Exploring the curriculum implementation experiences of TVET college lecturers

Date
2021-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Curriculum implementation at TVET colleges is not a simple process. College lecturers are implementing agents and have to receive, interpret, and make sense of the policy before they can implement it successfully. The college lecturers must know and understand what the national TVET curriculum entails and requires before the implementation thereof. Therefore, there must be consultation and cooperation between the college lecturers as implementing agents and the department as policymakers. Implementation of the college curriculum also takes place at a time that staff are grappling with many challenges, such as changing organisational structures, administration requirements and other practical challenges Methodologically, the thesis is based on a qualitative study that focused on the curriculum experiences of selected TVET college lecturers at one College. Conceptually, the study uses a combination of Elmore’s (1979-1980) approach policy implementation and Matland’s (1995) ‘policy ambiguity’ model to interpret the lecturers’ curriculum implementation experiences. The study focused on how lecturers deal with college and curriculum expectations and how this impacts their curriculum implementation at the college. It also considers how they receive and interpret the curriculum and how they position themselves to interact with various dimensions, such as administration of the curriculum, subject knowledge, pedagogy in the classroom and assessment. The research shows that the curriculum implementation practices of college lecturers are different and diverse, considering the pre-packaged curriculum that must be implemented and the lack of clear directives in how to implement it.
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Description
Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.
Keywords
Vocational education -- Curricula, Technical education -- Curricula, Professional socialization, Curriculum planning, Education, Higher, Universities and colleges, College teachers, UCTD
Citation