Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Doctoral Research in Education
I have been enrolled on the EdD (Professional Studies) programme at the University of Exeter since September 2002. (www.exeter.ac.uk or e mail Victoria Ditton – the EdD administrator on V.Ditton@exeter.ac.uk for further details).
The EdD programme is made up of 5 ‘taught’ modules- each requiring a 6000 word assignment and a 45,000 word thesis.
I have completed the first 4 modules:
EED7001: Educational Research and Professional Enquiry
EED7010: Curriculum and the Modern World
EED7011: Evaluation, Accountability and Management
EED7002: Research Project Design and Data Generation
The fifth module (Research Data Analysis and Presentation) is to be completed as the thesis is completed as it involves the presentation of data.
I am now at the stage of collecting data for my thesis that has the provisional title of Understanding Curriculum Ideologies in a College of Higher Education (HE).
Background and outline of thesis:
Perhaps surprisingly, there has been very limited public debate about HE curricula in the United Kingdom (Barnett and Coate, 2005). Yet, despite this, Barnett and Coate have argued that curricula are being transformed both rapidly and in significant ways. It would seem that curriculum development in HE in recent times has been dominated by a political determination to reframe curricula in terms of economically productive skills that have market value. This certainly appears to be reflected in this institution but is this the most desirable and appropriate curriculum for the complex and uncertain world of the twenty-first century?
Indeed, following the White Paper on HE (DfES, 2003) encouraging mission diversity amongst Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the current socio-economic and political context of market forces and the forthcoming introduction of variable tuition fees, I am keen to explore the impact of these political and economic goals upon curricula in HE. This research will therefore seek to explore the driving forces behind these decisions and examine how and why the members of staff have formed their particular curriculum ideologies?
Certainly, a key question at the heart of curriculum in HE concerns the purpose of HE? Barnett and Coate (2005) suggest that the answers to such a question tend to be hidden in the underlying presuppositions of the curriculum. My research aims to explore the various curriculum ideologies that exist and to develop a better understanding of the ideologies inherent in different kinds of curricula. I also hope to gain a greater insight into whether different considerations transcend different disciplines and to understand how my colleagues view the place of skills and the value they attribute to students as human beings as opposed to enquirers after knowledge or possessors of skills.
Understanding curriculum ideologies in a College of HE is a research issue that can most appropriately be addressed from an interpretive perspective. The concept of ideology is premised on a whole complex of beliefs, values, insights and choices. These are subjectively constructed, experienced and perceived. They do not exist as objectively defined facts and may be different for each person. Understanding curriculum ideology, therefore, requires an approach to research that recognises as a central tenet, the need to understand those beliefs, values, insights and choices from the perspective of the participants.
The research therefore adopts an interpretive approach and utilises symbolic interactionism as a theoretical framework. The research methodology will be that of an ethnographic case study and the research methods will include focus groups (subject groups in the College) and individual interviews with members of the curriculum development committee (CDC).
I have submitted an application and received approval from the College’s research ethics sub-committee and I am hoping to conduct a pilot focus group with the SPD team in the next few weeks (thank you SPD team!) and then to conduct the ‘real’ focus groups in June / early July. My interview questions for the CDC members will be based on the issues that emerge from the focus groups
References:
Barnett, R. and Coate, K. (2005) Engaging the Curriculum in Higher Education. Buckingham: SRHE and Open University Press.
Department for Education and Skills (2003) White Paper: The future of Higher Education. London: DFES
Sam Peach
The EdD programme is made up of 5 ‘taught’ modules- each requiring a 6000 word assignment and a 45,000 word thesis.
I have completed the first 4 modules:
EED7001: Educational Research and Professional Enquiry
EED7010: Curriculum and the Modern World
EED7011: Evaluation, Accountability and Management
EED7002: Research Project Design and Data Generation
The fifth module (Research Data Analysis and Presentation) is to be completed as the thesis is completed as it involves the presentation of data.
I am now at the stage of collecting data for my thesis that has the provisional title of Understanding Curriculum Ideologies in a College of Higher Education (HE).
Background and outline of thesis:
Perhaps surprisingly, there has been very limited public debate about HE curricula in the United Kingdom (Barnett and Coate, 2005). Yet, despite this, Barnett and Coate have argued that curricula are being transformed both rapidly and in significant ways. It would seem that curriculum development in HE in recent times has been dominated by a political determination to reframe curricula in terms of economically productive skills that have market value. This certainly appears to be reflected in this institution but is this the most desirable and appropriate curriculum for the complex and uncertain world of the twenty-first century?
Indeed, following the White Paper on HE (DfES, 2003) encouraging mission diversity amongst Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the current socio-economic and political context of market forces and the forthcoming introduction of variable tuition fees, I am keen to explore the impact of these political and economic goals upon curricula in HE. This research will therefore seek to explore the driving forces behind these decisions and examine how and why the members of staff have formed their particular curriculum ideologies?
Certainly, a key question at the heart of curriculum in HE concerns the purpose of HE? Barnett and Coate (2005) suggest that the answers to such a question tend to be hidden in the underlying presuppositions of the curriculum. My research aims to explore the various curriculum ideologies that exist and to develop a better understanding of the ideologies inherent in different kinds of curricula. I also hope to gain a greater insight into whether different considerations transcend different disciplines and to understand how my colleagues view the place of skills and the value they attribute to students as human beings as opposed to enquirers after knowledge or possessors of skills.
Understanding curriculum ideologies in a College of HE is a research issue that can most appropriately be addressed from an interpretive perspective. The concept of ideology is premised on a whole complex of beliefs, values, insights and choices. These are subjectively constructed, experienced and perceived. They do not exist as objectively defined facts and may be different for each person. Understanding curriculum ideology, therefore, requires an approach to research that recognises as a central tenet, the need to understand those beliefs, values, insights and choices from the perspective of the participants.
The research therefore adopts an interpretive approach and utilises symbolic interactionism as a theoretical framework. The research methodology will be that of an ethnographic case study and the research methods will include focus groups (subject groups in the College) and individual interviews with members of the curriculum development committee (CDC).
I have submitted an application and received approval from the College’s research ethics sub-committee and I am hoping to conduct a pilot focus group with the SPD team in the next few weeks (thank you SPD team!) and then to conduct the ‘real’ focus groups in June / early July. My interview questions for the CDC members will be based on the issues that emerge from the focus groups
References:
Barnett, R. and Coate, K. (2005) Engaging the Curriculum in Higher Education. Buckingham: SRHE and Open University Press.
Department for Education and Skills (2003) White Paper: The future of Higher Education. London: DFES
Sam Peach
# posted by A Sociologist : 1:22 PM
