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

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.