Toward Synergistic Enactment: A Multi-Stakeholder Framework for Physical Science Curriculum Implementation

Abstract

This article addresses the persistent gap between policy aspirations and pedagogical actualities within the Physical Science syllabus for Grades 8 and 9 by proposing an empirically grounded multi-stakeholder framework for curriculum implementation. Drawing on a qualitative critical-hermeneutic study conducted in three northern regions (Oshana, Ohangwena, and Oshikoto) of Namibia, the research engaged 33 participants, including policymakers, curriculum developers, Senior Education Officers, inspectors of education, teachers, learners, and parents. The study addressed four objectives: to examine stakeholders’ lived experiences in Physical Science curriculum implementation in Namibia’s selected junior secondary schools; to understand the strategies employed by different stakeholders in the implementation of the Physical Science curriculum; to identify the challenges encountered in the implementation of the Physical Science curriculum; and to develop a multi-stakeholder framework that can strengthen the effective implementation of the Physical Science curriculum in Namibia. Data were collected through hermeneutic interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, and document analysis. The findings reveal that existing implementation efforts are characterised by stakeholders working in isolation, teachers finding their own ways without sharing them, limited communication between groups, and inadequate support. In response, the study proposes a Multi-Stakeholder Framework comprising four interconnected pillars: Collaborative Engagement, Context-Sensitive Pedagogical Support, Innovation and Adaptation, and Feedback and Monitoring, anchored by a Hermeneutic Core of collaborative meaning-making. This framework provides a practical approach for transforming isolated efforts into coordinated action. Importantly, while the framework is empirically derived from study’s qualitative findings, it requires further validation through implementation studies. The article contributes to curriculum theory by demonstrating how ecological systems theory and hermeneutic philosophy can be integrated to understand and improve curriculum implementation in resource-constrained contexts.