Curriculum Implementation

Australia’s reputation for relevance and quality in transnational vocational education is tied to teachers and their curriculum enactment. This chapter explores the factors influencing teachers’ decision-making, problem-solving, and curriculum-making in transforming curricula in Australian transnational vocational education. A framework of curriculum conceptions is introduced to understand the problem of implementing a vocational curriculum designed for Australia in diverse international settings. This theoretical foundation illuminates curriculum implementation as a complex process, presenting unfamiliar problems for teachers trying to maintain fidelity to mandated curriculum intentions while adapting it to meet their students’ needs. A critical literature review highlights institutional structures, culture and associated power dynamics as crucial influences on teachers’ professional discretion in curriculum enactment. The chapter questions the practicality of expecting teachers to adhere to national curriculum standardisation in diverse social-cultural contexts. It explores the extent to which teachers comply with these standards versus exercising their professional discretion for the benefit of their students. The chapter concludes by acknowledging that very few studies have focussed on the contextual influences in the enactment of Australian vocational curricula globally; it substantiates the need for this inquiry to explore teachers’ perspectives as decision-makers and curriculum-makers in Australian transnational vocational education.