Determinants of curriculum are the factors that affect the process of assessing needs, formulating objectives and developing instructional opportunities and evaluations.

1. CURRICULUM
DETERMINANTS
Soumya Ranjan Parida

2. Learning objectives
• Define curriculum determinants
• Philosophical determinants
• Sociological determinants
• Psychological determinants
• Scientific determinants
• Political determinant

3. What is determinant?
• Determinant is the factor that dicisively affects
the nature or outcome of something.
• Exa: soil and climate are the main
determinants of how land is used.
• Determinant is a factor or cause that makes
something happen or leads directly to a
decision.

4. Determinant of curriculum
• Determinants of curriculum are the factors
that affect the process of assessing needs,
formulating objectives and developing
instructional opportunities and evaluations.

5. Determinants of curriculum
Philosophical
Sociological
Psychological
Scientific
Political

6. Philosophical determinants of curriculum
• It aims at the all-round development of the
individual.
• It is based on the philosophy of the nation.
• It reflects the ideals and aspirations of the
people.
• It inculcates the desired ideals of life in the
youngsters.

7. Cont..
• It helps in the development of proper
philosophy of life.
• It is in accordance with the aspiration level of
the individual
• It enables the learners to learn the desirable
cultural values, intellectual virtues, societal
norms and moral doctrine.
• It helps in the development of the personal
and national character.

9. Child centeredness
• The naturalistic philosophical movement made
the curriculum child centered.
• Frobel felt that the curriculum should be
centered on the nature of the child.
• The child is the center of the educative process.
• As per the philosophical principle the curriculum,
the methods of teaching and the whole of school
environment become the child centered and child
oriented.

10. Need centeredness
• The principle of need centeredness of
curriculum gives the recognition of the
interests of children in the process of
education.
• It is the impact of pragmatic philosophy of
education.
• It emphasize that curriculum building is need
based as per the interest of children and
human race.

11. Activity centeredness
• According to Sir TP Nunn, the famous British
educational philosopher, curriculum should be thought
of in terms of activities and experience rather than
pieces of knowledge to be acquired and facts to be
stored.
• This philosophical principle emphasize that curriculum
should be taught in terms of activities.
• Subjects to be studied as branches of knowledge and
as creative & activizing activities.
• The project curriculum and basic curriculum are
examples of activity centered curriculum.

12. Sociological determinants of
curriculum
• As the sociological approach to education
demands we should bear in mind the needs,
requirements, imperatives, and aspirations of
the community for which the curriculum is
being prepared.
• The curriculum should be dynamic, flexible
and reversible to be progressive with the
changing times.

13. The determinants that guide the
curriculum development are-
• Core values and needs of the Indian society
• Changing values of the people.
• Demands of the modern society
• Good family, ways of life.
• Democratic temper of the society
• Faiths, beliefs and the attitudes of the people.

14. Cont..
• Cooperation
• Media explosion
• Population explosion
• Regional and national imbalances.
• Economic efficiency
• Education for fellowship and leadership
• Creative and purposeful activities
• Cultural, political factors
• Knowledge, attitude and beliefs.

15. The characteristics of the curriculum i.e.
determined by sociological foundations of
education are-
• To realize the social aims of the education
• Makes education as an effective media of social control
• Keeps in mind the social changes and reflects the social
needs of the community
• Dynamic, flexible ad progressive.
• Transmit the values and ideals that the society upholds
and consider to be inherited by new generation.
• Related to social interests and problems of the society.

16. Cont..
• Enables the youngsters to participate efficiently
in social life.
• Inculcates in them respect for different vocations
and professions and creates the dignity of labour.
• Develops desirable social attitudes
• Aids them in promoting the social progress
• To develop each individual to the optimum
possible progress level
• Aims at educating for the vacation and vocation.
• It is functional and socially utilitarian.

17. Sociological principles serving as
determinants of curriculum
Integratedness
Life-
centeredness
Social
utilitarianism

18. Integratedness
• All knowledge is considered as unitary.
• Subject matter boundaries are artificial
boundaries that is created for the convenience
of piece - meal learning.
• Logical integrations of different activities and
subjects to become a meaningful whole is
being increasingly felt as a desired educational
need.

19. Life centeredness
• Education is of life, for life and by life.
• Socialized curriculum is vitally and organically
related to the life of community.
• It attempts to initiate the hearts of pupils the art
of social living.
• Life centered curriculum enable the students to
become socially efficient, economically sufficient,
intellectually alert, physically fit, professionally
proficient and culturally competent person.

