Helping Staff during a School Self-Study Prepare to Examine Curriculum Design: Vicarious Participation in Debates through Script Reading

This study examined the effects on schema organization and communication during a school self-study associated with vicarious participation by members of school faculties in debates related to the topic of program design. Faculty in schools preparing for formal accreditation by a regional accrediting agency participated in the study. The experimental group participated in script reading sessions featuring a debate over the relative merits of several forms of program designs. Word association measures showed significantly greater gain in schema development by the experimental group. After several months, faculty opinions about the nature of the communication process during the self-study showed no meaningful effects on the schema development.