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Building Shared and Coherent Theory of Change: Lessons Learned from Finnish Core Curriculum Reform

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Handbook of Curriculum Theory, Research, and Practice

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

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Abstract

Large-scale curriculum reforms are a central tool for developing education. A precondition for achieving reform goals is that those who are involved and affected by them, that is, the reform stakeholders, have sufficiently coherent and shared understanding of what needs to be changed and the direction in which the change should be steered. In this chapter, we propose a theoretical model of a shared and coherent theory of change in terms of curriculum and synthetize the results of a multimethod longitudinal systemic research project on the construction of the theory of change in the national core curriculum reform at state, district, and school levels in Finland. Results concerning the educational stakeholders’ theories of change as well as strategies they used to shape it are discussed in the light of the proposed model. Finally, we will conclude with providing a set of practical implications based on the synthesis and the proposed model.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Culture, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland

    Jenni Sullanmaa & Tiina Soini

  2. School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Lotta Tikkanen & Janne Pietarinen

  3. Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Lotta Tikkanen & Kirsi Pyhältö

  4. Centre for Higher and Adult Education, Faculty of Education, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Kirsi Pyhältö

Authors
  1. Jenni Sullanmaa
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  2. Lotta Tikkanen
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  3. Tiina Soini
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  4. Janne Pietarinen
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  5. Kirsi Pyhältö
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lotta Tikkanen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ontario Inst for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Peter Pericles Trifonas

  2. School of Early Childhood Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Susan Jagger

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Sullanmaa, J., Tikkanen, L., Soini, T., Pietarinen, J., Pyhältö, K. (2024). Building Shared and Coherent Theory of Change: Lessons Learned from Finnish Core Curriculum Reform. In: Trifonas, P.P., Jagger, S. (eds) Handbook of Curriculum Theory, Research, and Practice. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21155-3_20

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