Relationships between the constructs of a theory of curriculum implementation

TLDR

Educational change is frequent worldwide, and South Africa’s 1994 elections prompted a comprehensive overhaul of education policy, leading to the 2005 Curriculum (C2005) that introduced outcomes‑based and learner‑centered approaches. The study aims to examine how a theoretical framework for curriculum implementation in developing countries can elucidate the progress and interrelationships of constructs and subconstructs in the 2005 Curriculum through ten case studies. The authors applied a framework of interrelated constructs and subconstructs to assess implementation levels—school capacity and external support—in ten case studies across representative Mpumalanga schools. The analysis revealed some predictable relationships among constructs, while other anticipated relationships did not materialize. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.; J Res Sci Teach 42: 313–336, 2005.

Abstract

Abstract Planned educational change occurs regularly throughout the world. With the enormous political change the 1994 elections brought to South Africa, a complete change in education policies was called for. The new Curriculum 2005 (C2005; Department of Education, RSA, 1997 ) embraced new teaching and learning approaches such as outcomes‐based education and learner‐centered teaching practices. To explore the progress of the implementation of C2005, a theoretical framework specifically designed to elucidate curriculum implementation in developing countries was applied to 10 case studies. The framework consists of interrelating constructs with subconstructs which impact on curriculum implementation. It enables one to look at the levels of implementation achieved both in terms of the capacity of the school and the extent to which outside support and pressure is provided. The case studies were carried out in a representative sample of schools in Mpumalanga, one of the nine South African provinces. The aim of this article is to investigate the possible interrelationships of the constructs and the subconstructs. Some predictable relationships emerged from the data while other expected relationships failed to materialize. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 313–336, 2005