The process of structuring a community -based curriculum in a rural school setting: A grounded theory study

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand the process of change that occurred when moving from a traditional curriculum structure to a community-based philosophy in a rural secondary school. An in-depth investigation of one rural community and a secondary school system that has been in the evolutionary process of systemic change for nearly eight years was conducted. Twenty-five community members, higher education and secondary staff, board members, and students participated in the study through semi-structured open interviews conducted at various sites in Athens. These interviews provided the primary source of data. A systematic method of data collection and analysis provided the framework for the study. Verification of the resulting propositions or statements of relationships between concepts was achieved through constant comparison of categories and relationships in the data collected and data from the literature. The results of this study generated nine theoretical propositions that captured the essence of the process of curricular change. From the discovery and development process, a story line was created that lead to the creation of a visual theoretical model. This model explained the relationships that developed in response to internal and external conditions that were connected to the initiation of the change. The central phenomenon, the evolution of connecting, was defined through a series of levels of understanding experienced throughout the change process. The changing attitudes of the community and school staff were part of a broader structural context that was defined in a comparative profile of the organizational, community and individual level of understanding. These social, political, and cultural conditions moved the community into developing strategies that would form the framework for planning the vision. The outcomes reflected the belief, purpose, and value of a community-based educational philosophy: intergenerational communication, development of reciprocal relationships with the community and school, economic growth, and curricular relevance