Curriculum Change And Social Cohesion In Conflict Affected Societies : Case Study Framework

(collectively developed by coordinators/ team leaders)

Introduction  

 

  • Definition of general perspective on curricula policy
    ("Systemic decision-making (conscious, forced, or inevitable) about curriculum goals, structure, content, and delivery.") To be broadly conceived.
  • Delineation / conceptualisation of main concepts such as: stakeholders, conflict (as identity based), decision making (policy making), make explicit that curriculum change is being looked at in terms of social cohesion, etc.

Background to conflict

Nature of social divisions(changes over time) Nature of social divisions. Nature of group identity (language; religion; “ethnicity”) and the way in which they are articulated with social / political divisions. Issues of “cultural defensiveness” and inflexibility
Nature of conflict Internal armed conflict / disturbances; political violence; sectarian violence; “ethnic conflict”; civil strife – “identity-based conflicts” in which very existence of communities is perceived to be under threat.
Difficulties in naming the conflict.
Scale and intensity of violence.
Duration of violence / Recency
Nature of peace Nature of political agreement.
Nature of external involvement.
How is the role or education reform / curriculum change articulated in peace agreements (if at all?).

Background to education system

Nature of management system(changes over time) Changes in degree of centralisation/decentralisation; level of democratisation of policy structure?
Fragmentation ?
Potential difficulties in identifying locus of decision-making authority (BiH). “Real” decision-making power/marginalized (Guatemala) (Change relative to pre-conflict?)
Nature of school system Nature and extent of segregation (if any)
Public / private (other?): Types of private schooling? (Defining public and private in each context)
Nature of curriculum Analysis of changes in structure and organisation of learning content and changes (during distinctive phases of conflict)
What are the curriculum traditions?
What is being built on? What are the ways in which things have been done in the past that will influence what it is possible to do in the present? What are the pedagogical traditions?

Process of curriculum policy change

Rationales for curriculum change (why change?) Change is introduced on the basis of a recognized weakness in the relevance of existing curricula in reflecting the ways in which society has changed as a result of conflict and/or in promoting the types of social changes perceived as being necessary in order to ensure transition out of armed conflict and political violence and the consolidation of peace. What assessment of the relevance of curricula have informed the need for change? What is the level of political will? What has been identified as having potentially contributed to the conflict in the first place?
Direction of curriculum change (change what?) What needs to change? In what ways are aims and fundamental principles of education reformulated? Does this reformulation move towards reinforcing a common national identity (through assimilation) or towards the recognition of multiplicities in reconciliation/reconstruction?
Curricular paradigms What paradigms or philosophical premises are these decisions based on? How is curriculum conceptualised? What is it thought/assumed to be capable of in terms of its contribution to peace-building, stability, social cohesion etc ? Does hope (future orientation) play a role? Is the curriculum reform asking the present to confront the future, the past, both?
Modalities of consultation (deciding on change) (who is concerned and how are their concerns being brought into the discussion and debate?) Who is consulted in the process of reviewing and changing curriculum policy (stakeholders)? What is the nature of their participation? Whose voices are heard, and how are they expressed? Whose voices are not heard? What is the process of consultation? How does it emerge after prolonged period of conflict? How is consensus reached? What are the motives and levels/degrees of influence of stakeholders? The quality of their input? The genuineness of the consultation? Who is undertaking to consult?

Translating curriculum policy changes into organisation of learning content

Institutional setting for curriculum development What is/are the department(s) that translate policy decisions and develop curricula materials ? (institutional mechanisms, institutional structures) What is the relative degree of authority/autonomy of this/these department(s) with regard to central education authorities?
Identifying and dealing with difficult issues What decisions need to be made? particularly in areas of learning such as languages, social studies, civics, religious studies, history, etc. that touch upon collective memory, identity, sense of citizenship? Are there any contentious/sensitive/difficult issues to resolve? Which ones? What are the different viewpoints / conflicts of interest among stakeholders? How are they dealt with – (risk of polarisation? Might it be counterproductive to discuss certain issues?). What are the processes of negotiation and of consensus building adopted in drafting and approving curriculum frameworks and subject curricula (particularly in the normative areas listed below)?
Languages Status of official national language(s)
Language(s) of instruction
“National” literature.
Civics / citizenship Thematic, multi-disciplined approach or discrete subject? Degrees of flexibility. Questions of contradictions between content and methodology.
History Rewriting of official history. Does the curricular reform perpetuate tradition/status quo or introduce a critical historiography? (necessary preconditions for the latter?

Recency of conflict, etc.) Is the reform questioning a founding myth of a national identity (as opposed to a more ‘recent’ history)?
Religion Religious instruction versus culture of religions
Curriculum balance (subject and time allotments) How is learning content reorganised and restructured? What decisions are involved? How is a new curriculum balance defined? How is the issue of overcrowded curriculum approached? Infusion and cross-curricular models vs. separate subjects. In an effort to create space for additional content, what is reduced (removed, left out, rejected)?

Implementation

Economic / Resource context Determining consultation possibilities, textbook development, teacher training, etc.
Donor dependency Degree of dependency (if any) on external funding for implementation of curriculum change. What impact (if any) does this have on curriculum policy choices (rationales and direction of change, as well as modalities for consultation)?
Educational traditions What are national pedagogical traditions? What has been done in the past? How do these traditions impact on possibilities for effective implementation of curricula changes? To what extent to educational traditions influence policy decisions?
Research Role of pilot programmes and way in which these may (re-)inform curriculum policy decisions (scale of pilot programs; who is involved?; is evaluation taking place?)
Teacher training In implementing curriculum change for social cohesion what are the implications for teacher training?

Evaluation : Identifying indicators of change

Monitoring Policy and Practice Has any evaluation been undertaken on curriculum change? If so, what type, with what results, and with what implications for informing policy and implementation? (NI, Lebanon, Moz?)
Research carried out to identify gaps, obstacles, limitations, etc.
Role of evaluative research in identifying degree of receptivity/resistance in the implementation of curriculum changes. What is the nature of the resistance that may be encountered?

Key Areas of outstanding issues

Hypotheses/scenarios for the future
Priority areas to follow up: for example, the playing out (dynamic) of short and long term curricula policies that may be contradictory

Additional Perspectives/Methodology

  

  • How do the students perceive the reform (the curriculum)? (youth focus group discussions)
  • How does the process of documenting the study (re)inform the reform process itself (if it does)
    • Carrying out the study as a team?
    • Circulating drafts to various stakeholders?