"Are we making a quilt, with lots of ill-fitting cloths in here?": Teachers' internal conversations on curriculum making

Abstract

Teachers exercising reflexivity through their internal conversations is one of the most important factors in the process of curriculum change. Drawing from Margaret Archer’s theory, this research explores teachers’ internal conversations in their own descriptions about a range of matters related to curriculum making. Eight secondary school teachers from different subject backgrounds (6 from Scotland and 2 from Wales) participated in the research. Findings suggest that although teachers may have similar concerns to produce internal conversations, the texture of the conversations, their standpoints, and how they project future actions differed. This variation can be partially explained by teachers exercising different modes of reflexivity in their unique circumstances. Findings suggest that a complex, nuanced and dynamic understanding of reflexivity is a salient feature to explain teachers’ stances towards curriculum, reasoning, decision-making and actions, which may help to understand curriculum change processes better.