Transforming teaching and learning in Asia and the Pacific: case studies from seven countries; 2015

Figure 1: National Curriculum Framework Principles

Culturally demo-

cratic curriculum

Culturally inclusive

pedagogies

Learning about

inclusiveness &

diversity

Learning to know

Learning to do

Learning to live

together

Learning to be

Active learning

Learning as a social

process

Students as agents

of their own

learning

Social

Constructivism

Delors’ Pillars

of Education

Cultural

Inuences

Source: Adapted from Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts, 2013, pp. 12–16.

Description of the study

Research design

The study aimed to learn about teachers’ pedagogical practices in Fiji. The
primary question was, ‘How do teachers in Fiji teach and what shapes their
ideas and practice?’ The researcher designed a conceptual framework to
help gauge the place of this study within the broader scope of what shapes
pedagogical practice.

There is a general universal understanding of pedagogy as the art and science
of teaching, conceptualized as the result of a strong knowledge base and
skill set and informed by teachers’ beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviours
(Pollard, 2010; Whitton et.al, 2010). Given that teachers’ prior knowledge and
personal philosophies of teaching inform pedagogical practice, an evaluation
of pedagogical practice is, in essence, an inquiry into the teachers’ psyche.

Figure 2, below, summarizes the conceptual framework upon which this
study was constructed. The three spheres of influence identified as informing
and shaping pedagogical practice and innovations are: national curriculum
directives, teacher preparedness and expected learning outcomes of the
school.