Weick's enactment model: understanding the environment by actively transforming it through action¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Drawing on Weick (1979, 2009), the paper defines enactment as "the process of actively transforming the environment through action": people in organizations understand their environment by playing an active role in constructing it. Applied to schools, teachers enact the curriculum as a way to understand it, and understanding is a social practice rather than an intrinsic process of isolated individuals. The model also explains how people's understanding of policy messages is evidenced in their practices during implementation.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Analysis must treat people as attached to their environments through action and practices rather than as isolated subjects

Constraints¶

• An individualistic analysis focusing on individual performances and intrinsic psychological states would be pointless under this model

Target Learners¶

• teachers and organizational actors in schools

Target Learning Objectives¶

• understanding professional knowledge and reform messages through practice

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• Educational organizations as loosely coupled systems defined by practices rather than structure

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Riveros, A., Newton, P., & Burgess, D. (2012). A Situated Account of Teacher Agency and Learning: Critical Reflections on Professional Learning Communities. Canadian Journal of Education, 35(1). https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje