A Study on Effects of the Committee of School Curriculum Development on the Improvement of the Teachers’ Empowerment

[[abstract]]A Study on Effects of the Committee of School Curriculum Development on the Improvement of the Teachers’ Empowerment Abstract This paper aims to discuss the establishment of curriculum operation mechanism of the Committee of School Curriculum Development, the feasible strategies and the difficulties it has on improving the teachers’ empowerment, in order to improve or organize the operation mechanism of the development of school curriculum and facilitate the school-based curriculum development. The method of qualitative research case studies is used in this study and the techniques used for the collection of data include interviews, observations, and document analysis. The relationship between the operation of individual Committee of School Curriculum Development and the teachers’ empowerment is discussed, and in accordance with the purpose of this paper the following findings are described: I. The Committee of School Curriculum Development of Da Da Junior High School and the Development of the Teachers’ Sense of Empowerment. The organizational development of the Committee of School Curriculum Development of Da Da Junior High School can be divided into 3 stages, the brewing stage, the developmental stage, and the settling stage. The individual case study schools have accumulated some experiences from participating in the trial curriculum of the Ministry of Education and found that a good performance was seen on the teachers’ perception of empowerment through quantitative statistical data, and realized that an organizational model had been formed for the Committee of School Curriculum Development. The study also found that the operation of the Committee of School Curriculum Development and the development of the teachers’ sense of empowerment had some kind of relationship to the attitude of the school leader. Lately a lax is seen in the actual operation of the support from the school administrations departments to the curriculum development due to a weakening effect of the role of the curriculum leader. II. The influences of the Committee of School Curriculum Development on the improvement of the teachers’ empowerment Da Da Junior High School through broadening the teachers’ participation in the school curriculum developments; the opportunity on the reorganization of the decision-making power on curriculums produced by the power operation of the Committee of School Curriculum Development; the reconstruction of the teachers’ confidence and self-worth in the empowering processes; providing a platform for the improvement of work relationships between colleagues; affirming self abilities from inspiring happiness from acquisition of knowledge; facilitating educational professionalism with the possession of opportunity and power; and the construction of professional education systems, the Committee of School Curriculum Development of Dada Middle School is able to provide an opportunity for professional growth; to inspire educational assessments; to trigger educational introspection; and to provide a platform for professional dialogue in order for the teachers to have a sense of ownership to the existing problems of the school; to bring out the autonomy; information transparency; and creation of professional autonomy, the concrete strategies or functions in order to raise the sense of empowerment for the teachers. However its functions on improving the professional influences and the status of the teachers are uncommented. III. Limitations and the causes that the Committee of School Curriculum Development has on the improvement of the teachers’ sense of empowerment There are 3 limitations that the Committee of School Curriculum Development has on raising the teachers’ sense of empowerment: involuntary activities for the teachers; when an activity becomes a compulsory obligation; when the execution of the goal becomes the goal. And the research found 7 causes to this: the lack of representation and professionalism in the members of the Committee of School Curriculum Development; unclear orientation of the Committee of School Curriculum Development; over frequent transfers of the teachers; connecting problem with the developmental experiences with the curriculum operation; unclear policies and lack of matching measures; the conservatism of the teachers’ culture; and weakening on the role of the curriculum leader; and the influences from the environmental network of the society and the structure of the school.