A Methodology for Mapping Social Relations Between Courses in Secondary School Contexts: Applications for Curriculum Theory, Research, and Practice

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  In Poster Session: A Methodology for Mapping Social Relations Between Courses in Secondary School Contexts: Applications for Curriculum Theory, Research, and Practice

Abstract

This paper presents a methodological framework for mapping the social relations between courses leading to the emergence of conceptual “territories” in secondary school contexts. The framework has its basis in field theory and uses a technique called multidimensional scaling. To demonstrate the framework’s potential uses, I provide an example of its application to data gathered from a large secondary school in the Midwestern United States. Although this example focuses on the social relations between courses, the framework is capable of accommodating additional facets of the curriculum. Indeed, researchers will find great flexibility in this framework, both as a tool for basic empirical inquiry and as a medium through which to engage in forms of participatory research.

Author

• Joseph J. Ferrare, University of Wisconsin - Madison