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Biography of Ralph W. Tyler (1902-1994)

Ralph W. Tyler

Considered by many to be the ‘father of behavioural goals/objectives, Ralph Tyler was an American scholar, educator and researcher who was born April 22^nd, 1902 in Chicago, Illinois. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Nebraska, where he acquired much of his education including a bachelor’s degree from Doane University and a master’s degree from the University of Nebraska. In 1927, he obtained a doctorate from the University of Chicago (McKinney, 2022). 

Tyler’s career history is a notable one which spans his early years working as a high school science teacher in South Dakota, a science supervisor at the University of Nebraska and an associate professor at the University of North Carolina, before he eventually became a professor at the Ohio State University. Tyler received acclaim for his involvement in the Eight Year Study as well as his best-selling 1949 book ‘Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction.’ Today, the ‘Tylerian’ Model of curriculum design is still widely used.

Academic and Educational Career - Ralph W. Tyler

Mckinney (2022), notes that Ralph W. Tyler was an educator and researcher who developed curriculum theory.  His work, she suggests, was influential in the way in which evaluation procedures were carried out in current education.  Tyler has been described as the father of "behavioural goals”, a fundamental concept in the modern educational system.

His main contribution to the field of education was the curricular model in which he attempted to answer four questions: “what educational objectives should try to achieve, how to select the most useful experiences to achieve them, how to organise educational experiences to do so, and how to evaluate effectiveness of teaching.”

In 1938, Tyler achieved national recognition for his involvement in a programme called the "Eight-Year Study Related to Progressive Education", which studied the relationship between the curricula of different high schools, and the success of their students in their university careers. Around this time, Tyler began to develop his theories about study curricula, and he became the director of Stanford research center.  He continued to study and develop his curriculum model, in addition to becoming the advisor to several international governments on education. In 1949, Tyler published a book entitled "Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction." He retired in 1967.

Biography of Hilda Taba (1902-1967)

Hilda Taba

Born 7^th December 1902, Hilda Taba is known for her contributions to curriculum reform and as a teacher educator.  Her educational accomplishments include attaining her teacher’s qualifications, an undergraduate degree in history and education, a masters from Bryn Mawr College and a doctorate in education from Columbia University attained in 1932.

Her participation as a researcher in the Eight Year Study brought her in contact with Ralph Tyler who along with John Dewy has been named as people who were influential in the development of Taba’s career and contributions to education (Jackson, 2022). Taba’s professional achievements include that she was the director of the Curriculum Laboratory at the University of Chicago. She is most widely known for the model of curriculum design called the ‘Down-Top Model’ or ‘Grassroots Approach.’ Hilda Taba died on July 6, 1967.

Academic and Educational Career - Hilda Taba

Jackson (2022) outlines that in 1921, Hilda Taba commenced her career as a teacher and later obtained a degree in Philosophy with a focus on ​​history and education. 

During her master's and doctoral studies, Jackson (2022) notes that Taba became associated with prominent figures in the global, educational and intellectual arena such as E. L. Thorndike, G. C. Counts, Ralph Tyler, and John Dewey,

Later on, Taba became involved in a research project for the reform of the educational curriculum in the USA. This 8-year Experimental Study made it possible to contrast the new curricular schemes for the time, with the traditional schemes that came from the 19th century.  During Taba's participation in the project, she observed that the educational process required an approach toward cultural needs and that it should be more democratic.  During this period, Taba met Ralph Tyler, who hired her as coordinator of the curriculum evaluation team in the social field of the aforementioned project.

From 1945 to 1947, Taba was involved in research pertaining to the integration of students from different groups.  This was an important study in the postwar era due to the mobility of groups moving to urban environments in search of work.  Between 1948 and 1951, Taba was Director of the Center for Teaching Between Groups at the University of Chicago, In 1951, Taba lived in San Francisco where her research focused on the development of curricula for the social needs of that area.

Examining Hilda Taba’s Model - Strengths and Limitations

Strengths:

1. Highlights higher-order thinking skills;
2. Develops comprehension skills, for example, inference and summarising;
3. Gifted learners get the opportunity to engage in open-ended questioning;
4. Working collaboratively in groups to build speaking and listening skills (Gulzar, 2019);
5. Opportunities for healthy classroom discussion before and after generalisations are made;
6. Fosters abstract thinking in learners.

Limitations:

1. Can be difficult for some students to respond to open-ended questioning;
2. May be difficult for a teacher to plan and prepare questions without clear direction;
3. Adapting to all subjects is challenging;
4. Resources must be chosen in advance;
5. Time consuming.

Examining Ralph Tyler’s Model - Strengths and Limitations

Strengths:

1. It is logical, systematic and easy to follow;
2. Effectively used by teachers for instructional delivery;
3. Focuses on the needs of learners and society from the administrative perspective. (Bhuttah et al., 2019);
4. Student-centered approach as the perceived needs and interests of learners are considered (Adirika & Okolie, 2016);
5. Helps to avoid subjectivity since comparisons are made between learning outcomes and objectives (Vo, 2018).

