Implementing the new technology curriculum statement in the context of the knowledge economy

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The new Technology curriculum was included in the National Curriculum Statement(Department of Education, 2005) as part of the broader intention of serving as the vehicle forreconstructing our society and our orientation towards education for the 21st century. In thisnarrative I will start by exploring the congruence between the technology curriculum,globalisation and the knowledge economy, the related discourses and the expectations thesecreate for technology education in the Further Education and Training and General Educationand Training bands in secondary education in South African schools. I will continue by criticallyengaging with the discourses and school-based patterns of engagement that shape the technologycurriculum as well as teaching and learning practices in a secondary school. By locating myarguments within Pierre Bourdieu's theories of habitus, field and strategies, as elaborated on byLingard and Christie (2003), as well as Foucault's theory of power, this narrative will engagewith the perceived gap in the policy implementation process. This gap consists of a myriad ofcontextually interrelated factors that interact with the achievement of the prescribed outcomesand ultimately the intention of shaping learners for meaningful participation in the knowledgeeconomy.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University