How does responsiveness manifest within the enacted curricula of teacher education in the Netherlands: a multiple case study.

Samenvatting

To address teacher shortages, Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences strive to enhance the appeal and accessibility of their teacher education programs by making their curricula more flexible. Flexibility in education is conceptualized from multiple perspectives, namely the student, workplace, and societal perspectives. This study uses the term ‘responsive’ to refer to these three perspectives, which served as a lens to examine how responsiveness manifests in day-to-day practices in Dutch teacher education. A case study of twelve TE programs examined various practices within the enacted curriculum. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis revealed four distinct profiles. These profiles are interpreted as: customization-oriented, locally-oriented, community-oriented, and change-agent-oriented. The profiles could serve as a conceptual frame to better understand the concept of responsiveness in education. For practical application, these four profiles may assist in identifying the type of responsive curriculum that educational programs aim to achieve, thereby supporting curriculum developers in making more coherent and consistent decisions regarding curricular responsiveness.