Curriculum as policy text. Shifting the gaze of South African curriculum implementation research.

Autor/inn/en	Kennedy, Kerry J.; Robinson, David
Titel	Curriculum as policy text. Shifting the gaze of South African curriculum implementation research.
Quelle	In: Journal of curriculum studies, 55 (2023) 1, S. 105-118Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Beigaben	Literaturangaben S. 116-118
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; gedruckt; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-0272; 1366-5839
DOI	10.1080/00220272.2023.2172692
Schlagwörter	Bildungsforschung; Bildungspolitik; Bildungsreform; Curriculum; Bildungspolitik; Bildungsreform; Bildungsforschung; Curriculumreform; Curriculum; Curriculumreform; Südafrika (Staat)
Abstract	Curriculum reform was high on the agenda of South Africa's post-apartheid governments. Yet as time passed, the initial reforms were seen as increasingly problematic, especially when pedagogical realities met policy priorities. There was reluctance on the part of policymakers to give up what was seen as the democratic imperative behind the reforms. Yet as schools struggled, public responses blamed inadequate attention to practical issues as undermining the implementation of the reforms. This perspective on curriculum implementation, blaming teachers for the failure of policy reforms, is not uncommon. This paper argues, however, that such a perspective is very often misinformed because it deflects attention from the specific nature of policies and the role of policymaking in neglecting key issues that might have better facilitated implementation. South Africa's democratic curriculum reforms were essential for dismantling a key aspect of the apartheid state. The paper highlights this point arguing that an understanding of policies rather than a focus on the failure of schools provides a better lens for understanding the trajectory of curriculum reform processes in South Africa.
Erfasst von	Leibniz-Institut für Bildungsmedien \| Georg-Eckert-Institut (GEI), Braunschweig
Update	2023/1