Innovation and change in the 1999 NSW HSC English syllabus: Challenges and problems

Abstract

The purpose of this doctoral research is to analyse the 1999 NSW HSC English syllabus through the lens of its reception and implementation, to produce an account of the theoretical changes that are embedded in the syllabus documents and the impact that these changes had on selected stakeholders. The findings made about the 1999 HSC English syllabus are discussed in relation to Hunter’s genealogy of the functions of schooling (1993), to explore the desired purposes of schooling reflected in both the English curriculum, and in stakeholder’s attitudes. Using grounded theory methods in a qualitative approach to exploring the experiences of teachers at two schools through interview and observation data, as well as an analysis of the reactions represented in the public through newspaper publications from 1995-2005, core categories of experience and concern are identified relating to the implementation of the mainstream mandatory courses in English for the HSC. These core categories are used as a basis for a content analysis of key extracts of the English syllabus, with the finding that curriculum changes such as the inclusion of visual texts and language modes constituted an important theoretical shift in the content and objectives of English as a school subject. Also, while some challenges faced by stakeholders are seen to arise from problematic constructions of English in the syllabus itself, other tensions can be seen to be based on the particular demands of the local school contexts, and intensified by pressure from largely negative newspaper portrayals of English teachers and curriculum.