Use of Panic Approach in the Development of Curriculum: Perceptions of Bachelor of Education Students in an ?Issues in Curriculum? Class

This study is based on the perceptions of thirty-five (15 females, 20 males) Bachelor of Education students doing the course Issues in Curriculum at Solusi University in January 2017, over the use of the panic approach in the development of curricula. These were qualified and practicing primary and secondary school teachers. The researcher sought to establish if instances of the panic approach to curricular development could be identified in current educational practices, how the approach was being experienced by the participants, and what they recommended for addressing challenges with programmes designed through the panic approach. A survey design which was qualitative in nature was preferred for this study, since the findings would be based on the participants understanding of their reality. The participants presented a number of current curricular programmes or subjects most of which fell within the New Education Curriculum of Zimbabwe, whose development process they perceived as coinciding with the characteristics of the panic approach. This article reports on the participants views concerning some of the subjects in the New Education Curriculum. The theoretical framework that was engaged to interrogate data generated in this study was drawn from educational change literature. Findings showed that several steps consistent with systematic curriculum development were omitted in the development of the New Education Curriculum. The findings of this study contribute towards research on educational change.