Basis For Curriculum Development Research Articles

The Employability Skills of the Overseas Filipino Workers

A university tracks its graduates to determine if its curriculum has prepared students for the job market. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the self perceived employability skills of sociology and economics graduates of Bukidnon State University, who are working overseas. The OFWs were traced by using the snowball sampling technique. Of the three measures of employability, they scored the highest on personal qualities followed by core skills and process skills. Rated the highest were ‘self-awareness’ and ‘initiative’ skills. By and large, the OFWs may be considered global citizens and lifelong learners if viewed through the lenses of an Australian model of employability. This implies that even if the academic credentials do not directly match with the job description, the graduates were hired on the basis of employability qualities and skills that were perhaps already embedded in the curriculum. The study concludes that the notion that discipline-based knowledge will guarantee a job is no longer applicable. Since knowledge will be outdated but nevertheless, the main component for obtaining a college degree, one of the recommendations is for the curriculum to connect transferable personality and skills development with the process of obtaining and generating knowledge. Further research must be pursued in terms of determining the specific values and attitudes that the employers of these OFWs prefer so that it would be possible for the university to identify the exact qualities and skills preferred by employers as a basis for curriculum development.

Why Do We Teach? Adult Learning Theory in Professional Standards as a Basis for Curriculum Development

This article provides an overview of adult learning theory in relation to teaching philosophies among librarians belonging to ACRL, using Hadley’s Educational Orientation Questionnaire. Although not significant as a predictor, there was a nonlinear and negative correlation between librarians’ familiarity with the ACRL Standards and their adult learning orientation scores (p = .047, t < .05). Additional variables are included to investigate other influences on adult learning orientation scores. Results of the study showed high significance for gender (β = 0.213, p = 0.008), current library instruction (β = 0.199, p = 0.025), and the number of library instruction classes taught during the current year (β = 0.199, p = 0.041). Additional descriptive statistical analysis and qualitative responses are included, and propositions for professional development are then introduced for future discussions among the ACRL community about the importance of adult learning as well as the evolution of our teaching philosophies.

Towards developing competency‐based measures for project managers in mass house building projects in developing countries

Within the human resource management (HRM) genre, the identification and development of appropriate competency‐based measures is widely seen as the only viable means for validating and engendering managerial best practices. A competency‐based conceptual model is proposed towards the development of a taxonomy of project managers' (PMs') performance measures in mass house building projects (MHBPs). The model reflects elements of both performance behaviours and outcomes in predicting the performance of PMs at the construction phase of the project life cycle. Data were elicited from members of the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA), whose speciality is the construction of residential buildings, to test the validity of this conceptual model. The findings, which confirm the validity of the model, demonstrate the suitability and potential usefulness of this model for developing a competency‐based agenda towards the professional development of PMs involved in the implementation of MHBPs in developing countries, like Ghana. The model could, therefore, form the basis for curriculum development, recruitment and selection, team deployment and job matching, career development and succession planning to facilitate the achievement of managerial best practices in MHBPs.

What makes a good midwife? An integrative review of methodologically‐diverse research

This paper reports an integrative review aimed at answering the question: 'What makes a good midwife?' A research-based definition of a good midwife which can be used as an operational definition in research and as a basis for curriculum development could not be found. Research in nursing has identified that patients and nurses may give different responses when asked about the most important aspects of nurses' contribution to care. It is also possible that views of how to define a good midwife might differ. A four-stage systematic review process was used, consisting of protocol development, carrying out the search, appraisal/analysis of the papers retrieved, and synthesis of the information. The initial search covered the period from 1993 and used the keywords 'midwi*', 'nurse-midwi*' and 'good'. This was later extended to include the terms 'exemplary', 'excellent' and 'superb' as synonyms of 'good', and 'bad' as its antonym. The integrative review was descriptive and focussed on extracting from the papers the findings that contributed to answering the research question. Thirty-three research-based papers were included in the review, and these had used a range of approaches and methods. Eight key concepts were derived from the data: attributes of a midwife, education, research, what a midwife does, care organization, other professionals, partners and an international perspective. Having good communication skills made the greatest contribution to being 'a good midwife', while being compassionate, kind, supportive (affective domain), knowledgeable (cognitive domain) and skilful (psychomotor domain) also made major contributions. Being involved in education and research were necessary requirements, and midwives' abilities to treat women as individuals, adopt a caring approach, and 'be there' for women were essential. A good midwife can compensate for poor management systems, but women should be able to choose who provides their care, and partners should be involved in this care.

