A hermeneutical approach to curriculum interpretation : deconstruction as a learning activity

Abstract

The general view of educators at all levels of education as well as trainers in industry, that learners do not have the ability to use their knowledge inter-curricular and holistically in their lives prompted the study. A very superficial study that was done in 2000, regarding the same problem, acted as the starting point for this study. The main purpose of the study was to determine the reasons for the general perception by educators that learners do not use their embedded knowledge in an inter-curricular manner. It also aimed to determine the most effective facilitating styles and methods that would help the learners to develop the skills to learn with the main aim to achieve learning that lasts and not just learning to pass. The use of deconstruction as a learning activity forms the biggest part of this qualitative action research project which was based on the main principles of the hermeneutic approach namely, communication followed by interpretation in order to reach understanding. The principles of narrative therapy were also used in the project. The hermeneutic approach followed in this study also allows the reader to walk the road with the participants as a narrative, first person reporting style provides rich background information regarding all the participants of the study as well as the contexts in which the actions took place. The reader will also be able to feel the closeness that existed between the educator and the learners who were part of this study.