Abstract
In this chapter, I examine both the global and local influences in the construction of the elementary school subject of science, focusing on the case of Canada since the 1950s. Using a neo-institutionalist theoretical framework, I argue that legitimate science curricula must be both global and local, and these pressures are manifested in curricular materials such as school textbooks. In the first section, I give a brief overview, sociological in perspective, of the various functions of official learning materials such as textbooks. I then turn to a discussion of neo-institutional theory, specifically as it applies to science and education as global cultural frames. The role of international organizations and international testing regimes to promote global standards and expectations about elementary school science is explained. I then describe ways in which science has been constructed to reflect local culture. For the purpose of this essay, local is taken to mean “national” as opposed to global or transnational influence.
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© 2004 Alan Peacock and Ailie Cleghorn
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McEneaney, E.H. (2004). The Global and the Local in the Construction of School Science: The Case of Canada. In: Peacock, A., Cleghorn, A. (eds) Missing the Meaning. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403982285_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403982285_2
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