The curriculum? That’s just a unit outline, isn’t it?

The term curriculum is familiar in school education, but more ambiguous in its usage in a higher education context. Although it is frequently used in academic staff discussions, policy and planning documents, and to describe advisory bodies, its usage is inconsistent and multifarious. This article reports a phenomenographic study of the ways in which academics conceive of the curriculum in higher education. It examines the variation in perceptions of curriculum, which is critiqued through the work of school curriculum theorists, who utilise Habermas’s theory of knowledge‐constitutive interests. The intention of this article is to explore the epistemologies and assumptions that underpin these conceptions, in order to promote an inclusive and shared vocabulary as a basis for curriculum development.

Misconceptions About the Greenhouse Effect

Studies have shown that both students and the general public possess many misconceptions about the processes involved in the greenhouse effect and ozone depletion. This study, conducted in a mock summit class on global climate change, explored the level of understanding and the nature of students' misconceptions about climate. Several times throughout the class, students responded to a set of questions about the greenhouse effect. Through analysis of their responses, we were able to track changes in students' mental models, evaluate the degree to which they were able to overcome misconceptions, and assess the permanence of the newly achieved understanding. Based on these results, we comment on the potential role of these students in public decision making related to global climate change, and discuss ways in which misconceptions could impede sound judgment on issues related to climate policy. Based on previous experiences with both teaching and assessing student learning about global climate change, we propose key principles that we consider minimum knowledge for an undergraduate student in Earth Science. We suggest that Earth science educators should focus on identification of key principles in all areas of the discipline and use those as the basis for curriculum development.

In support of the cognitive‐developmental approach to moral education: a response to David Carr

David Carr (2002) has argued against the use of developmental theories as a basis for curriculum development in moral education. Although we find common ground with some aspects of Carr's arguments, we disagree with several of his criticisms of the cognitive‐developmental approach to moral education. He confuses romantic ideology (as espoused by Rousseau and others) and progressive ideology (as espoused by Dewey and others); he assumes that developmental theories have no endpoint or final goal from which to structure moral education; and he argues against the use of psychological inquiry to validate a philosophical ought. This paper is an attempt to clarify Carr's arguments and propose a justification for the developmental approach to moral education.

Adolescent needs, curriculum and the Eight-Year Study

This paper explores the concept of needs as a basis for curriculum development through the deliberations of the US educators associated with the Progressive Education Association's Commission on the Secondary School Curriculum of the Eight-Year Study (1933-1941). Noting how divergent views of 'needs' influenced American educational thought from the 1930s to the life-adjustment movement of the late 1940s and 1950s, the importance of social philosophy is underscored as a pre-requisite for curriculum development and criticize the current standards-based reform movement in US education for the lack of concern with both student needs and social theory.

Language Awareness in Nova Scotia Schools: An Exploratory Study

The author conducted a questionnaire survey of language awareness in 358 students studying in Grades 8, 10, and 12 English classes in three rural and three urban schools in Nova Scotia. The main objectives of the study were to learn just how sensitive these students were to key aspects of language prior to any deliberate instruction in language awareness, to obtain new information about levels of natural language awareness as the basis for curriculum development, to uncover significant subject variables in relation to developing language awareness, and to clarify the theoretical distinction between “ordinary” and “critical” language awareness.

A nursing model in action: the University of British Columbia experience

At the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Nursing, a model building challenge in the early 1970s launched 2 decades of model development and application projects. In this paper, selected creative applications will illustrate the utility of a nursing model beyond its explicit direction for clinical practice decision-making. The UBC Model for Nursing had been applied as a basis for curriculum development and teaching strategies in a baccalaureate programme as well as a foundation for nursing administrative decisions in a variety of clinical agencies.

Working with persons with serious mental illness: implication for social work recruitment and retention.

