Purpose, value, and practice in Western Australian schools: Understanding misalignment in arts learning

Abstract

Purpose, value, and practice are three key concepts in understanding curriculum implementation in arts education. When these three concepts work in harmony, the alignment provides a framework for successful arts curriculum implementation. This study highlights how these concepts are often misaligned with competition between the translation of purpose as stated in curriculum documents, mediated through competing values shown by teachers, principals and the community, the realities of teaching, and the everyday life of schools. Key to understanding the impact of a misaligned arts education is the intersection of purpose––the why of arts learning; value––the beliefs about what is worth knowing in terms of curriculum authorities and teacher’s beliefs; and practice––the actuality or how of arts learning. A purpose, value, and practice framework is explored using a qualitative methodology drawing on the experiences of 20 primary school teachers across four schools in Western Australia. The ways that each of these three key concepts manifest provides insights into what can improve authentic arts learning for young people in schools. Additionally, the centrality of the teacher to the teaching learning process, and time allocation commitments by teachers and schools are discussed as key considerations of curriculum implementation misalignment.