Exploring the Enactment of Functional Curriculum in Self-Contained Cross-Categorical Programs: A Case Study

Little research has been devoted to studying functional curriculum in secondary special education programs, self-contained cross-categorical programs, or curriculum enactment in special education, which warrants study of the culmination of these issues. This article presents a case study that attempts to answer, "What is the nature of the enactment of functional curriculum in rural self-contained cross-categorical programs?" The study occurred in two rural secondary self-contained cross-categorical programs with two teachers, four paraprofessionals, and 15 students. The findings suggest that the curriculum was enacted in the moment, was relative, and created tensions between special education and general education. The findings also suggest that the enactment had to be very encompassing and that it developed a community within each programs. Key Words: Special Education, Curriculum Enactment, and Functional Curriculum ********** Case Study Research "A case study is an examination of a specific phenomenon, such as a program, an event, a person, a process, an institution, or a social group" (Merriam, 1988, p. 9). As a methodology, case study attempts to understand "the complex interrelationships among all that exists," (Stake, 1995, p. 37) or in others, a case study attempts to understand particular nuances about a case, which in education, can be a student, a school, etc. (Stake, 2006). It involves an examination of a bounded system, which is the case or multiple cases one chooses to study (Creswell, 1998). Each case study is bounded by both time and place as well as the actual case being explored (Creswell). Case study research is a form of qualitative research, focused on interpreting a particular phenomenon. Thus, case study methodology studies the particulars and complexities of a case as opposed to trying to generalize to a larger group, with a central focus of interpretation (Stake, 1995). Qualitative case study research is just one form of qualitative research, and there are several different types of case studies within the qualitative tradition. Within the case study "family" there are ethnographic case studies, historical case studies, and psychological case studies. Case study research methodology can also be parsed by its end product. Case studies can be descriptive, where a detailed account of the phenomenon is presented; interpretative, in which thick description is presented to either illuminate, support, or challenge previously held theoretical assumptions; and evaluative, which focuses on judgments (Merriam, 1988). Case study methodology, particularly interpretative, was used in this study because the method fits the questions being asked (Merriam, 1988). It is an "ideal design for understanding and interpreting observations of educational phenomena" (Merriam, p. 2), in which a case in education can be a class, program, teacher, or another bounded educational phenomenon. A lack of previous research or exploration on a topic might warrant qualitative research, particularly a case study approach (Naumes & Naumes, 1999; Stake, 1995). Case studies typically consist of varying emphasis on data collection by observations, interviews, and document or archival reviews, in which triangulation among the data is sought to reduce the likelihood of misinterpretation (Stake, 1995). Curriculum The question of what constitutes curriculum has been frequently asked, and its answer sought (Nolet & McLaughlin, 2000). It has been referred to as long-lasting educational programs, materials used in classrooms (i.e., textbooks), and experiences that students receive while in school (Morrison, 1993; Nolet & McLaughlin). However, curriculum is not singular. It is comprised of the written, enacted, and received curriculum. The written curriculum "is the official or adopted curriculum often contained in state or district policy" (Nolet & McLaughlin, p. …