Challenges to Curriculum Implementation: Reducing the Gap between the Aspired and its Implementation through Change Management

Soo Boon Ng

doi:10.53420/apjcs.2018.3

Abstract

The development of school curriculum in many countries is still very centralized. The National School Curriculum as a program of learning is a highly sensitive document as it contains the spiration of the nation, preparing its citizen to face future challenges. It is a document of hope. However, much of the excitement during the adoption of the curriculum documents has diminished and has been replaced by disappointment in the implementation stage, as there are gaps between the aspiration and the actual implementation. These gaps are inevitable as there is no perfect system that ensures seamless coordination between the different sectors involved. Often, there is a problem with the orchestration of a large-scale systemic change, and a failure to deliberate human factors sufficiently. This paper looks into the various factors influencing curriculum implementation, especially looking at it as a change process.

Highlights

Effective curriculum implementation is crucial for the success of any curriculum innovation; it is the real test of the change
Existing literature on curriculum implementation looks at the issue from two perspectives, curriculum implementation as instruction and curriculum implementation as a change process
In order to ensure better success of curriculum implementation, we need to look at curriculum implementation as a change process and develop the system to manage the change

Summary

Introduction

Effective curriculum implementation is crucial for the success of any curriculum innovation; it is the real test of the change. In many cases, research indicated that much of what is planned does not get implemented (National Institute for Educational Research of Japan [NIER], 1999; Nor Puteh, 1994; Ornstein & Hunkins, 1993; Siti Hawa, 1986) This is not surprising as curriculum implementation entails extensive and concerted involvement of many stakeholders. The first perspective on curriculum implementation equates it with instruction, or the actual teaching and learning that happened in the class It is the engagement of learners with the curriculum and the planned learning opportunities (Fullan & Pomfret, 1977; Macdonald, 1965; Saylor, Alexander, & Lewis 1981). Instructional plans are made as a result of the second level of curriculum development (Remillard, 1999) where the teacher deliberates on the curriculum documents, and adapts or translates them into classroom activities appropriate to the students. There is a need to identify these factors in each country to understand and predict the success of curriculum implementation

A: Community values and expectations B

Findings

Conclusion