AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATION EDUCATION AS A NEW SUBJECT IN SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION

ABSTRACT

This paper describes a research project from the University of Iceland, Faculty of Pedagogy and Education which focuses on how Innovation Education emerged in Iceland as a new subject and how the subject has developed; what makes the subject special; and what factors, internal and external, have influenced its dissemination. The paper will include an overview of the data collection and analysis methods and an overview of the findings. Diverse research methods have been utilised during this research. Questionnaires, interviews, and observations were used to gather data from students, teachers, head teachers, pioneers in Innovation Education, entrepreneurs and ministry officials. Documentation of various kinds was also consulted, including reports, laws, curriculum, teaching materials and products from Innovation Education lessons. The research indicates in conclusion that curriculum formulation and implementation is a complex interplay of connected factors that are not completely predictable. It seems of more use to view changes within education systems as an organic rather than a linear progression, more comparable to biological evolution than to the production process of a factory. It is important to recognise the fundamental factors, inherent in the hidden curriculum, and verify their powers to influence the development of the subject.

KEYWORDS: innovation education, curriculum formulation, Icelandic National Curriculum.

PAGES:  453-468