The Use of Learning Progressions to Inform Curriculum Sequencing and Pacing Decisions

© 2021 Pamela Lorraine RobertsonLearning progressions have been proposed to act as an evidence base for curriculum sequencing and pacing decisions, with the expectation that their use will produce curricula that are more easily implemented thus reducing curriculum overcrowding and improving student achievement. While this idea has already been explored with hypothesized learning progressions, this thesis provides proof of this concept with an empirically tested learning progression. This is achieved via a case study of the Philippine Grades 7 to 10 curriculum for science, with a focus on understanding matter. It demonstrates how a learning progression can be constructed empirically from student assessment data, how its sequencing can be checked against learning progressions from other educational contexts, and how it can be used to make recommendations for curriculum sequencing and pacing. This thesis indicated that context does not have a major effect on the sequencing of ideas for understanding matter. This thesis illustrates the benefits of using learning progressions as an evidence base for curriculum sequencing and pacing decisions, something that had not been done previously. It also shows that the benefits of using such an evidence base are enhanced when the learning progression is complemented with an accompanying analysis of assessment data and describes approaches that can be used to do so. It is expected that if the methods used in this research were applied by curriculum makers, they would result in more evidence-based curricula that are easier for teachers to implement and for students to learn