Research Reports on English literature and prescribed text lists

Two papers in the area of Junior and Senior Cycle English have recently been published.

The first paper, entitled Comparative study of literature in English curricula across jurisdictions was authored by leading researcher, Dr. Bethan Marshall, on behalf of NCCA. This study looks at how the subject of English is conceptualised in eight different English-speaking jurisdictions, how the curriculum is organised and what is included, whether it is mandatory, and how it is assessed.

The second paper, authored by NCCA, is entitled Prescribing Texts: Report on the role of prescribed text lists in Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate English and the processes involved in text selection. The aim of this paper is to examine the role, purposes and processes of text selection used in Ireland in light of Marshall’s research and to explore the voices and varying perspectives on text lists. The paper gives an overview of how the process for text selection has evolved in Ireland. In addition, it takes the findings from Marshall’s research and compares the processes currently used in Ireland with those used internationally in order to inform ongoing developments in this area.

These two papers add to the research base that supports the development of the junior and senior cycle English curriculum.