| Summary: | This study explores the introduction of a new applied physics course into a British
Columbia high school during the 1994-1995 school year. The course was part of a
provincial effort aimed at making science and technology education more
responsive to the workplace. Data collection took place during the first year the
applied physics course was being piloted at the school and focused on the pilot
teacher and the applied physics classes, but also involved others inside and
outside the school who had a connection to the course. A variety of methods were
used in data collection including interviews, observation, and document analysis.
Using actor-network theory and sociocultural theory, the focus of the research is
on the networks that were constructed at the pilot school and at the provincial
level where the course was conceptualized and developed. The research describes
how the teacher and other network builders attempted to enroll various human
and nonhuman actors into the networks they were constructing in support of the
course. They did this by convincing the actors that the course was compatible
with their interests. The types of actors that were enrolled, the sociocultural
communities they belonged to, and what it took to convince them to support the
course are shown to shape the way that the course was enacted in the classroom.
In addition, it is demonstrated that the network that was constructed at the
provincial level had only a minor connection to the one the teacher was
constructing at the school level. The lack of contact between the two networks
meant that the interests of those who were involved in organizing the applied
physics pilots at the provincial level were seldom taken into account in the course
at the school. Fourteen conclusions are drawn about the networks that were
constructed and the network building process at both the school and provincial
levels. These conclusions have implications for policy in educational change
initiatives and for addressing problems that emerge when cross-subject courses
are introduced. The research also develops a new theoretical approach that will
contribute to advancing research on educational change.
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