Anticipating the Citizenship Curriculum Order in Secondary Schools in England: A Snapshot of Teachers' Preferred Purposes and Curriculum Practices

Abstract

This paper is based on a small-scale study that explored how a sample of ‘specialist’ secondary school teachers in England characterize ‘educating for citizenship’ on the eve of its inclusion into the National Curriculum. This study was carried out between September, 2000 and January, 2001. Data was gathered from a group of ‘specialist’ secondary teachers through postal self-completion questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations. Relevant documents, e.g. school-based curriculum documents, Department for Education and Employment (DfEE), and Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) documents, were also considered. Teachers' thinking about essential learnings, curriculum practices, and contextual concerns are described and analyzed. Findings suggest general support for the purposes of the Citizenship initiative, preferred yet divergent curriculum practices, and scepticism about implementation. They also suggest a need for a more critical examination of the interconnections among curriculum intentions, pedagogical practices, and contextual considerations.