Abstract
M.Ed.
The constraints and successes indicated in the above analysis indicate the complexity of bringing about change in an organizational institute such as a school. It points to the fact that teachers and principals in the school do not find the 'one-size fits all' method as being appropriate in their particular situations (Wideen; 1994:134). This is an even greater problem in the South African context where the history of the country has created such great diversity in schools. This research project has not even considered conditions in the more disadvantaged rural areas. Thus, while this study may be a modest undertaking of research involving curriculum change, it does point to the need to research what takes place in schools and how changes can be brought to schools in the dilemma created by the history of the country. According to Apple (1979:61) one needs to deal with the political and economic realities that created the school. He argues that we cannot afford not to understand these existing institutional arrangements as these ideologies will continue to propagate stratification and inequality. The above analysis also indicates the need for a linkage between policy makers, implementors and evaluators of curriculum change. According to Nakamura and Smallwood (1980: 128) the process employed in the current curriculum implementation may be defined as a 'discretionary, experimental approach' to implementation. In this process policy makers from the National level have delegated broad powers to provincial implementors, in an attempt to gather information through a rolling process of implementation. In this case a great deal of feedback is expected from the pilot project. Nakamura and Smallwood (1980:133) go on to point out the potential breakdowns that may occur in this process. These are:
Technical failures due to insufficient implementor expertise and knowledge. This may be even more prominent in the cascade system of implementation as it becomes difficult to monitor the implementors competence at the various levels. Confusion that can arise from ambiguous policies. 'Cheating' by implementors, for example, giving false accounts 'of the level of success in their constituencies. Both implementor and policy maker becoming unaccountable because of a diffusion of responsibility in this process. Thus, there is a need to control and monitor the linkages between policy makers and implementors and this may point to the role of evaluators who are also linked to the process. While some of the problems encountered in the above research may be seen in the light of the difficulties pointed out by Nakamura and Smallwood, one must also bear in mind the fact that many of the problems that are being faced by curriculum change in our schools point to the conditions created by the socio-historical context of our schools. According to Havelock (1972:21) the concept of using linking agencies may be an emerging strategy of innovation. These agencies may serve as the link between the needs of the school and the relevant expertise available to solve their particular problems.