Chapters in Books (Curriculum Studies)

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Inquiring the curriculum in higher education : a limited (South African) perspective
(AFRICAN SUN MeDIA, 2011) Bitzer, Eli
INTRODUCTION: This chapter attempts to explore, in a limited way, the concept of curriculum inquiry and to position its applications within the field of higher education studies and research. Obviously, curriculum inquiry is a particular form of educational research addressing different kinds of educational research questions employed, inter alia, to solve pressing educational problems, formulate policies and develop or redevelop programmes and courses. Unfortunately, however, higher education curriculum inquiry is not always performed by educational experts. In fact, curriculum inquiry is mostly attempted by educational practitioners or educational leaders and managers who wish to address a particular curriculum issue in their programmes or courses or solve a particular institutional or systemic problem. As in most research, addressing particular curriculum questions necessitates sound processes and methods of inquiry. This chapter briefly touches on this latter issue, although some of the chapters further in this book will illustrate the point much more clearly. The chapter also attempts to provide some historical or developmental background to curriculum inquiry, including a few glimpses of a vast and relatively unchartered terrain to which the remaining chapters of this book might contribute.