Limitations

1. It ignores the personal feelings and attitudes of persons concerned in curriculum development;
2. Tedious as it requires agreement on the objectives from the three sources (students, society, and subject matter) (Adirika & Okolie, 2016);
3. Teachers are not given the opportunity to manipulate the learning experiences to fit the needs of the students. (Adirika & Okolie, 2016);
4. Evaluation is the final step and there is little opportunity to give feedback for improvement to the other steps within the model (Adirika & Okolie, 2016; Bhuttah et al., 2019);
5. There is no clear distinction between content and learning experience (Adirika & Okolie, 2016);
6. His factory-based approach to curriculum development does not foster the development of responsible, adaptable and creative learners (Läänemets & Kalamees-Ruubel, 2013).

Comparing Ralph Tyler’s and Hilda Taba’s Models of Curriculum Development

●    Both models are linear, prescriptive and descriptive;

●    Both models have an element of a progressive educational philosophy;

●    The models developed by Tyler and Taba are based on the Technical-Scientific approach and are both linear in design (Bhuttah, Xiaoduan, Ullah and Javed, 2019);

●    Objectives form the structure of both models;

●   Tyler’s model places great significance on the role of administrators as the decision makers and designers in the development of a curriculum whereas Taba’s model emphasises the role of teachers in the development of a curriculum as they are most aware of the needs of their students (Adirika & Okolie, 2016);

●   Taba believes that the demands of society and students should start the curriculum development process which is also referred to as a “grassroots approach” whereas, Tyler suggests starting with the objectives which are referred to as the “top-down” approach; (Läänemets & Kalamees-Ruubel, 2013; Bhuttah et.al, 2019);

●    Tyler’s model is deductive while Taba’s is inductive;

Tyler’s and Taba’s Model within the Caribbean Context

Curriculum development has been attempted by many across the Caribbean (Jennings, 2018). However, as suggested by Roofe (2014), such curriculum development has not been achieving increased quality educational experiences for all. The process has been primarily a top-down one where content input and articulation of objectives have been initiated by central administration as demonstrated in Tyler’s model (Läänemets and Kalamees-Rubel, 2019). The inclusion of teachers in the curriculum design process and identifying the needs of learners, are two strengths of Taba’s model that should be considered in any future curriculum development in the Caribbean, if improvement in performance and quality of educational experiences are to be realised. 

References

Adirika, B. N., & Okolie, V. C. (2016). Examining models of curriculum development and processes: Implications for African educational heritage and review. Social Science and Humanities Journal, 1(5), 295-313.

Bhuttah, T. M., Xiaoduan, C., Ullah, H., & Javed, S. (2019). Analysis of curriculum development stages from the perspective of Tyler, Taba and Wheeler. European Journal of Social Sciences, 58(1), 14-22.

Cox R.S. (2020) Credo. UMassamherst Special Collection and University Archives Research Center. https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/murg120_2-i0001831.

Filigrana T. (2010) Modelos Curriculares Hilda Taba. http://abhb.blogspot.com/p/hilda-taba.html.

Gulzar, A. (2019) Model of Curriculum Development.  http://educarepk.com/taba-model-of-curriculum-development.html.

Jackson, L. (2022 October 08). Hilda Taba: Biography and theory. https://warbletoncouncil.org/hilda-taba-5966.

Jennings, Z. (2018). Curriculum Change in School Systems in the Commonwealth Caribbean. International Journal of Educational Development. 13(2), 131-143.

Khan, M. Hilda Taba’s Model of Curriculum Planning. (2016). [PowerPoint slides]. https://slideshare.net/MahreenKhan8/tabamodel-140505014309phpapp01-61623612.

Krull, E. (2003). UNESCO: International Bureau of Education, 33(4), 481-491 http://www.ibe.unesco.org/sites/default/files/tabae.pdf.

Läänemets, U., & Kalamees-Ruubel, K. (2013). The taba-tyler rationales. Journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies (JAAACS), 9(2).

McKinney, L. (2022 October 05). Ralph W. Tyler: Biography, curriculum model, and other contributions. https://warbletoncouncil.org/ralph-w-tyler-1666.

Roofe, C.G. (2014). One Size Fits All: perceptions of the revised primary curriculum at grades one to three in Jamaica. Research in Comparative and International Education. 9(1), 4-15.

University of Chicago. (n.d). Guide to the Ralph W. Tyler Papers 1932-1988. Retrieved October 4^th, 2022, from, https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/ead/rlg/ICU.SPCL.TYLER.pdf.

Vo,T. Evaluation Models in Educational Programs: Strengths and Weaknesses. (2018). VNU Journal of Foreign Studies. 34(2), 140-150.