Abstract
The purpose of this evaluation has been to focus on how young people in schools react to curricular changes in which they are involved. It examines the rationale behind those changes, student perceptions of that rationale and whether they have identified benefits in line with the declared purposes of those changes. It focuses on the role of classroom teachers in the change process, the ways in which they react to it and the support systems that exist both inside and outside the school to help them. It relates to similarities and differences in the two schemes and points to some general observations of the change process in the above context and some recommendations for future professional practice. The research project is focused in two parts. The first part involved three secondary modern 11-18 schools in a South West London L. E. A. at a period in which local teachers were working with the TVEI Pilot Project team to develop a modular Mode 3 GCSE course to meet locally identified needs. The second part examines the development of the City and Guilds Diploma programme as a framework for Sixth form entitlement in a newly amalgamated comprehensive school in a county on the south coast of England. The researcher employed an approach based on student questionnaires and interviews; and interviews with teachers and members of the advisory service. Some of the evidence is also derived from observations made by the researcher as the schemes were operating. The main conclusions are focused on issues of induction; how students approach unfamiliar teaching and learning approaches; the lessons of programme design; assessment issues; issues related to equality of opportunity; monitoring and evaluation approaches ; the reactions of teachers to the new programmes; the effectiveness of the staff development and support mechanisms for those teachers, and the notion of relating change to an overarching curricular vision. Amongst the recommendations for professional practice it points to the importance of anchoring any curriculum change in a the school’s own vision of student entitlement to a high quality learning experience rather than looking for ‘ready made’ solutions in curricular structures and content. It further argues that the success of any such change hinges on the credibility it derives from a range of partners including parents and the community of which the school forms a part. It recommends a comprehensive period of induction for any innovation and points to the fact that staff and students are effectively linked in a ‘partnership of learning’ which will thrive on openness between the two partners. It looks to readily understood assessment criteria to aid the process of discussion about learning and to the value of a tutorial support system. It points to the formative benefits of integrated monitoring and evaluation systems and to staff development that is focused in the practical needs of the teacher. It looks to relating any change to a whole school culture and ethos founded on genuine parity of esteem. It raises a number of further important research questions, most of which focus on soliciting student responses to specific aspects of the change process.