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Moving with the Goalposts: Carrying out curriculum research in a period of constant change
Author(s) -
Paechter Carrie
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
british educational research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.171
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1469-3518
pISSN - 0141-1926
DOI - 10.1080/014119200109499
Subject(s) - curriculum , context (archaeology) , reflexivity , flexibility (engineering) , negotiation , period (music) , sociology , power (physics) , work (physics) , pedagogy , engineering ethics , public relations , curriculum development , political science , social science , management , engineering , quantum mechanics , mechanical engineering , paleontology , physics , acoustics , economics , biology
This article reviews the author's experiences as an educational researcher working in a period of constant structural, curriculum and policy change. The author argues that, although the changing national context significantly altered the focus and conduct of the research, it is still possible to remain true to at least some of one's original aims, providing that both the researcher and the research planned are flexible and that reflexivity is built into the methodologies used. Flexibility regarding researcher role and the foci of both data collection and analysis are particularly important in this context. The analysis is illustrated with examples from two funded projects: one concerned with the planning and assessment of interdisciplinary course work projects and the other with power and gender relations in the negotiation of the design and technology curriculum.