Teachers' interpretations of the concept-context approach for L1 education

Abstract

In 2003, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences proposed two ways to improve secondary education in the Netherlands: concept-context rich education and the teacher as curriculum developer. In this study eleven L1 teachers explored these ideas by developing concept-context rich L1 education. Their interpretations of concept-context rich education and views on benefits of this approach are the focal point of this article. Data show that teachers have many different interpretations of concept-context rich education—some are reflected by the research literature while others are mentioned only by the teachers. Important benefits of concept-context rich education formulated by these teachers are: increased student motivation, student participation, and teacher motivation. By describing teachers' views the research literature on concept-context rich education may be enhanced by focusing on teachers' interpretations.