In 1976, the Indonesian government began to implement
a new curriculum known as Curriculum 75. This was
intended for all government primary, junior secondary
and senior secondary schools. This field study, which
is written for non-Indonesian readers, examines the
Social Science component of Curriculum 75 using elements
of the Stake model of curriculum evaluation. The purpose
of the evaluation is to show, within the Stake model,
the intended antecedents, transactions and outcomes of
the Social Science Curriculum; that is, the specifications
of the curriculum documents and associated texts before
implementation in the classroom. The principal argument
of this evaluation is that the worth of the curriculum
is discovered in the elements of control which are manifest
in intentions.
This evaluation selects three issues for closer examination
and evaluation; economic development, political culture
and the world view which are portrayed in the curriculum.
This closer examination reveals that knowledge of economic
development is emphasised more than knowledge of political
culture. In turn, knowledge of the the world outside and
beyond Indonesia which constitute the world view is the
least important of the three issues, and particularly at
the primary level receives very little attention whatsoever.
The specific outcomes of the Social Science Curriculum show
that the type of knowledge which is emphasised is cognitive
understanding rather than the formation of attitudes and
values. Pupils are expected to learn factual knowledge
rather than develop personal and social values.
The central theme or argument which this evaluation pursues
is the notion of curriculum control. Curriculum 75 is
the creation of an educational bureaucracy within a
bureaucratic state. When understood within the context of
the Jackson critique of contemporary Indonesia, curriculum
is a bureaucratic function of the state. A principal
element of that function is the exercising of control which,
for the purpose of this field study, is revealed in a
bureaucratic and a curriculum form. The curriculum form of
control is the central notion in this evaluation. For the
Social Science Curriculum to be successful in the Indonesian
classroom, the Curriculum should specify contents and methods
in such prescriptive detail that teachers are given a
clear programme of what is expected of them. Teachers can
only be successful when the Curriculum clearly communicates
what teachers are required to do. Control in the sense of
constraint is a vital element in that communication.
The characteristics of curriculum control are described in
terms of the Bernstein concepts of coding and framing. By
tracing coding and framing techniques in the Social Science
Curriculum in general and each of the three issues in
particular, this study shows that the antecedents (as
defined by Stake) are strongly controlled (through a
Bernstein-type collection code). On the other hand, some
curriculum control is lost in the transactions (as defined
by Stake) because teaching and learning methods are not
sufficiently framed. Future refinements in this
Curriculum should concentrate on strengthening curriculum
control through increasing the level of specification
and prescription about learning methods.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/218838 |
| Date | January 1980 |
| Creators | Clarke, G. R., n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright G. R. Clarke |
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