How does autonomy in curricular design impact on teacher agency?

Thesis

For my part 3 MSc project, I have conducted scale practitioner research in regards to the impact of autonomy in curriculum design on teacher agency; this study has been exploratory, aiming to understand why and with what means teachers make decisions regarding curriculum. Studies show that teacher’s autonomy are often constricted by pressures of accountability and performativity measures. My current school, however, offers a curriculum framework that is school-based and teacher driven. Given a ‘blank slate,’ what decision do teachers make regarding curriculum design and why? Based on the premise that agency deals with action, I decided to use Mische and Emirbayer’s three-dimensional model of agency to guide my methodology, data collection and coding. Accordingly, I deployed a mixed-methods qualitative approach, including both structured and semi-structured interviews, along with observational methods (of each teacher planning a new unit) to explore my research question. I chose to use selective sampling, with six participants, half of whom have had more than five years’ experience teaching in the current Middle Years model, and half in their first.

The findings suggest that previous experience and specific contextual factors have a greater influence on teacher decision making than autonomy. Whilst many of the participants perceived autonomy in curriculum design as ‘freedom’ during their initial interview, observations during planning revealed that a teacher planned in accordance with how he or she had been trained and took few risks in regards to innovating for a different future. This suggests that the iterative dimension of agency strongly influences the practical-evaluative (contextual). Also, whilst teachers articulated educational aims, the majority of teacher talk during planning dealt with the practicalities of the classroom and of specific students; thus, whilst the projective element featured during the initial interviews, these aspirations were not articulated during the planning process. As the literature suggested, autonomy cannot be viewed as an independent variable. Educational leaders should not assume that giving teachers autonomy will empower them to take risks and imagine alternative futures. My study revealed that each school must carefully consider the opportunities that teachers have to engage with the intellectual theories and debates involved in curriculum development and provide the time and support for teachers to develop strong horizontal relationships with their colleagues.

Authors: Eves, V

• Type of award: MSc taught course
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: MLT; MLT 2017
• Subjects: Education