Selling the new social studies in Australia: experiences, perceptions and challenges in the professional development of teachers in the 1970s and 1980s

Abstract

This article presents an Australian case study of the experiences of curriculum workers involved in professional development for primary school teachers in the New Social Studies and their perceptions of the curricular and pedagogical challenges facing those teachers in the 1970s and 1980s. It draws on data gathered primarily through 'oral histories' of curriculum workers and corroborated by analyses of documentary evidence (syllabuses, correspondence and reports) archived by the state educational authority in Queensland, Australia. In their oral histories, curriculum workers identify and reflect upon two distinct and contrasting eras of professional development for teachers, with both eras being characterized by inherent, systemic weaknesses. It is argued that state-wide efforts failed to provide a sustained commitment to professional development for teachers, which ultimately proved to be counter-productive to the implementation of the New Social Studies.