Curriculum Guidelines Research Articles

Cultural Education Sustainability and Development of Vocational Business Education in Nigeria

Culture and art is a significant aspect of human life, and the aim has been to create ideas relevant to the new interdisciplinary education as no society survives without cultural values. Culture is one of the phenomenon that shape individuals toward moral integrity and human development. Culture therefore helps to engender development and sustainability in the society. Without culture no society can make progress into the sustainability of its future civilization. Thus this paper is designed to evaluate the contributions of cultural education sustainability towards the achievement of developing vocational business education in Nigeria. The paper adopted explanatory descriptive approach which is content analysis. The paper discourse is centred on: concept of culture and cultural education, value/importance of cultural education, overall impact of cultural education and contributions of cultural education to the development of vocational business education in Nigeria. The paper concluded that sustainable Culture and vocational business education are connected phenomenal that collaborates to build a society with human and sustainable civilization. The development of culture influences the development of vocational business education and Nigeria can only leverage on the values of culture to shape a better curriculum of vocational business education. Thus, vocational business education cannot achieve its laudable objectives in Nigeria without embracing the norms and caprices of the culture of the society. Consequently, the paper recommended among others that educational institutions should develop curriculum guidelines and resources that incorporate cultural education components into vocational business programs at all levels of education, from secondary schools to tertiary institutions. Ensure that cultural education is integrated across relevant subjects, such as entrepreneurship, marketing, tourism, and international business.

A comparative study of early childhood education and care national documents between China and Finland

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) serves as a crucial foundation for children’s holistic growth and lifelong learning. Despite its significance, comparative analyses of leading ECEC documents across cultures remain limited. To address this gap, our study conducts a comparative analysis to identify key aspects and examine similarities and differences in national ECEC documents from China and Finland. Methodologically, we used a triangle of researchers from China and Finland. We employed qualitative content analysis to systematically identify, examine, and compare the key aspects in these two countries from the leading ECEC documents, i.e., the Chinese national ECEC guidelines and the Finnish ECEC national core curriculum. The findings reveal numerous similarities alongside notable differences. Both countries place a high value on ECEC, emphasizing principles that shape the learning environment and use diverse pedagogical methods. However, nuanced variations exist in the approaches. The Chinese documents feature more specific guidelines tailored to different age groups, accompanied by detailed pedagogical suggestions, while the Finnish national core curriculum offers general guidelines for all preschool age groups, complemented by the unique feature of individual development plans for each child. The findings have significant implications for policymakers, ECEC educators, and practitioners in international contexts. Future studies are needed to further explore the specific pedagogies in ECEC between these two nations and to analyze how the curriculum and educational guidelines are implemented in pedagogical practices.

Secular Contrasts in Physical Fitness and Athletic Skills in Japanese Elementary School Students (11-Year-Olds).

Since 1964, Japan has been conducting a wide fitness and athletic skills evaluation among 2000-3000 school children. This study used data made public by the Japan Sports Agency from four events that have continuously been evaluated from 1964 to 2021-grip strength, 50 meter dash, repetitive side jumps, and softball throw-to depict a secular trend over the course of 58 years. This is to statistically categorize these into generations, establishing secular contrast by identifying high and low scores for each event within the categorized generations, with the intent to examine the factors embedded within the background. The generations that had the highest average across all four events were the measurements made in 1970-1993 for males and in 1972-1994 for females. Changes made to the curriculum guidelines may have played a role in the differences found within each event. The goal of physical education and its syllabus and assigned hours in the curriculum guidelines are revised approximately every 10 years to meet social demand. Changes in the social and living environments surrounding children may be exhibited in the form of secular contrast in the measured physical fitness and athletic skills.

Integrating Digital Skills Competencies into Professional Diploma in Education Curriculum in Vocational and Technical Education in North-East Nigeria

The main aim of the study was to integrate digital skills competencies into Professional Diploma in Education curriculum in Vocational and Technical Education in North-East Nigeria. The study was guided by three research questions and three hypotheses. The study adopted a survey research design was carried out in northeast Nigeria. The population of the study was 1485 comprising 993 Vocational and Technical Education lecturers from 9 Colleges of Education (COEs) where PDE are undertaken in the northeast, 210 ICT experts from the 9 COEs, and 182 Education Supervisors from the Ministry of Education in the six States of the Northeast. The study adopted Simple random sampling and a sample size of 317 respondents was determined using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size table. A structured questionnaire was utilized to gather data for the study. The questionnaire was validated by three experts and a reliability index of 0.86 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha after a trial test. The data for the study was analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while ANOVA was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 l3v3l of significance. The study revealed that 26 digital skills competences, 26 general performance objective as well as 26 specific objectives each grouped into 8 clusters were found relevant for inclusion into the vocational and technical Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) curriculum in northeast, Nigeria. It was recommended that The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and the National Teachers Institute (NTI) should adopt the identified digital competencies into the PDE curriculum of the Vocational and Technical Education curriculum; and the NCCE and NTI should update the curriculum guidelines and standards to explicitly include digital skills competencies as essential components of the PDE curriculum in vocational and technical education.

