Researching School Change in Technology Education

Abstract

During 2003, a Years 1-10 Technology Syllabus and associated curriculum materials developed by the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) were provided to schools. Subsequent expectation is that Education Queensland schools should have Technology curriculum programs for full implementation by the start of the 2007 school year. A component of the Education Queensland strategy is a partnership approach involving research being undertaken by Universities of the implementation processes being developed by Innovator Schools during 2004. Innovator Schools are perceived as being sites for 'harvesting corporate knowledge' to inform Education Queensland's collective understanding of implementation issues relating to this new Technology Key Learning Area in Queensland schools. This paper reports the findings gained through this initiative through case studies of teachers from three Gold Coast schools working in a research partnership with Griffith University. Reported successes, difficulties and suggestions to inform Technology implementation are provided.