Resisting Curriculum Integration: Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors?

Abstract

Curriculum integration has a long history. In this paper I catalog several arguments for resistance against integration and present the historical roots of support for those arguments offered by critics of curriculum integration. First, I review some linguistic and usage limitations of the term. Second, I examine several practical and institutional difficulties related to implementing integrated curriculum. Third, I explore some interconnected psychological and sociological dimensions of resistance to curriculum integration. Finally, I consider several epistemological dimensions of resistance to integration, some of which underlie the sociological and psychological aspects. While recognizing that some resistance to integration will never be answered, I argue that in order to answer some of the questions raised by this analysis we need more empirical research into integrated curriculum and integrative teaching.