Curriculum Bien Fait:
The Quest for a Coherent High School Literature Curriculum

Knighten, Shelby Reed (2017) Curriculum Bien Fait:
The Quest for a Coherent High School Literature Curriculum. Undergraduate thesis, under the direction of Rosemary Oliphant-Ingham from Teacher Education, The University of Mississippi.

Preview

Text Curriculum Bien Fait, S. Knighten.pdf Download (5MB) | Preview

Abstract

This literature review examines sources of incoherency––both macrocosmic and microcosmic––that impact the goal of establishing a coherent high school literature curriculum. Macrocosmic sources of incoherency involve the institutions through which standards and curriculum are constructed while microcosmic sources concern issues within the discipline of English. Among the macrocosmic/institutional sources of incoherency are an unclear division of power between federal and state government, the lack of a professional vocabulary in education, competing interpretations of standards and reforms, and a lack of educational infrastructure. Microcosmic/disciplinary sources include competing ideologies within English education as well as the weakening of the classical, ethical, and nonacademic teaching traditions of English; the distortion of New Criticism and reader response theory also account as a source of microcosmic/ disciplinary coherency. Each of the sources are discussed at length, drawing from a range of sources by influential scholars in English education. The literature review concludes with three suggestions for administrators, educators, and policymakers to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Actions (login required)

View Item