Abstract

Integrating local folk songs into school curricula aims to safeguard cultural heritage and build student identity, yet curricular inclusion alone often fails to secure deep engagement. This qualitative practitioner inquiry examined how pedagogical adjustment could address this gap. Conducted in a Chinese high school, the study examined the obstacles students faced when learning Shanxi folk songs, the design of targeted teaching strategies, and how these strategies relate to student participation and understanding. Data from interviews, observations, and student work identified three dimensions of cultural distance: linguistic distance, experiential distance, and performance distance, which initially contributed to students remaining passive observers. In response, the teacher introduced dialect interpretation, guided experiential connection, and melodic adjustment. Following these strategies, participation increased, students showed initiative in creative adaptation, and a smaller number reported intentions to continue engaging with the songs after class. These findings inform the Cultural Recontextualization Framework, which integrates Bernstein’s concept of recontextualization, Elliott’s praxial philosophy, and constructivist learning theory into an analytical structure for understanding how teaching can address cultural distance in the classroom. The study offers a diagnostic approach and illustrates practical strategies for teachers seeking to integrate local traditional music in ways that support student engagement.

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