Year: 1993
Type: article
Abstract: This thesis is about planning educational change.Specifically, it is an investigation of the development of a secondary school structure that features the use of a self-paced curriculum delivery model, a school wide computer network, a Teacher Advisor program, a change in the traditional role of teachers, and a change in the architectural design of school facilities.The problem for the study is to investigate the assumptions, expectations, deliberations (decision making processes), and other factors influencing the development of school policy associated with the educational structure for the school.The study also involves a critical analysis of theoretical notions about how deliberations associated with educational change could be conducted.The critical analysis involves a comparison of notions introduced by others to the deliberations associated with the Thomas Haney educational structure.Each element of the secondary school vision is discussed in terms of related literature and observations made by teachers during the first year of the schools' operation.The study makes use of qualitative methods.Transcripts of interviews with those involved, together with documents outlining and describing the Thomas Haney deliberations are used to construct the author's understanding.This understanding includes a characterization of the participants, a description of the deliberations and the introduction of a concept called "readiness."The study concludes that self-paced programs may have positive affective gains for students associated with them, but the claim made by some that such programs contribute to increased intellectual competence. is still undecided.However, the Thomas Haney case may be unique because of the inclusion of other program elements which may compensate for the weaknesses associated with other self-paced programs.The study also concludes that the Thomas Haney deliberations were not merely a set of "rational" decision making processes but rather they involved the attitudes, beliefs, and relationships of the participants in these deliberations.The thesis goes on to conclude that use of Schwab's notions about curricular deliberations should address the significance of the attitudes, beliefs, and relationships of those involved in such deliberations.Many individuals provided information, encouragement and critical feedback during the writing of this thesis.I thank them all.There are a few, however, whose contributions deserve specific recognition.
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Philip L Balcaen
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W184927726