Curriculum Studies in Cyprus: Directions, Limitations and Challenges

Abstract

Drawing from an ongoing study, this paper presents the field of Curriculum Studies in the Republic of Cyprus from the early 1990s until today. The goal is to map the existence and development of Curriculum Studies at the higher educational institutions of Cyprus, and to examine the different directions the field espoused within this period. During the early 1990s the first public university was established and a number of private colleges became increasingly enhanced as academic institutions. Thus, this period can be considered the beginning of Curriculum Studies as a field, and an era that brought important changes in the educational situation of Cyprus. Using qualitative methods of inquiry and analysis of documents, we investigated the number and content of courses offered, as per the tertiary education institutions’ undergraduate and graduate syllabi in education, that are related to curriculum. The study regards the past, current, and future orientations of Curriculum Studies in Cyprus, locates them within the European and international context, and contributes toward the efforts and the discussion for their stablishment as a field. In this paper we argue first that, although there was advancement in many academic areas, Curriculum Studies field has mainly focused on models of curriculum design and development, not considering curriculum as a world concern neither as offering various perspectives. Second, that it is critical for teachers in Cyprus, a country of ethnic conflict, war and division, to be equipped with diverse perspectives, as Cyprus has historically been a diverse and multicultural society, and is increasingly such due to globalization and its accession to the European Union.