The purpose of this study is to investigate to what extent foundation phase teachers adapt Curriculum 2005. The study was guided by two research questions: (1) What are the critical components of Curriculum 2005 (foundation phase)? (2) What are the adaptations that teachers have made in teaching this curriculum? The specific focus of this study is foundation phase teachers’ initial implementation of the revised version of Curriculum 2005, the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS). An Innovation Configuration Checklist was developed identifying the critical components of the RNCS and the variations of each. Using the checklist, foundation phase teachers were surveyed to establish the adaptations being made during implementation. The findings of this study indicate that there is less active learning and more teacher directed activity than is required by the RNCS. Assessment appears to be a problem area. Most teachers understand what is expected of them in terms of assessment and attempt to put it into practice. Assessment has however, proved to be burdensome and time consuming. Teachers’ planning demonstrates a sound understanding of the procedures to be followed. Teachers do however, need support in terms of deeper pedagogical content knowledge. Although teachers comply with the technical aspects of curriculum development they neglect the emancipatory aspects of the RNCS. The situation in foundation phase classrooms might be described as one where much change is taking place, but little transformation is happening at present. Teachers are nevertheless, reflecting on how to improve their teaching and continue to explore ways to adapt and improve the RNCS.

This thesis is concerned with the ‘problem’ of change in education, an issue characterised in much of the literature as a paradox of innovation without change. The thesis draws upon school-based empirical research, undertaken in the context of the reactions by Geography, History and Modern Studies teachers to the notion of teaching integrated social subjects, set against the wider framework of the Scottish Executive’s curriculum policy. The thesis first sets the topic in its Scottish and wider context, before undertaking a comprehensive review of the themes that emerge from the worldwide literature on educational change. These include the paradox of innovation without change, teacher mediation of change initiatives, departmental and school cultures, the subject centredness of schooling and factors that have been noted to underpin successful change initiatives. The thesis sets out a theoretical position that draws upon the critical realist social theory of Margaret Archer. This approach posits a centrist approach to the contentious structure/agency debate, suggesting a complex relationship between social structures, cultural forms and individual agency, whereby social reproduction and transformation are played out through continual social interaction. From this foundation of theory, I develop a practical methodology for researching change in school settings. My empirical work consists of a questionnaire sent to 100 schools, and two linked case studies, where data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observations and analysis of school documents. The research identifies trends in school provision and, through the case studies, the processes of curriculum making are investigated using the aforementioned methodology. The thesis concludes that such processes are ineluctably social practices, and that those seeking to innovate in schools should pay attention to the social dimensions of change – the engagement of people with ideas and the social structures that impede, distort or promote change. The thesis concludes by presenting a set of general principles that might serve to facilitate change promoted by future initiatives.

Includes bibliography. / The study takes the work of three teachers to examine whether the popular belief of "small is better" is substantiated in the practice of these teachers. The study observes and analyses the classroom instruction of each of these teachers in a small class as well as in a large class. The observation is done with the use of an observation schedule, and the analysis of data is done within a Vygotskian framework. The study shows that the pedagogy and the teaching style of the three teachers does not change when they teach differently sized classes. In other words, their classroom practice is the same for both the small and large classes. The study further shows that the pedagogy of the teacher determines the effectiveness or quality of instruction, and that class size does not impact, either positively (in the case of the small class) or negatively (in the case of a large class) on the effectiveness or quality of instruction.

This dissertation is dedicated to the historical review of female mathematics education during the Progressive Era, from 1890 through 1920. This time period is known in the United States for multiple social reforms. Secondary schools experienced rapid expansion in enrollment, and the purpose and direction of education underwent development and change. During this era, a secondary education, which had been available to few, came to be accepted as a necessity for a majority of children in the United States. During this period of development and change, the educational system encountered several challenges. One such challenge was to tailor curricula according to the needs of different students. In parallel with increased enrollment, labor market demands experienced changes as well, and these changes were especially prominent in the urban areas. Historical evidence documents that the purpose of girls’ and boys’ education was often considered to be distinct. This belief stemmed from the idea that girls and boys had different career paths upon high school graduation. Therefore, differentiation of curricula received needed support and allowed schools to provide an elective system of subjects within high schools. This dissertation provides historical analysis of the mathematics education available for girls in the Progressive Era, focusing on the purpose of mathematics education, on curricula differentiation facilitated by an elective system, and on social factors that affected girls’ enrollment into the mathematics classes when the election of mathematics classes was allowed.

