ABSTRACT
Philosophers such as P. H. Hirst and P. H. Phenix state that there are particular forms of knowledge — physical sciences, history, literature and the fine arts — which exist independent of societies' actions. This knowledge is relatively objective, non-problematic and it is verifiable. Knowledge is socially constructed. It is basically subjective, relative and political. This is the sociology of knowledge approach. Knowledge in schools is treated as a realm of objective 'facts'. It is not questioned, analysed or negotiated. Rather it is something to be managed and mastered. The purpose of knowledge in schools becomes a matter of accumulation and categorization. A. Hargreaves suggests that the National Curriculum introduced into the United Kingdom in 1989 is unambiguously subject-based. There is no attempt to include broader areas of educational experience such as aesthetic, practical, social or personal subjects. That is, the new National Curriculum will continue to differentiate students on academic, subject lines.
