ERIC Number: EJ1427772
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Mar
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0033-1538
EISSN: EISSN-1573-9090
The Prioritized Natural Sciences Curriculum under the Functionalist Approach to Education: The Chilean Case
Prospects, v54 n1 p191-202 2024
The COVID-19 health crisis brought about transformations in education systems. In Chile, the ministerial authorities prioritized the school curriculum, stressing certain learning objectives over others. This paper seeks to uncover the social functions underlying curriculum prioritization for the subject of natural sciences. To do this, the functionalist approach to the sociology of education was adopted to analyse the prioritized curriculum for the subject in sixth grade elementary. Three dimensions were considered: (1) the principles of curriculum prioritization; (2) prioritized learning objectives; and (3) nonprioritized learning objectives. The presence of functions of creation (social consensus, social stratification, technical-modern development, human capital formation, and care for children and youths) was verified. As there has been no change in the curriculum that enables science education to address the current issues, the paper proposes that the social functions of science education should be resignified. Finally, examining the meritocracy and credentialism underlying the rationale for prioritization, the article finds that the social stratification attributed to education has increased rather than decreased.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Natural Sciences, Science Education, Science Curriculum, Grade 6, Elementary School Science, Science and Society, Social Stratification
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Chile
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A