Abstract

Through the past two decades, Quebecers have borne witness to a ministerial overhaul of their education system that has resulted in the implementation of a new competency-based curriculum - the Quebec Education Program (QEP). This thesis begins with an overview of the historical context of this reform with particular emphasis on the shift from a church-based scholastic system to a largely secular state run model. The progressive foundations of the QEP will be presented through an overview of the historical trends in North American progressivism as well as through a discussion of John Dewey's, William H. Kilpatrick's and Herbert Kohl's educational philosophies in particular. The child-centered, cooperative and interdisciplinary learning environments proposed by these early progressive philosophers and implemented in the QEP will be highlighted with concrete classroom examples. By narrowing the focus of the analysis to the English Language Arts section of the QEP, the progressive elements of curricular implementation as well as the difficulty in incorporating these philosophies within the practice of student evaluation will be discussed. This thesis ends with a call for further research into the effectiveness of the QEP as well as for the formulation of clearly defined evaluation strategies consistent with the principles of progressive education.