Current jobs in a global economy require more complex cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, cooperation, creativity, and collaboration, in addition to content knowledge. To address these areas, researchers have suggested the use of a 'makerspace' in schools. As with many other establishments, my school remodeled the primary school to create a makerspace for developing these skills. What impact might a makerspace -- a physical as well as a curricular change -- have on teachers' individual and collaborative learning? The purpose of this case study was to describe how the makerspace concept and changes to classroom or instructional space influence teachers' beliefs and practices as they develop the curriculum, follow the existing curriculum, revise ideas, and share knowledge with others. Our school branded the newest structural change 'Innovation Alley'. Under the leadership of the School Division Head, the concept of Innovation Alley was embedded in an effort to emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math (STEAM) and the Library, and combine them for cross-curricular purposes. Drawing on field observations, interviews, and analysis of artifacts, videos, and other documents, I worked with and interviewed four of my colleagues to describe features of the emerging classroom or instructional spaces to consider how we developed our practice in this environment. I found that teachers placed high value on community, administrative, peer support, and shared knowledge-building in mitigating the stressors related to the innovation. There also appears to be a relationship between teachers' understanding of the makerspace development and their sense of control. When participants expressed interest in embracing the makerspace, they also indicated that they understood what they were doing. When they expressed a sense of loss of control or stress, they would often refer to using more traditional methods of teaching.

Faculty of Humanities School of Education PHD 9605681F njabulison@mstp.org.za / Since the 1990s, the corporate concept of learning organizations has been promoted as a solution to problems caused by ever-changing educational reforms and as a model for schools in the twenty-first century. Through an indepth analysis of two South African secondary schools in Gauteng, this study examines how organizational learning is nurtured and sustained, and considers whether and how the concept of learning organizations is applicable in schools. Three perspectives on learning organizations are considered: the normative, developmental and capability perspectives. The investigative framework links theories on organizational memory, organizational learning, organizational change and complexity theory to provide insights into why some organizations are ‘smarter’ than others and why educational reforms and innovations often fail. The study used a multi-method approach, within a nested case design, at two contrasting schools, each facing the challenges of a changing society and education system, but under very different conditions: a state school in a poor informal settlement and a wealthy faith-based, independent school. Research participants included two principals, four heads of departments, ten teachers and fourteen learners. Although learners were included, the study focuses primarily on teachers and school leaders. At each school, key informants were selected from among those acknowledged to have contributed significantly to the school, either individually or as team members. In-depth interviews, as well as teachers’ narrative accounts of their own learning and unlearning, and a variety of schoolgenerated documents provided the data set. Two approaches were used for the stories of learning and unlearning – personal writing and elicitation through narrative interviews. Findings pertain to participating schools, but also provide a basis for more general claims. In ethos, practices and leadership, both schools reflect a deep commitment to improving learners’ lives. However, schools cannot operate as learning organizations unless they can harness individual staff members’ aspirations as well. Internal and external circumstances impeded organizational learning and reciprocal professional commitment among staff. These included: personal problems; an individualistic school learning system with limited social interaction; concomitant anxiety about collaborative professional learning; a value system that favours competition; routine rather than reflective contexts for professional learning and communication; and unacknowledged gender issues. Another feature of a learning organization is a reflective openness to change. Yet both schools strive for stability and conformity to rules, and neither has developed tools for recognizing turning points, disjunctures and triggers for change. Learning organizations emphasize collective learning; yet teachers and department heads are ‘starving’ for personal recognition, especially in cases where they have become multi-skilled in the course of career advancement. The study also analyses complexities of school leadership and resulting trade-offs that have to be made between satisfying the diverse needs of school members and responding to external demands, especially at the level of policy. Overall, the vi study demonstrates that while the related concepts of learning organizations and organizational learning are generative for understanding, structuring and leading schools, the definitive purposes of schools and the external pressures one them preclude a simple transfer from the corporate world.

