A Social Perspective on the Curriculum
The curriculum is inherently embedded in social and cultural contexts and plays a significant role in responding to social needs, shaping learners’ experiences, and influencing social change. From a social perspective, curriculum is not merely a neutral instrument for learning; rather, it is a dynamic process through which knowledge is selected, social values are transmitted, and relationships of power and inequality may be reproduced or challenged. This editorial explores the relationship between society and curriculum through three major theoretical perspectives. The traditional functionalist perspective emphasizes identifying social needs and aligning curriculum objectives, content, teaching strategies, learning activities, and assessment with those needs. Critical curriculum theories examine how school knowledge and official curricula may reproduce dominant ideologies, social classes, and power relations, while highlighting the importance of dialogue, critical consciousness, and learner agency. The third perspective views curriculum as a means of social transformation, emancipation, and resistance to restrictive social structures. From this standpoint, learners are regarded as active social agents capable of questioning and transforming existing conditions. Considering contemporary social challenges, including environmental degradation, demographic changes, and rapid technological developments, this editorial emphasizes the social responsibility of curriculum researchers and the need to promote curriculum agency. The articles in this issue address diverse social dimensions of curriculum and seek to deepen understanding of the complex interrelationship between curriculum and social change.