On lasting innovation in schools: beyond institutionalization

Abstract

Institutionalization is widely regarded as a rounded‐off conclusion of the innovation process. This article suggests that institutionalization means more than simply achieving stability; it is necessary to conceive of institutionalization in more dynamic terms. Giddens' theory of structuration provides inspiration for the theoretical analysis of the institutionalization process. A sketch of institutionalization research in educational innovation is presented. There follows a brief summary of a specific innovation (open project education in a Dutch secondary school) to be used as a backdrop to illustrate the theoretical analysis. The principal ingredients of Giddens’ theory are dealt with in so far as relevant. Four perspectives on institutionalization are developed from a reflection on Giddens’ work, and applied to the case of open project education. In the light of this analysis, some queries of the understanding of institutionalization, as it has been traditionally expounded, are presented.