Schubert (1986) discusses that the significance of curricular purposes is "to advocate or assert that something (a skill, area or aspect of knowledge, value, or appreciation) should be taught (p. 202). He notes that the word purpose may be synonymous with terms including goals, objectives, aims, or ends, and that there is an implicit belief that the message of the purpose is worthwhile. He separates four general categories of substantiative advocacy into which purposes generally fall including: 

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• Achievement: typically relative to scores on examinations. We will redefine achievement in my classroom.

• Socialization: the intent to use the curriculum to induct the young into the ways of living in a society of culture (such as attitudes, information, skills, customs, values, and the ideals of a social group). 

• Personal Growth: fosters self-realization, careful study of the learners' needs and interests, and a personalized/relevant curriculum. Typically associated with the Progressive Education movement. 

• Social Change: holds the idea that schools can and should lead the way to social improvement. Addresses the dialect of accepting the system as it is while advocating the need for a better society. 

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Below are examples of how these substantive purposes are seen in my classroom.​