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Teachers’ Curriculum Making as Relational Practice: The Mediatory Role of Reflexivity and Networks

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Handbook of Curriculum Theory, Research, and Practice

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Abstract

Teachers often find ways to mediate their curriculum making practices, even in most centralized contexts. In order to delve into this mediation process, this chapter offers a philosophical and methodological framework to investigate the role of reflexivity and networks. Following a critical realist approach, I argue that there are three generative mechanisms underlying teachers’ curriculum making practices that can help us to understand why teachers act in different ways. First, teachers’ modes of reflexivity, distinctive ways of projecting actions, based on teachers’ concerns and by means of their environment, offer strong explanations of why teachers take certain standpoints, follow particular reasoning processes, and act upon curriculum reforms in various ways. Second, relational assets (relational goods and evils) that emerge from teachers’ curriculum making relationships offer explanations as to why certain practices might be enhanced or inhibited. Finally, the national and organizational context, more particularly, schools’ formal organization, curriculum reform as a chain of organic interactions, and performativity culture, explains teacher mediation of curriculum making.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, United Kingdom

    Sinem Hizli Alkan

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  1. Sinem Hizli Alkan
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Correspondence to Sinem Hizli Alkan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ontario Inst for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Peter Pericles Trifonas

  2. School of Early Childhood Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Susan Jagger

Appendix 1: Sample Items from Data Generation Tools

Appendix 1: Sample Items from Data Generation Tools

Observation guide

School observation

 The physical and social environment of the school

 Routines of the day

 Kinds of interactions in the school

 Artefacts and school curriculum documents

Classroom observation

 Classroom setting

 Teachers’ pedagogical approaches, interactions with students

 Content selection and presentation (descriptive rather than evaluative)

First interview guide

Teachers’ professional life stories

Their perception of school and faculty ethos

Understanding of and attitudes towards the curriculum

Purposes of teaching that particular subject

Reflective diary guide

What are my immediate thoughts and feelings?

How do I experience this as a teachers?

What is the most important concern for me now?

What are my priorities?

How do I decide what to do?

Internal conversation interview guide

Comments on the ten mental activities and how these are experienced at any stage of curriculum making

Concerns about curriculum making which matter most at the moment and how they plan to project their future actions

Ego-network interview guide

Main question

In this term, with whom have you talked about curriculum for advice, with a question or concern or just to talk something through about curriculum making?

Some questions about alters:

 Occupation

 Years of experience in the job

 How do you know?

 What do you usually talk about?

 What about particularly going to somebody for advice?

 What kind of advice? Example

 The level of strength, trust from 0 to 10

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Hizli Alkan, S. (2024). Teachers’ Curriculum Making as Relational Practice: The Mediatory Role of Reflexivity and Networks. In: Trifonas, P.P., Jagger, S. (eds) Handbook of Curriculum Theory, Research, and Practice. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21155-3_18

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