Embedding Equality and Diversity into the Curriculum – a literature review

By Nabeel Zaidi

This publication is an edited extract from a much larger and more specific publication: Embedding Equality and Diversity into a Postgraduate Management Programme for International Students – a case study.  This publication provides a literature review of domestic and international strategies and considerations when embedding equality and diversity into the curriculum for international and domestic learners and for learners whose first language is not English. It will be particularly useful for learning providers that offer vocational and internally assessed programmes at level 3 and above.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Education and Training Consultants Ltd
• Release date: Jun 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781511570138

Book preview

Literature review

Definition and commitment

Although there are definitions of ‘equality’, encompassing equality of process (i.e. treating individuals the same), equality of worth (i.e. treating individuals with equal respect), equality of opportunity (i.e. ensuring everyone has the opportunity to acquire relevant skills, competencies and qualifications to compete) and equality of outcome (i.e. ensuring that despite substantive differences everyone ends up with the same outcome) (Equalities Review 2007), ‘diversity’ remains loosely defined as ‘recognising difference’.

This presents opportunities for organisations to adopt a flexible approach to equality and diversity, one which exceeds legal compliance; but it can also lead to a fragmented and limited approach, with variable commitment to diversity throughout the organisation, depending, as Sarah Ahmed (03/2007:254) suggests, on how the term get[s] ‘taken-up’ by those who have the most capacity to affect change within an organisation.

Given that circulation of policy documents can be used to introduce new initiatives, robust E & D related policies would require effective stakeholder consultation and a clear implementation strategy, with related monitoring and follow-up. In higher education, a good policy document can become a substitute for action (Ahmed; 07/2007:599), while a written statement declaring a commitment to E & D could act to block rather than enable action, insofar as [it blocks] the recognition of the on-going nature of ‘what’ it is the organisation is committed to opposing. (Ibid. p601)

Alternatively, the document can be used to [expose] the gap between words, images and deeds (Ibid. P607). The Ofsted common inspection framework 2012, with its increased emphasis on ‘impact’ and embedding of equality and diversity across all aspects, is likely to support triangulation between plans, policies, procedures and the existing