20. Social - utilitarianism
• All education is considered to have
transference effect.
• All curriculum provided in the educational
institutions have greater positive transference
when there is identity of learning and life
situations.
• Hence there is an need for the curriculum to
be lifelike.

21. Psychological determinants of
curriculum
• Knowledge of the nature of the learner and
learning process and the condition facilitating
optimum learning.
• Knowledge of growth and development
• Intelligence, development capacities.
• Curriculum to be child centered, learning
experiences should be provided in accordance
with the mental development of the learner.
• Interests of the learner.

22. Scientific determinants of curriculum
• To achieve complete development of an
individual & to prepare for complete living i.e.
human activities in 5 categories:
1. Self preservation,
2. Self protection,
3. Promote human prognosis & its protection,
4. Social & political protection
5. Proper utilization of leisure time.

23. Political determinants of curriculum
• Politics can be defined as: The process used by
any society to determine how power, wealth,
opportunity , statue and other social goods
are distributed to the members of that
society.(Joseph 2015)

24. Cont..
• In Trinidad and Tobago: Politics in relation to
curriculum development and decision making is a
combination of government policies and opinions
from educators, students, professional
organizations and other key stake holders.
The Role of Politics in Curriculum decision Making
–
To develop democratic values of social justice,
equity, socialism, rights & duties.

25. Cont..
• Examples of: The Role of Politics in Curriculum
decision Making -
• The introduction of the Continuous Assessment
Component (CAC) in the 2012-2013 academic
year for Primary Schools.
• CAC is: The assessment of (Standard Four & Five)
students in Character and Citizenship Education
(CCE), Science and Drama, along with Writing
English Language Arts as part of the Secondary
Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination.

26. Cont..
• Examples of: The Role of Politics in Curriculum
decision Making -
• The government of Trinidad and Tobago took a
policy decision to change from a two-year
teachers’ diploma to a four-year bachelor degree
in education for persons wishing to enter the
teaching profession.
• This policy decision required a total overhaul of
the curriculum to focus on new content and
pedagogy courses for prospective teachers.

27. The determinants of curriculum may
be enumerated as follows-
1. National ideology
2. Sociological consideration
3. Educational philosophy
4. National goals and aspirations
5. Religious doctrinaire
6. Cultural factors
7. Technological and scientific advancements
8. Psychological foundations
9. Economic planning
10. Need for modernization

28. Integratedness of curriculum with
other facets of education
curriculum
Ideals, aims,
goals of the
nation
Psychological
motivation
Needs,
interest &
attitudes of
learner
Philosophy of
education
administration
Aspirations
and resources
of the society
Sociological
considerations

29. Research studies
Based on Research and interviews done:
• The curriculum is too focus on the rights and not
responsibility. (Give E.g.)
• The curriculum needs to more balance in the context of
content vs time.
• Allow for more public and professional consultation
• The curriculum is too heavily influenced by
governments who are consistently changing
• It should allow for more cultural content and adaptation
of foreign influences before the inclusion into the
curriculum

30. Recommendations/New Initiatives
• Revision of the curriculum to include more
student centered approaches.
• More cooperation between government and
key stake holder in the development,
implementation and evaluation of curriculum.

31. Summarization
Evaluation –
• what is curriculum planning?
• Which factors are influencing the curriculum planning?
• What are the curriculum determinants?
• Which are the philosophical foundations of education?
• Which principles are followed in sociological
determinants of curriculum?
• How can the integratedness of curriculum to other
facets of education be explained?

32. Assignment
• Explain the factors influencing curriculum
planning.
• As a nurse educator which points you have to
keep in mind while preparing a curriculum for
B. Bsc. Nursing students and why?

33. References
• Glatthorn, Boschee, Whitehead, Boschee,
Curriculum Leadership, 3rd Edition © 2012 SAGE
Publications Glatthorn, Boschee, Whitehead,
Boschee, Curriculum Leadership, 3rd Edition ©
2012 SAGE Publications
• Hough, W. M. (1969). A better curriculum through
negotiation? Educational Leadership, 26(6), 531-
34.
• Joseph, S. (2015) Curriculum Politics in Higher
Education: What Educators need to do to Survive,
doi:10.5430/ijhe.v4n3p14

34. THANK U