Abstract
The study explored the dilemmas teachers face towards meaningful involvement in curriculum development and implementation. The research objectives were to; unpack the type of curriculum development roles familiar to teachers in South Africa; examine some of the challenges teachers face with curriculum development and implementation; and explore how teachers can be meaningfully involved in curriculum development and implementation. Pateman’s (1970) theory was used as the theoretical framework. In this study, a qualitative research design was used. The twelve participants were teachers working in three high schools in the Gauteng Province, Johannesburg, South Africa. A semi-structured interview was used to collect information; which were then analysed using codes and themes. The participants’ confirmation guides were also used to enhance the validity and trustworthiness of the research findings.
The findings showed that teachers are plagued with numerous challenges regarding curriculum development and implementation. Teachers are still not meaningfully involved in the curriculum development process, especially at the national level (the designing stage). Participants also expressed that they wanted to be meaningfully involved. The findings also indicated that curriculum implementation is being affected by numerous factors, such as curriculum pacing, insufficient resources, lack of parental involvement, inadequate funds, inadequate training and lack of teachers’ involvement. The researcher concluded that it is vital for teachers to be meaningfully involved in the curriculum development process at all stages, as this may have an impact on curriculum initiatives and their successful implementation. Effective involvement of teachers in curriculum development may positively affect both the successful implementation of the curriculum changes and teachers’ professional development. It is also important for the Department of Education to ensure adequate provision of resources, and effective training of teachers to ensure proper curriculum implementation. The issue of pacing also needed to be addressed so that teachers are given enough time to pace according to different learners’ needs to ensure no learner is left behind.
KEY WORDS: Curriculum development, focus group interview, implementation, qualitative research, resources, teacher meaningful involvement,