Conceptualisations of ‘good’ writing in the English primary school context

This study investigates conceptualisations of ‘good’ writing held by local education leads, primary school teachers and their pupils following the most recent iteration of England’s National Curriculum. Despite curricular changes designed to improve writing performance, significant discrepancies in ‘good’ writing constructs and priorities are recorded across stakeholder groups: leads primarily value the interpersonal and stylistic aspects of writing, pupils conceptualise writing quality as a mastery of ‘technical accuracy’ whereas teachers frame writing as an opposition between reception matters and technical accuracy. Our analysis also indicates that the latest curriculum guidelines provide less detailed information on the non-compositional aspects of writing than earlier descriptors. This is likely to influence school practice and negatively impact the development of a shared concept of ‘good’ school writing that may be foundational for substantial improvements in children’s writing outcomes.

국가 교육과정에서 지역 교육과정 개발을 위한 지침 설계 방안 탐색

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to analyze the case of Finland’s 2014 National Core Curriculum in order to draw implications for the design of guidelines for the development of local curriculum within the national curriculum framework. [Methods] The Finnish 2014 national curriculum Document(Basic Education), related materials from the Finnish National Board of Education, and the Helsinki curriculum Document(Basic Education) as an example of a local curriculum were analyzed in this study. This study examined the local participation in the national curriculum reform process, the characteristics of the guidelines for local curriculum presented in the national curriculum documents, and how these guidelines have guided local curriculum. [Results] This study revealed the following. First, the revision of the Finnish national curriculum sought to ensure local participation in the process, both internally and externally. Second, the Finnish 2014 national curriculum foregrounded the significance of local curriculum, with each chapter of the document detailing issues to be decided locally. Third, in the case of the Helsinki curriculum, the guidelines for local curriculum set out in the Finnish 2014 national curriculum functioned to help local actors articulate local perspectives to complement the content of the national curriculum. [Conclusion] Based on the results, the study discussed the need to strengthen the procedural participation of the local actors in the next national curriculum revision process, the need to include specific detailed statements in the national curriculum to support the development of the local curriculum, and the need to rethink the way local curriculum documents are organized.

Reflections and Tessituras From Course Conclusion Work: Where Is Physical Education in Ceará Heading?

In many institutions in Brazil, it is necessary to prepare a Final Course Work to obtain a bachelor's degree. The TCCs (Trabalhos de Conclusão de Curso) reveal trends in scientific production, as is the case with Physical Education programs, structured in accordance with the National Curriculum Guidelines (2018). This study aimed to analyze the themes and theoretical contributions reflected in the Final Course Works that support scientific production in the field of Physical Education at a University Center located in the State of Ceará. The bibliographic research was predominantly qualitative. Data were analyzed using Content Analysis and simple descriptive statistics. The results showed a higher production from undergraduate programs (54.4%), with bibliographic research and foundational, diagnostic, or descriptive studies being the most used in the six semesters analyzed. The main emerging topics were studies on Digital Addiction, Remote Teaching, and Physical Education as a tool for preventing generalized anxiety disorder. In this scenario, the practice of mapping and evaluating knowledge production in the field of Physical Education is gradually becoming recurrent as it uncovers possibilities and breakthroughs in this area of knowledge.

Teaching of Science and Biology: a critical analysis of curriculum guidelines on conservation in Latin America

América Latina presenta amplia biodiversidad, multiculturalidad y problemáticas ambientales complejas. Sin embargo, la esfera educativa debe comprender la crisis ambiental desde una óptica interdisciplinar, proponiendo mecanismos que resuelvan este escenario emergencial. Esta investigación analizó la incorporación de dimensiones de la conservación en las directrices curriculares nacionales (DCN) de Ciencias y Biología en 20 países de América Latina. Fueron ponderados dos índices para comparar la calidad y el abordaje de la conservación en las DCN. Se encontraron 50 temas asociados a la conservación y los DCN fueron clasificados en diferentes categorías de conservación, con predominio de abordaje conservacionista o pragmática. Concluimos que es necesario fortalecer la calidad de la discusión curricular sobre la conservación en las escuelas de América latina.

