings and progress direction of current

education development in China. The suggestions

proposed for these issues have certain reference

values for the current modernization of education in

China and the promotion of students' comprehensive

development in morality, intelligence, physical

fitness, aesthetics, and labor. These suggestions

include optimizing curriculum design, increasing

class hours, building a diversified evaluation system,

improving teacher allocation, and updating teaching

content and methods. In future research, more

development directions can be explored by

combining on-site investigation and case studies.

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