Conceptual Framework for Developing a Community Capital-Based School-Level Curriculum Framework for Implementation in School Curriculum Development

Abstract

This article presents the concept of developing a community capital-based curriculum framework at the school level for use in developing school curricula. It integrates the concepts of curriculum framework and seven types of community capital: natural capital, cultural capital, human capital, social capital, political capital, financial capital, and built capital. This curriculum framework consists of five main components: 1) goals, outlining the overall aims; 2) objectives, providing specific guidelines for achieving the goals; 3) learning management guidelines, framing the approach to learning management; 4) assessment and evaluation approaches; and 5) community capital framework, which is a set of seven capital frameworks used to categorize learning modules. The curriculum framework development process has four steps: Step 1, preparation of educational institutions; Step 2, curriculum framework development; Step 3, implementation of the curriculum framework; and Step 4, monitoring and evaluation of the curriculum framework usage. Implementing this curriculum framework helps connect learning to local contexts, promotes the development of essential skills, and raises awareness of sustainable conservation and the development of community capital. Recommendations include: 1) applying this concept to develop local-level curriculum frameworks by educational service area offices; 2) developing curriculum frameworks and manuals for teacher professional development through learning communities; 3) developing educational institutions as model centers for locally-based educational innovation learning; and 4) introducing successful curricula to communities for learning to create careers and solve community problems.