Curriculum as a Discourse: Using Critical Discourse Analysis to Revive Curriculum Reconceptualists' Thought

Abstract

Curriculum reconceptualists seek to reshape the field of curriculum studies. Unlike traditional curricularists, they reprobate the technical approach of curriculum development because of its pure functional and managerial tendency. Reconceptualists look at curriculum from various philosophy-saturated perspectives. One of their claims is considering curriculum as a discourse, and the main task curricularists have to cope with is to understand this discourse.Unfortunately, reconceptualists penetrate deeply into philosophy without offering a clear practical vision that helps them transform their insights. In this paper, I argue that reconceptualists can bridge the gap through considering Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) assumptions. The idea of understanding curriculum as a discourse could be theoretically and practically detected when employing (CDA).

The Embedded Ideology in English and History Textbooks at the Public High Schools in Egypt

“…Curriculum has never been constructed of a neutral perspective. It has always been regarded as a political instrument (Harb, 2017;Mills and Unsworth, 2016). This study examines secondary school EL and history textbooks introduced by the MOE in Egypt from an ideological viewpoint.…”

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words: A Phenomenological Study of Misconceptions of Grade 7 Mathematics Teachers on Differentiated Instruction in the Philippines

“…The descriptions were made through qualitative research approach (Ritchie & Lewis, 2003) and these were concerned with details and particulars behind the constructs verbalized by the respondents (Harb, 2017;Congo-Poottaren & Beebeejaun-Rojee, 2017). Hence, phenomenology was utilized as Husserl (1970, as cited in Wojnar & Swanson, 2007 defined the intentionality and the meaning of lived experiences, from the first-person point of view; and according to Varvarigou, Hallam, Creech and McQueen (2013), it aims to capture the richness of experiences and the fullness of all the ways in which an experience and describes the phenomenon of interest.…”

“…This study structured (Magrini, 2013, cited in Harb, 2017, reflected, and described the meanings of the lived experiences (Harb, 2017) of the Grade 7 mathematics teachers in relation to their misconceptions of DI. Utilizing the phenomenological research method, the constructs of the respondents were processed using Colaizzi's method (1978( , cited by Shosha, 2010Wojnar & Swanson, 2007).…”

Hacia una formación inicial docente con pertinencia cultural y social: lecciones desde las ideologías curriculares de futuros profesores

“…El curriculum se reconoce teóricamente como un instrumento político, no neutral, pues es un acto ideológico (Harb, 2017). En tal sentido, Schiro (2013) afirma que los sistemas de creencias y valores asociados a la educación son ideologías respecto a cómo debe ser un curriculum y, consecuentemente, sobre cuáles son las buenas prácticas en la escuela.…”