Accompanying research on the implementation of the Economics-Politics core curriculum at lower secondary level at grammar schools in NRW
The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia adopted a new core curriculum for the new subject of economics and politics (previously: politics/economics) for the 2019/2020 school year. ZÖBIS accompanied the reform during the implementation events in Westphalia. Results were presented at the annual conferences of the German Society for Economic Education (DEGÖB) in 2020 and 2021, as well as at the annual conference of the Association of European Economic Education (AEEE) in 2021. On the political side, the results were presented to the Arnsberg district government and the Düsseldorf State Chancellery.
Project description
The research project examines the introduction of the new core curriculum for economics and politics in North Rhine-Westphalia and analyzes how teachers - in particular subject conference chairs - perceive this reform and assess its implementation. The focus is on the question of how educational policy requirements are translated into school practice and which factors influence this process.
The starting point is the introduction of the new core curriculum as part of the educational policy decision to strengthen economic content in the school subject of economics and politics. Implementation takes place on several levels - from ministerial guidelines and implementation events to the concrete design of internal school curricula.
The project makes a contribution to implementation research by focusing on the role of central school stakeholders as gatekeepers and examining the extent to which their perceptions, attitudes and professional orientations shape the actual implementation of reforms.
Focal points of the project
- Analysis of the perception of the new core curriculum by subject conference chairs
- Investigating the implementation of educational reforms in the school context
- Analysis of different types of teachers and professional orientations
- Examination of expectations with regard to implementation in lessons and in internal school curricula
- Analysis of the fit between reform intention and school reality
Everything at a glance
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Duration
01.01.2019 - 31.12.2020 -
Research area
Educational research -
Funding
Own funds
Research methods & procedure
Standardized survey of teachers
The data is collected by means of a questionnaire among conference chairs in order to systematically record their perceptions, attitudes and expectations.
Operationalization of central implementation dimensions
The perception of the reform is analyzed in a differentiated manner using established dimensions such as advantage, fit, complexity and feasibility.
Factor and cluster analysis for type formation
Principal component and cluster analyses are used to identify different types of teachers who differ in their professional and didactic orientations.
Analysis of expectations and implementation contexts
The study examines relationships between teacher characteristics, perceptions and expected implementation processes in the classroom and in school curricula.
Funding bodies and cooperation partners
The research project was financed from the professorship's own funds and was carried out in collaboration with the Arnsberg district government. The cooperation enabled direct access to central implementation processes as well as to the school stakeholders involved and thus made an important contribution to the practical analysis of reform implementation.