School culture’s influence on curriculum development : a case study of the Middle Years Programme at an International Baccalaureate school in Latin America

Abstract

Curriculum is a multifaceted concept and has the potential for different viewpoints, components and models of development. The development of curriculum in schools that implement the International Baccalaureate’s Middle Year Programme, with its requirement for interdisciplinary units of study, is a continuing challenge. Curriculum development can be influenced by a variety of factors, one of which is school culture. This study aims to understand the role that a school’s culture can play in the development of curriculum as well as the corresponding leadership actions and practices that may support and enhance collaborative curriculum development.

This study, conducted in Latin America, adopts a mixed-method research approach. A quantitative survey comprised of questions from the School Culture Survey (Gruenert and Valentine, 1998), as well as questions derived from the curriculum theoretical framework. Following this, semi-structured interviews were conducted to contextualise and develop the perception of school culture with experiences of curriculum development from a range of teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders in different departments across the school.

The results from this study indicate that teachers working in an international school with high levels of collegial support are able to work within their departments to effectively develop the curriculum. They experience high levels of trust, optimism and demonstrate a willingness to help each other. However, effective collaboration is less prevalent in interdisciplinary teams, where issues of psychological safety, autonomy, and certainty arise. While teachers generally perceive leaders to trust their professional judgment and value their ideas, there are concerns regarding teacher involvement in decision-making processes and being rewarded for experimentation in curriculum development. Due to the findings, it is recommended that school leadership fosters a more inclusive and collaborative culture across the entire school implementing strategies to increase trust and build relationships in interdisciplinary teams and lead cultural change in a way that promotes autonomy and engages all members of the school community.