Chances or choices? The influences on subject choices in the Curriculum for Excellence

Black, Barry (2025) Chances or choices? The influences on subject choices in the Curriculum for Excellence. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the education system in Scotland has been – and still is – in a state of deep structural reform. Considerations over equity, curriculum design, opportunity, and the post-school pathways of young people, have long remained at the forefront of considerations for both policy and practice (e.g. Cryrie, Furst & Lauder, 1979; Scottish Government 2008, 2009a, 2011a&b; Priestly & Minty, 2013). The subjects that young people have the option to study, and subjects they then choose to study, are profoundly important to them, their communities, and ultimately the economic skills pipeline of the country. What has often been missing during these considerations are the perspectives, perceptions, and experiences of young people regarding their potential pathways and factors underlying the learning decisions they make.

The aims of this research were to explore the internal and external influences upon the subject choices of young people, under the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), and explore the impact of social background and policy structures on these learning decisions. It highlighted the voice of pupils in an environment which has seen increasing politicisation since the implementation of the CfE. The present research employed a multi-method qualitative design of interviews and documents, comprised of N=79 semi-structured interviews; N=72 of these with pupils in S4-S6 within four participating schools, and N=7 interviews with invited expert stakeholders. These experts were selected for their knowledge in a range of key areas of the policy of subject choices and classroom practice, including individuals with significant influence in Government, policy, and practice. Thematic analysis was applied to make sense of the data and draw meaning and conclusions from it. The research also used a form of content analysis on the choices forms in each participating school. The focus of the analysis was to identify similarities and differences in the characterisation of schools’ curriculum structures in a systematic manner, setting the context of the choices that young people had in each school.

Findings revealed that schools have employed different processes for subject choices and different curriculum structures, with varying width (the maximum number of qualifications a young person could take), breadth (the range of subjects a young person could choose from), and intent (the curriculum experiences and type of pathways the school was predominately focused on facilitating towards). Indeed, the analysis of the school choices forms, and interviews with staff reveals four distinct approaches to curriculum across the four schools: Diverse Breadth Mandatory Width, Collaborative Depth, and Flexible Facilitation. The research suggests that post-school aspirations were a key driver of subject choices, because aspiration becomes the frame within which choices are made. Aspirations were overwhelmingly related to direct and indirect family influence. Exposure to the job market through employer engagement also played a key role in shaping aspirations. Social background played a further role in shaping the perception of what was possible, proliferating a ‘perception gap’ amongst more and less deprived pupils; i.e., where less deprived pupils had less exposure to types of post-school pathways open, and less knowledge of how to access such pathways.

Pupil interviews revealed a strong interrelation between the internal and external influence and the extent to which they operate is impacted by factors such as age and stage, and social background. The research established the main internal influences over young people’s aspirations and subject choices were perceived as; enjoyment of subjects, usefulness towards attaining their aspirations, and importance of subjects to general development, knowledge, or their future. In addition, it pointed to five ‘spheres’ of external influence: family, teachers, media, employers, and peers. These insights have important implications for education policy and practice, in Scotland and internationally. If Scotland’s secondary education system is to reduce inequalities in subject choice, including concluding that there is a need for greater flexibility within the curriculum, a need for enhanced guidance provision relating to choices, and policies that challenge rather than reinforce socio-economic disparities.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology; L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Kintrea, Professor Keith and Lido, Professor Catherine
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85338
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 14 Jul 2025 10:50
• Last Modified: 14 Jul 2025 10:51
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85338
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85338