For several decades, the institutionalizing of pilot projects has been part of school reform designs in many countries. In the context of developing countries, this reform design accumulated into the establishment of so-called International Standard Schools (ISS). ISS are not traditional private international schools but public institutions drawing on private sector initiatives. ISS are typically national projects based on borrowing educational innovations that have been long-standing practices and ideas in the private education sector and adapting them to the public education sector. The exploratory case study focuses on the design of a scale-up reform wherein national actors involved international service providers in order to adapt and disseminate curricular innovations from the autonomous system of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS) to the system of regular public schools. The study applies the notion of international standards as broadly defined international best practices and global education policies (e.g., competency-based education, outcomes-based education, and English as a medium of instruction) that national governments endeavor to adopt in their public school systems. The study seeks to understand the national school system’s attraction to certain international standards and borrowing ideas and policies offered by international education providers in Kazakhstan. The study explores how and why the selection, local adaptation and scale-up of international standards occurred in Kazakhstan’s public school system. The study draws on case study methodology and combines an embedded single case-study approach with mixed methods research design. The application of this methodological strategy is explained by the complex nature of the scale-up phenomenon that requires the researcher to examine perspectives of heterogeneous actors involved in the development and implementation of the scale-up reform. The study found that the design and establishment of NIS occurred due to the long-standing reforms characterized by a protracted policy conflict and the socially constructed modern school system based on the projections of various countries and regions as ‘world-class school’ systems. Avoiding the reduction of the state to one unitary actor, this embedded single case study found country-specific and sociological reasons for the establishment of NIS as a school reform modality in Kazakhstan from the perspectives of various policy actors including schoolteachers. The scale-up of curricular innovations had different meanings for different stakeholders of the same reform.

No description available.

Thesis advisor: Patrick J. McQuillan / In a time of increasing accountability, school leaders are besieged with challenges to improve student performance (Cosner & Jones, 2016; Day et al., 2016), build teacher capacity (Beteille et al., 2012; Miller, 2013), and develop a coherent school vision (Finnigan & Stewart, 2009; Hitt & Tucker, 2016) to better meet the needs of increasingly diverse student populations. Unsurprisingly, the stress of these and other challenges has led to a marked increase in principal turnover in recent decades (Snodgrass Rangel, 2018). These conditions necessitate an understanding of how schools navigate transitions in leadership and the impact changes in leadership can have on a school’s ability to meet ever evolving challenges. Analyzing data from a seven-year study using a comparative case study approach (Bartlett & Vavrus, 2017), this paper considers the experiences of three different schools as a single Catholic school principal transitions between the school sites. Drawing on complexity thinking (Goldstein et al., 2011; Lichtenstein & Plowman, 2009), this study explores the extent to which the principal was able to impact each school’s readiness for change through the interconnected processes of distributing authority, creating a common school vision, and fostering trust. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

This study provides a qualitative interpretation of the work done by central office administrators in a school district in Texas as they supported and built capacity for the professional learning community (PLC) process over a five year time period. Literature by PLC scholars, especially R. DuFour, R.B. DuFour, Eaker, Hord, Hipp, Huffman, and Olivier, informed development of the study. In a school district of 19,000 students and 2,000 staff members, ten central office administrators were interviewed to gain their perceptions of their roles in the PLC process. Interviews were analyzed through the processes of initial, focused, and theoretical coding. Documents were examined and used as supplemental sources of data to corroborate the perspectives provided. Findings revealed the story of central office administrators who worked interdependently to support and build capacity in the implementation and sustainment of the PLC process. A thick description of the work based on their perceptions offers actions and behaviors of administrators specific to their roles and practices and protocols developed to hold the work together. A grounded theory was developed with regard to central office administrators' support and capacity-building for the PLC process. From the administrators' perceptions, six theoretical categories relating to central office support and capacity building of the PLC process emerged: 1) establishment, 2) deployment, 3) accountability for implementation, 4) adult learning, 5) collaboration, and 6) leadership development. The study contributes an interpretivist description of the involvement of central office in the PLC process and confirms the importance of the change process in the implementation of the PLC framework.