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CONTROL of the CURRICULUM and the COMPETENCE By CONTROLOF THE CURRICULUMAND THE COMPETENCE OF TEACHERS by Alan Scott Carson Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctorate of Philosophy Department of Philosophy of Education Institute of Education, University of London January 1980 f7 Abstract The question of who ought to have control of the curriculum was dormant a issue poked alive by a succession educational ideologues, government commissions and concerned segments of the public, since the 1960s. For the free school movement, community education movement, Plowden Report, Great Debate and Taylor Report each had recommendations for who ought to determine the aims, content and methods of curriculum - an issue that in earlier days had been of rather less concern than the matter of what ought to be on the curriculum. The most frequently supported contenders for control of the curriculum are students, parents, the teaching profession, educational experts, the state or some form of participatory arrangement that would include some or all of these. What is of particular interest to the philosopher in this are the lines of justification that can be offered for these potential decision-makers. There are, of course, different sorts of argument, for example moral and political justifications. But fundamental is the issue of competence. If we are concerned about the quality of education we provide children, we must know who is the most competent to determine curriculum. This thesis considers the question 'Who is most competent to control the curriculum? ', and in doing so takes, one by one, the various potential decision-makers and considers from the point of view of competence the case that can be made in their favour. This is facilitated by an analysis of the concept of competence and the nature of knowledge required by a curriculum decision-maker. The position taken in the thesis is that, all things considered, the teaching profession is more likely to be competent than the other alternatives. Consequently, curriculum, for most part, ought to be left in the hands of the teaching profession. Acknowledgements Professor R. S. Peters helped me enormously in the preparation of this thesis and for that I wish to thank him. Of help in countless other ways was my wife Mim. She sustained me. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................ iii Chapter paw I. CONTROLOF THE CURRICULUM ................................ 1 1. Introduction ....................................... 1 2. Curriculum Control Competence 6 and .................. 3. Curriculum Decisions ............................... 10 4. The Conditions of Competence and Education Activity 11 as an ........................... 5. Plan the Thesis 13 of ................................. II. COMPETENCE AND CURRICULUM DECISION-MAKING 14 ................ 1. Introduction 14 ....................................... 2. Formal Structure of Reasoned Curriculum Decisions 14 ............................... 3. The Character of Reasoned Curriculum Decisions 15 .......................................... (a) The Object-of-Decision 15 ....................... (b) Alternatives 16 ................................. (c) Justifying Principles 19 ........................ (d) Summary 21 ...................................... 4. Principles Which Guide the Making of Correct Decisions 21 .................................. (a) Principles Correct Decisions 22 and .............. (b) Principles Logically Necessary for Decision-Making 22 .............................. (i) Compatibility 22 ........................ (ii) Consistency 23 .......................... (iii) Compatibility and consistency /again 24 once ........................... (c) Normative Principles 25 ......................... (i) Alternatives and breadth, depth 25 and centrality ................. (ii) Justifying principles and breadth, depth 26 and centrality ........ 5. Conditions Competence 27 Necessary of ................ (a) The Cognitive and Affective Abilities Condition Competence 28 of ........... (b) Adequate Access 29 ............................. 6. Criterion 30 The Feasibility of Developing a ......... III. ACTIVITIES AND CONTEXTS (1) .............................. 32 1. Introduction 32 ...................................... Activities Contexts 33 2. and ........................... (a) Activities 33 .................................. (i) The 33 concept of an activity .......... (ii) Micro activities and macro 39 activities .......................... (iii) Closed activities and open 40 activities .......................... iv Page (iv) Summary 42 ............................ (b) Contexts 43 .................................. (i) Conceptual 43 context ................. (ii) Material 44 context ................... (c) Contexts Activities 45 and ................... (i) Consistency and 45 compatibility ...................... (ii) Contextual plurality and dynamic 46 static and contexts ........ (d) Context Decision-Making 47 and ............... IV. ACTIVITIES AND CONTEXTS (2): EDUCATION AS AN ACTIVITY 49 .......................................... 1. Is Education Activity? 4q an ........................ 2. Is Education Open Activity? 60 an ........ ......... 3. Educational Contexts 61 ........ ......... ...... (a) Conceptual Context 61 ........................ (b) Material Context 64 .......................... V. ACTIVITIES AND CONTEXTS (3): COMPETENT DECISION-MAKING AND SCHOOLING 65 ........................... 1. Introduction 65 ..................................... 2. Decisions About Macro Activities 65 ................. 3. Decisions About Micro Activities 73 ................. 4. Decisions Within Macro and Micro Activities 76 ..... ... .......... ......... ,,,,,,.,,,,, 5. Conclusion 79 ....................................... 85 Vi. STUDENTS AND SELF CHOICE IN CURRICULUM .................. P5 1. Introduction .................... ........ 2. What Decisions Should Students be Entitled to Make? P6 ................................ P6 (a) 'Freedom' Curriculum Decisions and ......... (b) Freedoms that Traditional and Child-Centered Educators have Allowed Rý Children in Curriculum Decision-Making .... (c) Criticisms of Proposed Justifications 94 Child Freedom of .......................... Competent? 97 3. Are S tudents ... ... ....... .... (a) The First Condition: Cognitive 9ý Emotional Abilities and ................... (b) Could Students Fulfill the Second 101 Competence Knowledge? Condition of - ...... (c) The Verdict Students on as l o4 Decision-Makers ........................... 106 DECISION-MAKERS VII. PARENTSAS CURRICULUM ................... 1. Parents Scope Parental and the of 106 Decision-Making .................................. (a) Justifications lop Some ....................... Parents Competent? 113 2. Are ........................... (a) Macro Activity 114 Decisions About the ........ (i) The knowledge condition and 114 selection of alternatives .......... V Page (ii) The knowledge condition and choosing among the alternatives: final choices 117 (iii) ...................... Parents, macro activities and knowledge: conclusion 119 (b) ............. Decisions About and Within Micro Activities 120 ................................ (i) The knowledge 121 condition ............ (ii) The abilities condition and 125 to data access ..................... (c) The Verdict Parents 125 on .................... VIII. EXPERTS AND CURRICULUMDECISION-MAKING 127 .................. 1. Introduction 127 ..................................... 2. Educati Experts 127 onal ............................ (a) What is Expert? 12P an ........................ (b) Who the Educational Experts? 12P are .......... (c) Institutional Experts 130 ..................... 3. Educati Theory 131 onal ............................... ( ) Th P bl 131 a e ro em ............................... (b) The Structure of Educational Theories 132 .................................. (i) The O'Connor-Hirst debate 132 .......... (ii) Educational theory: the moral dimension and verification 133 (c) ......... Attacks Against the Logical Possibility 139 Educational Theory of ..................... (i) Mounce's two 139 objections ............ (ii) Conclusion 145 ......................... 4. Is Educational Theory Important? 145 ................. (a) Against Need for Theory 146 the a ............. (b) In Support Theory 147 of ...................... 5. Experts Educational Decisions 150 and ................ (a) The Abilities Condition of Competence 150 ................................ 151 (b) Knowledge and Adequate Access (i) Experts knowledge 151 and .............. (ii) Experts: centrality and 152 standardization .................... 6. Conclus ion 155 ....................................... IX. PARTICIPATION 15Q ........................................... 1. Introduction 15R ..................................... 159 2. Meaning and Form of Participation ................ 161 3. Justifications for Participation ................. 162 (a) Procedural Benefits ....................... (b) Improved Decision-Making 164 .................. 165 (i) Accumulated input .................. (ii) The hypothesis refutation 166 theory ............................. (iii) The accommodation consensus 167 model .............................. 16R 4. Criticisms Proposed Justifications of the ........ (a) Procedural Benefits 161 ....................... (b) Improved Decision-Making 171 .................. (i) Accumulated input 172 .................. (i i) Hypothesis refutation .............
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