The dual role of process goals when implementing the written curriculum in Sweden and England

Competencies, such as communication or reasoning, are generic processes that are simultaneously means for understanding the content of a subject area and goals for student learning (by application on content).

This dual role exists in policy documents all over the world and is challenging for teachers and textbook authors to implement, but has not been addressed in research.The purpose of the project is to explain how the dual role of competencies is recontextualized via the curriculum chain, that is, from written policy document to implemented curriculum in the classroom.

To allow for more in-depth studies of the duality, we focus on one competency in one subject: mathematical reasoning, which is a central competency in policy documents worldwide.We will analyse policy documents, around 16 textbooks, and around 55 lessons in Sweden and England.

The analysis will focus on mapping transformations across the different discourses produced in the curriculum chain, and comparing variations and patterns of these transformations between the two countries.

Thus, the project will create new knowledge on mechanisms and challenges involved in implementing the duality of competencies.The project is an international collaboration between mathematics education researchers in Sweden and England.

Research methods from different previous projects that the participants have worked in are combined and developed in a novel manner, to allow for an in-depth study of the duality of competencies.