This study explored how multicultural topics are articulated in “Civics and Society” textbooks for high schools. Qualitative content analysis was adopted to analyze five versions of the textbooks edited based on the 2010 national high school curriculum guidelines regarding civics and society. The findings of the study are as follows. First, the discourse contexts of the interpretation of pluralistic culture reification were classified into three patterns: different, different but the same; same, same but different; and salad bowl. Second, the discourse framework of cultural forms emphasized Han ethnocentrism in Taiwan, but concepts of cultural hybridity emerged in some versions. Third, the conceptual framework of cultural hierarchy put more emphasis on racial issues than on social class and gender issues. Fourth, the definition of multiculturalism in the textbooks adopted a left-wing approach, but the interpretation of the practice of multiculturalism employed a right-wing approach that did not discuss the structures of prejudice and discrimination. This integration gap led to difficulty in achieving the practices of multicultural revolution.

　　By examining discourses regarding Europe in curricular standards and guidelines from 1968 to 2011, this study investigated how Europe, as a type of Other, was delineated and how these discourses reflected subjectivity and a complex dynamism between China and Taiwan and Europe. Based upon Said and Bhabha’s critical theories of the Other, this study followed Fairclough’s method of critical discourse analysis and identified three approaches to presenting Europe in 10 curricular standards and guidelines over the past 40 years. The three approaches of illustrating Europe feature Said’s and Bhabha’s notion of the discursive Other produced in the postcolonial condition.

　　Based on the needs of national history curriculum standards and history education for junior high school students, this study promoted Africa research from a different perspective in Mainland China to improve research on history textbooks. Taking the Africa-themed books of Sinomap Press in 2006 as an example, we explored junior high school students’ cognitive understanding regarding history textbooks. A document analysis method was applied to summarize the cognition situation of historical textbooks and present the thematic evolution of knowledge related to Africa in the history syllabus and curriculum standards. Moreover, a questionnaire was adopted to study this theme. The research also included observation, an auxiliary interview, and a combination of theoretical and empirical research. The following research plan was adopted: scrutinize subject matter contents in the history syllabus→implement test surveys using two types of questionnaire→perform statistical analysis on the two types of results→observe teaching (teaching process design)→analyze results→reflect on research results and countermeasures. The results of the study may provide vital theoretical and practical implications for the improvement of history textbooks in Mainland China, the history education of middle school students, and the improvement of history teaching practice.

　　In the twenty-first century, the originally knowledge-oriented society has been transformed into a society featuring post-industrialism, lifelong learning, multicultural symbiosis, and awareness of diversity. School education in the twenty- first century should be able to meet societal needs while conforming to the goals of quality and equality. The focus of courses changes from memorizing to critical thinking. Students convert the learning content into knowledge during the process of dialogue-based in-depth learning. The purpose of learning changes from understanding knowledge to grasping the meaning and function of knowledge, manifesting the education goal of learning communities. Using learning communities as the core, this study compared the prevalence rates, philosophies, and curriculum leadership of learning communities in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam from the perspective of classroom reform. Finally, this study evaluated the contribution of learning communities to teaching reform in Taiwan and proposed problems including learning hierarchies and textbook positioning to serve as a reference for classroom reform in Taiwan.