Educating and recruiting practitioners to work in community-based settings with persons with serious mental illness has become a national health person-power issue, particularly in underserved rural areas. This study was conceived in order to obtain a better basis for curriculum development and recruitment strategies. Graduate and undergraduate social work students, representing the greatest pool of mental health practitioners, were surveyed about their perceptions about working with persons with serious mental illness and about factors which are most important to their future job satisfaction. The findings indicate positive perceptions about work with the seriously mentally ill population by a significant number of students, and further reveal that students project job satisfaction factors related to intrinsic reward and ability to learn and grow in their work. The findings also reveal group differences related to educational level, previous work experience in mental health and expressed interest in working with persons with serious mental illness. Important implications for practitioner education, recruitment, administration and job development and ongoing in-service training are discussed.

Movement Science and Its Relevance to Physical Therapy

The purpose for a special series of articles in Physical Therapy devoted to movement science is threefold. First, physical therapists will be exposed to current research in this broad behavioral domain. This may have important implications for the discipline and profession of physical therapy. Second, physical therapists will have access to a body of knowledge that may have been overlooked because it was not seen as immediately relevant to clinical practice. Third, the series could serve as a basis for curriculum development and study in physical therapy education programs. By providing this exposure in Physical Therapy , unjustified barriers to particular research questions, methodologies, and related literatures may be overcome. Two concepts are presented that provide a framework for the 23 contributions to the movement science special series.…

Using the ‘Craft’ Knowledge of the Teacher as a Basis for Curriculum Development: a review of the National Writing Project in Berkshire

(1990). Using the ‘Craft’ Knowledge of the Teacher as a Basis for Curriculum Development: a review of the National Writing Project in Berkshire. Cambridge Journal of Education: Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 57-72.

Models of nursing as the basis for curriculum development: some rationales and implications

Within this paper the notion of a model of nursing as a basis for curriculum development is explored. Firstly the factors which a curriculum developer in nursing might take under initial consideration are discussed. It is then argued that a nursing faculty must identify and define its conceptualization of nursing and what it is to be a nurse. The process of conceptualizing nursing itself is examined. The paper goes onto argue that once a nursing faculty has reached a consensus view as to what constitutes nursing, then it either designs or selects a model of nursing which supports their particular conceptualization. Educational literature is cited to support the view that curriculum design, process and content are interrelated and that student learning is facilitated when the relationship between these three factors is coordinated. It is suggested that a nursing curriculum can achieve such an integration if a model of nursing is used as the conceptual framework. Finally some of the implications of adopting a model of nursing are stated.

Survey of duties and responsibilities of current music therapy positions.

Survey questionnaires examining the duties and responsibilities of current music therapy positions were mailed to 200 active registered and nonregistered music therapists randomly selected from the 1978-70 NAMT membership directory. The information was sought to: (a) enrich communication among active music therapists and persons interested in the field; (b) act as a possible reference basis for curriculum development; and (c) examine the potential of a classification plan for music therapy positions entailing similar duties and responsibilities. Surveys completed as directed were received from 127 (63.5%) of those music therapists sampled. Analysis of these surveys identified several practical skill areas common to many of the respondents. Certain position responsibilities were identified as significantly related to existing levels of music therapy positions, as implied by official job titles. These findings warrant further discussion of a national classification plan for music therapy positions.

Developing Service-Based Teaching in Health Education for Medical Students

In the expanding concern about the social-behavioral aspects of health care in medical education, health education has opportunities for making itself an important part of basic medical training. The need is to actually define a physician's appropriate educational tasks and competencies as a basis for curriculum development in health education which would ideally be integrated into the whole educational program. This case study presents efforts to develop an educational service component at a rural health center which, connected to a major teaching hospital, serves as a learning base for medical students. Through trial and student feedback a program has been developed which includes patient counseling, evaluative home visits, group education sessions, exit interviews, medication counseling, community needs assessment and educational consultation with local school teachers. With this program as a foundation, the goal is to integrate health education learning throughout the rest of the medical curriculum.

Development and implementation of a computing major program based on suggested ACM curricula at an undergraduate liberal arts college

Two recent ACM reports have been published suggesting curricula for undergraduate education in Computer and Information Sciences. These reports have provided the basis of a new major program, the Computer Coordinate Major, recently established at Trinity College. The synthesis of these reports with the curriculum of the College in developing the new major is discussed. The resulting program is suggested as a case study in the implementation of the ACM reports. It is recommended that the ACM reports be regularly reviewed and up-dated so as to continue to provide the basis for development of curricula for undergraduate education in computing.