Teaching within a prescriptive school curriculum: implications for teacher agency and professionalism.
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Date
2016
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Abstract
The schooling system within South Africa over the last decade and a half has been
characterised by several curriculum changes with the goal of providing quality basic
education different from that provided by the Apartheid government. The several iterations
of curriculum change sought to respond to the various challenges that the new curriculum
philosophy presented as a response to the wide range of issues and critiques. At present the
school curriculum is framed within the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS)
and has been in existence for the past three years. Now is the right opportunity to research
how the CAPS curriculum is experienced by all. However, for the purpose of this study, the
research on CAPS will be focused on teachers’ experiences of teaching within this
curriculum framework. More specifically, the focus is on teacher agency as teachers’
negotiate the CAPS curriculum within their context of teaching.
Although the literature review provides some understanding into the implementation of a
prescribed curriculum and its theoretical influence on teacher agency, no solutions and
suggestions are offered. It is to be simply accepted that teachers have to teach the set
curriculum in order to be successful in the eyes of the educational departments as there are
numerous factors determining successfulness. Additionally, although Emirbayer and Mische
(1998) Samuel (1998) and Apple (1993) provide a theoretical and conceptual framework for
understanding teacher agency in curriculum, there is a practical gap as only theoretical and
conceptual understandings are provided; ignoring practical understandings.
Emirbayer and Mische (1998) provide great insight as to what influences agency and how
teachers teach, yet it does not refer to manners in which teacher agency is utilized when
restricted by a curriculum. This study provided a practical understanding of how to recognise
agency under a prescriptive curriculum; through adoption, adaption and neglect.
In addition, Apple (1993) offers support on understanding the basics of curriculum through
state theory; however, theory relating to the context of implementing a national curriculum is
limited, especially in relation to South Africa. I feel that my study attempted at bridging this
gap, bringing forth new ideas, concepts and theories around the phenomenon of how
teachers teach within a prescriptive school curriculum.
Description
Master of Education in Education Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2016.
Keywords
Curriculum planning - South Africa., Education - Curricula., Education - General., Teachers - Professional ethics., Theses - Education.