Introducing curricular changes in Maltese kindergarten settings : a comparison of stakeholders’ perspectives

Abstract

Following the implementation of an outcome-based education in Malta (DQSE, 2015) this study aimed to explore and compare how Early Childhood Education Officers, members of the school leadership team and thirteen kindergarten educators working with 3- to 4-yearolds interpreted the Learning Outcomes Framework (LOF) (2015) at a time when it was being introduced in local state kindergartens. The study reviewed how the LOF was promoted and how practitioners were prepared to adopt and put into practice their knowledge and understanding of this framework. Qualitative data were collected through a semi-structured interview. Key stakeholders who participated in this study held different views and insights about the LOF and did not appear to have been adequately prepared to adopt or translate it into an appropriate pedagogy. A gap between the intended and the enacted curriculum was identified. Concerns, challenges and frustrations associated with the implementation of the LOF were identified by the stakeholders. Rather than being informed about the curricular changes and implementing decisions taken by external sources, practitioners at the coalface need to be involved at the development stage of any policy in order to own the process and implement it effectively.