Constructing and reinterpreting the meaning of curriculum evaluation: an exploratory study using Generative Learning Theory

This study investigates how teachers reconstruct the meaning of curriculum evaluation through a sustained professional development (PD) programme. Drawing on Generative Learning Theory (GLT), a qualitative discourse analysis of 78 teachers examines three interrelated constructs: problematisation, meaning-making and recontextualisation. The findings reveal that these generative processes do not unfold linearly. Instead, they operate as a recursive cycle within professional dialogue. Driven by epistemic tensions, teachers fluidly navigate between questioning assumptions, integrating insights and negotiating situated adaptations for their school contexts. This dynamic indicates a shift from procedural compliance towards an agentic professional identity. Ultimately, this study advances GLT by demonstrating how individual cognitive reorganisation is sustained through complex social interplay.