Teachers’ Acceptance of Curriculum Reform in the Czech Republic: One Decade Later

Abstract

Similarly to other Visegrád Group countries, the most recent curriculum reform in the Czech Republic brought substantial changes in the curriculum documents for schools. The purpose of this study is to investigate Czech primary and lower secondary teachers’ current attitudes towards curriculum reform. The results of a survey (n = 701) indicate that teachers have adopted rather negative attitudes. The acceptance of reform tends to increase among the teachers who use curriculum documents regularly and among the teachers with higher self-efficacy. In addition, teachers with system-centred/curriculum-oriented approaches are willing to accept the reform. There is no significant difference between teachers’ gender, their length of teaching experience, and their involvement in school management. Within the general frame of the Concern-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), the study draws on data from one country, but the implications for further educational development are potentially applicable across countries with similar educational policy backgrounds.

A critical analysis of the Physical Education curriculum in the Czech Republic

“…Research has also confi rmed that curriculum reform in the Czech Republic took place largely on paper, at the documentation level; to a much lesser extent in teachers' mind-set, at the cognitive-emotional level, or in their implemented teaching (cf. Janík, et al, 2018;Pešková, Spurná, & Knecht, 2019). The PE case study in Section 4.2 is consistent with this conclusion as it indicated that the teacher's expertise was more in her work with the PE content in the classroom ( psychodidactic transformation), than in the development of the designed curriculum -ontodidactic transformation (cf.…”

“…Research has identifi ed gaps in the understanding of key reform ideas and concepts (cf. Janík et al, 2011b;Janík et al, 2018;Pešková, Spurná, & Knecht, 2019).…”

“…The question of why teachers did not accept the reforms has been extensively researched (Bantwini, 2010;Beran, Mareš, & Ježek, 2007;Berkovich, 2011;Charalambous & Philippou, 2010;Christou, Eliophotou-Menon, & Philippou, 2004;Ha, Wong, Sum, & Chan, 2008;Liou, Moolenaar, & Daly, 2016;Noyes, Wake, & Drake, 2013;Pešková, Spurná, & Knecht, 2019;Park & Sung, 2013;Porubský, Trnka, Poliach, & Cachovanová, 2015;Tůmová, 2012;Vanderlinde & van Braak, 2011;Vollstädt, Tillmann, Rauin, Höhmann, & Tebrügge, 1999;Walterová, Černý, Greger, & Chvál, 2010, etc. ).…”

“…Subsequent research confi rmed that the reform took place largely on paper, at the documentation level, to a much lesser extent in teachers' mind-set, at the cognitive-emotional level) and in their teaching, at the implementation level (cf. Pešková, Spurná, & Knecht, 2019).…”

The views and experiences of Grade 10 Life Scinces teachers on the compulsory practical examination

“…In a subdued way the above finding illuminates LS teachers' resistance, non-acceptance and negative view of the mandatory practical examination with that of Peskova, Spurna, and Knecht (2019) who assert that various forms of teacher resistance may block the implementation of curriculum changes, since responding to reforms is an interpretive act that is personal, contextual and interactive. The personal, contextual and Department of Education constraining factors become the barriers that LS teachers use to resist the mandatory practical examination.…”