What are the characteristic emergent curriculum purposes, processes and practices in the open, complex systems of lower secondary in three countries: Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland?
Author(s):
Audrey Doyle (presenting / submitting)
Conference:
ECER 2017
Network:
Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Format:
Paper

Session Information

ERG SES H 01, Curriculum and Education

Paper Session

Time:
2017-08-22
11:00-12:30
Room:
K4.04
Chair:
Xavier Rambla

Contribution

This study is concerned with mapping and investigating the process of curriculum change at the lower secondary level in three countries: Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland.  Each country has chosen the Process Model of curriculum development to guide its reforms.  The Process Model was originally proposed by Lawrence Stenhouse in 1975 and developed further by A.V Kelly in 2003.  Its central tenets are a student-centred approach, a shift to Learning Outcomes, the development of key skills, the professionalism of teachers and more curriculum autonomy for schools. This study seeks to examine how the choice of this model has brought about reform from the macro level of design to the micro level of the classroom.

The theoretical framework chosen for this study is Complexity Theory, which embraces a holistic, dynamic and non-linear approach to change.  The use of Complexity Theory entails adopting an understanding of how nature adapts, evolves and survives and reading these theoretical ideas in relation to the complex process of change and dissemination of curriculum in each nation under study. Drawing on the work of Deborah Osberg (2010), William Doll (2012) and Mark Mason (2008), the study focuses on the key themes of interconnectivity, emergence and self-organisation.

These themes will be combined with Biesta’s (2010,2013) philosophical understanding of education to map out key features of the curriculum change process in each country. He proposes that education must have a clear purpose, be democratic and offer possibilities for emancipation.  Through qualitative interviews with stakeholders, from the macro to the micro level of education, this research will analyse, define and trouble to what extent issues of purpose, democracy and emancipation underline the process model in the four countries.  The insights of John Dewey (1916, 1958), Hannah Arendt (1958, 1994) and Emannuel Levinas (1981, 1998) on educational purpose, democracy and emancipation are drawn upon to create a complex picture of curriculum change.

Research questions:

1.  To study how each stakeholder in lower secondary education, understands and experiences the purpose, process and practice of the reformed curriculum in each of the three countries: Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

2.  To map the interconnections of the lower secondary system of education in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland

  • What are the different elements and hubs and how are they interconnected in the system?
  • What do they exchange and are there feedback and recursive loops?
  • What hubs are more interconnected and why?
    • What are the different levels and sub-systems in each element and what is their ecology?
    • What are the constraints and freedoms of each element of the system?
    • How is each level self-organising?

3.  To study how the political, cultural and economic climate has impacted on the purposes, process and practices of an emerging curriculum?

4.  To proffer the educational insights emerging from the different contexts?

What is new and innovative about this project:

This study offers new research on curriculum change and enactment in three countries using themes and insights from Complexity Theory.  It seeks to map and investigate, from the macro to the micro levels of lower secondary schooling, what purposes, processes and practices have become embedded through the enactment of a new curriculum.  It seeks to analyse what systemic change has occurred due to the new frameworks. It is a unique study, as it will draw on the voices of  Irish, Northern Ireland and Scottish stakeholders to map potential future trajectories to be adopted or avoided. From this theoretical framework of Complexity Thinking, a new approach to research methodology is built which encompasses a holistic and non-linear approach to the open system of lower secondary educaton in the  three countries.

  

Method

1. This project will now undertake a desk top analysis of all documents from each country pertaining to the reformed curriculum. Using MAXQDA, it will seek a holistic and heterogeneous view of purpose, democracy and emancipation in each curriculum and filter the documents under the following headings: purpose, processes and practices. 2. In line with the understanding of complexity theory which argues for multiple voices, diverse understandings and viewpoints, this research will be carried out through qualitative methodology which allows for participatory and a multi-perspectival approach. The interviews will offer insight from the stage of design to a study of the curriculum in practice . (Maxwell 2013, Creswell 2013, Törnberg 2011) The data shall be collected through Qualitative interviews of key actors involved throughout the education system in each country: a. Semi-structured elite interviews across the four countries b. Semi-structured interviews with principals and teachers in eight post-primary schools over the four countries c. Focus group interviews with pupils and parents in each of the selected schools across the four countries. 3. Interviews will be transcribed and coded using MAXQDA. The components of purpose, democracy and emancipation will be analysed through the rationale, structure, content, relationships and process of each curriculum. Complexity theory will offer the richness of connectivity between the agents and the curriculum and the central ideas of relations, inter-connectivity, emergence and self-organisation will be developed. 4. During the write up, the study will return to the analysis of curriculum and complexity theory and with the data from the desk-top analysis and interviews, map a comparative of how the curricula across the four countries were designed, developed and implemented and proffer a critique of the Process Model.

