Teachers’ Perceptions, Knowledge, and Interactions with Scripted Curriculum

As shortages of teachers increase and student standardized test scores remain low and unchanged, there is a push for increasing instructional effectiveness using scripted curriculum and direct instruction. However, scripted curriculum is likely inconsistent with teachers’ professional visions and needs, leading to conflicting goals for adopting scripted curriculum and teachers’ professional goals. We determined the gaps in the literature support the need to collectively explore how teachers define and consider scripted curriculum, particularly the extent to which they think the curriculum is culturally responsive, motivates students to learn, are involved in adopting the curriculum, and their preferences for teaching with scripted curriculum. Using a cross-section survey design, we gathered quantitative and qualitative data from 292 K-12 teachers working in the south-central United States. We found teachers did not perceive scripted curriculum as culturally responsive, did not think the curriculum motivates students to learn, did not like teaching with the curriculum or preferred to use it as a resource, and tended to be marginally involved in selecting the curriculum. Our research empirically documents the narrative teachers tend to share about scripted curriculum. We conclude our report by discussing our results, implications for our findings, and recommendations for future research.