Navigating Curriculum Change

Author: Kristina Taylor

Supervisors: Helen Mataiti Rachel McNamara

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20 November 2025

Taylor, K. (2025). Navigating curriculum change [Master's thesis, Otago Polytechnic].

Executive Summary

This practitioner research project examined how Key Competencies can be intentionally developed and sustained within mathematics teaching during a period of significant curriculum reform in Aotearoa New Zealand. The study was undertaken in response to the introduction of Te Mātaiaho, the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum, and growing professional discussion regarding the visibility and ongoing role of Key Competencies within curriculum implementation.

Since the publication of The New Zealand Curriculum in 2007, Key Competencies have been recognised as a central element of New Zealand education, supporting the development of learners who can think critically, manage themselves effectively, relate well to others, participate actively within communities, and communicate meaningfully through language, symbols, and texts. The implementation of curriculum reform coincided with the introduction of Ministry-supported structured mathematics programmes and broader changes across the education sector. While these reforms sought to strengthen curriculum consistency and improve educational outcomes, they also raised questions about how holistic educational goals could be maintained within increasingly structured learning environments. Many educators expressed uncertainty regarding the visibility of Key Competencies within the refreshed curriculum. While knowledge progressions and curriculum content became increasingly explicit, concerns emerged regarding whether competencies remained equally prominent within classroom implementation. Questions arose about how schools could continue to nurture learner agency, self-management, collaboration, and critical thinking while simultaneously responding to increasing curriculum prescription.

This inquiry emerged from a desire to explore these tensions in practice. The study sought to understand how competency-rich learning could remain visible and intentional within a structured mathematics programme and how reflective teaching practice could support meaningful implementation during a period of significant educational change. The research was situated within a Year 7 classroom in a large state-integrated school in Auckland, New Zealand. The context provided an authentic environment in which to examine curriculum implementation, structured mathematics teaching, and competency development. The research was informed by the researcher's dual role as both classroom teacher and educational leader, providing opportunities to consider curriculum change from both classroom and leadership perspectives. The inquiry also evolved from a wider Kāhui Ako initiative that had originally focused on strengthening Key Competency development across multiple schools. Following curriculum reforms and the gradual disestablishment of Kāhui Ako structures, the project was refocused as an individual practitioner inquiry. This shift provided an opportunity to undertake a more focused exploration of classroom practice while continuing to contribute to broader professional conversations regarding curriculum implementation and educational change.

Keywords

Te Mataiaho, teacher agency, appreciative inquiry

License

This thesis is not publicly available.