Expected Outcomes

The initial findings of Phase One are showing that the development of the new Junior Cycle Framework has grounded itself in the state of the art research at present. The philosophy, theory and pedagogy of the new Junior Cycle Framework proposes a transformational change in the educational experience that it offers students from year one to three in post-primary schools. As a policy it wishes to place the student at the centre of the educational experience and wants to engage them in becoming active learners in the skills, knowledge, values and understanding that they need for life. The review of documentation on policy implementation and enactment is showing that complexities can arise particularly when initiating curriculum reform in schools. Schools are set in particular contexts and cultures and policy can often be reconstructed and translated differently. In working out a process of implementation the multifarious nature of schools must be taken into consideration and studying any model of enactment must take this into account. This has been the experience of the new Junior Cycle reform to date with its many difficulties with industrial action causing delay and modification of the initial proposed Framework. It will be very interesting to research the way that Northern Ireland and Scotland approached this complexity of implementation.

References

Arendt, H. (1977), ‘The Crisis in Education’. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Arendt, H. (1994), ‘Understanding and Politics (the difficulties of understanding)’. Essays in Understanding 1930-1954. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company. Biesta, G. (2003a) 'Learning from Levinas: A Response', Studies in Philosophy and Education, 22(1), 61-68. Biesta, G. (2009a) 'Editorial: Publishing in studies in philosophy and education', Studies in Philosophy and Education, 29(1), 1-3. Biesta, G. (2010) Good Education in an Age of Measurement: Ethics, Politics, Democracy, USA: Paradigm Publishers. Biesta, G. (2012) 'Giving Teaching Back to Education: Responding to the Disappearance of the Teacher', Phenomenology & Practice, 6(2012), 35-49. Biesta, G. (2013) The Beautiful Risk of Education, USA: Paradigm Publishers. Biesta, G. (2015) 'Education, Measurement and the Professions: Reclaiming a Space for Democratic Professionality', Educational Philosophy and Theory. Biesta, G., Allen, J. and Edwards, R. (2011) 'The Theory Question in Research Capacity Building in Education: Towards an Agenda for Research and Practice', British Journal of Educational Studies, 59(3), 225-239. Biesta, G. J. J. (2004) 'Against learning: Reclaiming a language for education in an age of learning', Nordisk Pedagogik, 23, 70-82. Biesta, G. J. J. (2006) Beyond Learning. Democratic Education for a Human Future. Biesta, G. J. J. (2013) 'Interrupting the politics of learning', Power and Education, 5(4-15). Biesta, G. J. J. (2015) 'What is Education For? On Good Education, Teacher Judgement, and Educational Professionalism.', European Journal of Education, 50(1), 69-87. Dewey, J. (1916) Democracy and Education, United State of America: The Free Press. Doll, W. E. (1993b) A Post-Modern Perspective on Curriculum, New York: Teachers College Press. Doll, W. E. (2012) Complexity and the Culture of Curriculum, Complicity: An International Journal of Complexity and Education, 9(1),10-29. Levinas, E. ((1969) ‘Totality and Infinity: An essay on exteriority’. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press. Levinas, E. (1978) ‘Existence & Existents’. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press. Levinas, E (1981) ‘Otherwise than being or beyond essence’. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. Levinas, E. (1985) ‘Ethics and Infinity’. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press. Mason, M. (2008) 'What is Complexity Theory and What are its Implications for Educational Change', Educational Philosophy and Theory, 40(1), 35-49. Osberg, D. (2010) The End/s of Education: Complexity and the Conundrum of the Inclusive Educational Curriculum, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(6), 593-607. Osberg, D. and Biesta G. (2010) Complexity Theory and the Politics of Education, Sense Publications

Author Information

Audrey Doyle (presenting / submitting)
Maynooth University
Kildare

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