Traditionalist Perspective

The traditionalist perspective represents the foun-dational idea that dominated the curriculum field from the beginning of the 20th century until well after the middle of the century. This perspective is connected to traditional curriculum work that is focused on the schools, and particularly on curriculum development as an orientation narrower than curriculum studies, in the service of teachers, administrators, and school personnel. Through this perspective, the traditionalist designed and developed school curriculum in the narrow sense of the term that served practitioners in teaching the appropriate content and instilling particular skills in an uncontested way. The traditionalist perspective pertains to curriculum development in service of schools and not as a larger cultural phenomenon in which schools are but a part.

The traditionalist perspective is derived from ...