Analysis on Effects of Curriculum and Assessments on Professional Autonomy of Secondary History Teachers in UK and US

Abstract

The research aimed to compare how the differences in curriculum and assessment frameworks of the U.K. and the U.S. affect the professional autonomy of secondary history teachers. This study conducted semi-structured interviews with ten teachers, and the collected data was analyzed through thematic coding. The analyses showed that there are many contrasting influences on teacher autonomy on everyday school practices, specifically, decision-making, self-examination and modification, and the integration of personal experiences and values. Although the history curriculum of England (the U.K.) is broad without much specification of the contents and standards, teachers had limited autonomy as they had a strong responsibility to prepare students for national examination. On the contrary, despite the fact that Massachusetts’ (the U.S.) history curriculum is much more detailed, teachers are able to practice greater autonomy because they are exempt from the duty to prepare students for a state assessment. Therefore, the research demonstrates that the curriculum alone cannot grant increased autonomy for teachers, for it is not the curriculum that sets the agenda for teaching but high-stakes assessments.