The new vocationalism enacted? the transformation of the business studies curriculum

Abstract

This paper, which is based on ESRC‐funded research, draws on quantitative and qualitative data to examine the transformation of the business studies curriculum in secondary schools. It links this transformation to the emergence of the ‘new vocationalism’ and to alleged changes in the nature of work, work organisation and the labour market. The paper argues that the changes which have taken place in the business studies curriculum are the result of interplay between the rhetoric of the new vocationalism, the resources mobilised to support this rhetoric, the activities of various mediating agencies, the characteristics and environments of schools and the professional and career concerns of teachers. The paper ends by considering the place of business studies within the curriculum in the aftermath of the 1988 Education Act. © 1994 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.