Western Australia’s ‘English’ course of study: To OBE or not to OBE, perhaps that is the question

Authors

Richard G. Berlach, University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Michael O'Neill, University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow

Publication Details

Berlach, R. G., & O'Neill, M. (2008). Western Australia’s ‘English’ course of study: To OBE or not to OBE, perhaps that is the question. Australian Journal of Education, 52 (1), 49-62.

Abstract

Opinion surrounding Western Australia’s (WA) provision of compulsory education via an Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) paradigm is severely divided. At the centre of debate is an attempt by authorities to extend OBE into the final years of secondary schooling, Years 11 and 12. In this paper an examination is made of OBE as a curriculum paradigm. Secondly, an overview of how OBE has been interpreted in WA as a model of curriculum design and planning is provided. Finally, and most significantly, the issues surrounding evaluation concerns as they relate to one exemplar Course of Study, namely English, are considered.

Keywords

Peer-reviewed, Outcomes based education, curriculum development, English curriculum, conceptual distinctions, assessment, epistemology