Assessing the Suitability of Fifth Grade Textbooks on 'Ecosystems and Our Environment' in Lebong Elementary Schools

This descriptive-quantitative study examines the eligibility of Grade 5 student textbooks on the theme of ecosystems and the environment at Lebong Regency Elementary School, using survey and observation to collect data and analyze it quantitatively. Lebong District's 93 elementary schools, including 180 fifth-grade teachers, are sampled using regional sampling, a random selection technique taken per sub-district. The study's main data is gathered through a questionnaire and secondary data from sources like textbooks for class IV students on the theme of "Ekosistem dan Lingkungan Sahabat Kita". The results of the research show that the conformity factor of material description with KI and KD is considered quite appropriate with an average percentage of 56.76%. Then, in terms of accuracy, the material was assessed as meeting the requirements with a percentage of 62.92%. Then, in terms of learning support materials, it was also assessed as meeting the requirements with a percentage figure of 64.3%. Finally, Factors for suitability of material descriptions with KI and KD, material accuracy factors, and learning support material factors were also declared to meet the requirements after obtaining a percentage figure of 62.47%. The results of the research concluded that the feasibility of a textbook for fifth-grade students on the theme of ecosystems and the environment of Our Friends at Lebong Regency Elementary School was eligible because it met several criteria such as the suitability of the material with Core Competencies (KI) and Basic Competencies (KD), material accuracy, learning support material, suitability of material descriptions with KI and KD, material accuracy factors and learning support material factors. The study reveals positive aspects of Lebong Regency Elementary School's Grade 5 student textbooks on ecosystems, including conformity with Core Competencies, accuracy, and learning support. However, improvements include aligning with curriculum guidelines, improving content clarity, optimizing learning support materials, and continuous evaluation for better educational impact.

Layanan Supervisi Klinis Terhadap Pembelajaran Bahasa Arab di Madrasah Aliyah

The role of educators in the learning process is crucial in determining educational quality, necessitating the enhancement of their capacities and competencies. Clinical supervision is a unique approach in educational supervision that focuses on empowering educators to remain relevant to curriculum guidelines while addressing students' learning needs. This method involves engaging educators in discussions to identify their weaknesses in the teaching process and guiding them towards solutions. This qualitative-descriptive study, utilizing interviews, observations, and documentation, examines the implementation of clinical supervision in Arabic language teaching at Madrasah Aliyah Muhammadiyah Kabila. The results indicate that clinical supervision helps educators formulate learning processes that stimulate student interest and encourage active participation. Arabic language instruction at the school employs both traditional and modern approaches. The traditional approach forms students' basic cognitive skills, while the modern approach applies these skills to everyday situations such as verbal communication and information technology use. Clinical supervision in Arabic language teaching is seen as bridging the gap between educators' psychological conditions and students' psychological readiness in the learning process. This approach proves effective in enhancing the quality of Arabic language instruction and student engagement.

INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS FOR EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT; THROUGH CURRICULUM IN GHANA

This study aims to investigate the integration of technology in the preparation of prospective teachers for educational management through the curriculum in Ghana. Utilizing a qualitative approach, the study analyzes how technology is embedded in learning and how prospective teachers respond to it in the context of education management. The main focus of this research is on the concept and use of technology in the educational process to enhance the understanding and skills of prospective teachers. However, the study found that the curriculum policies, structure, and guidelines for pre-service teachers lack a clear vision for effectively integrating technology. Interviews with policymakers indicated their recognition of the importance of technology integration but also revealed the lack of investment hindered its progress. Drawing on the study's findings and existing research, context-specific recommendations are proposed, focusing on promoting innovative technology-based pedagogical models and developing effective leadership. The study involved participants from a teacher preparation program in Ghana, with data collection conducted through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and curriculum document analysis. Data were analyzed using an inductive approach to identify common patterns in technology integration and prospective teachers' responses to it. The results of this study are expected to provide insights into the extent to which technology is integrated in the teacher preparation curriculum in Ghana, as well as its impact on teacher candidates' readiness to manage education. The practical implications of this study can provide recommendations for improving the teacher education curriculum, adapting teaching strategies to technological developments, and increasing the effectiveness of teacher preparation in the digital era. The findings can provide valuable guidance for policy makers, educational institutions and educators to ensure that prospective teachers have the relevant and necessary skills to face future educational demands.

The Implementation of the 2013 Curriculum: Concept, Application and Quantitative, Qualitative and R&D Approaches

Curriculum alterations have become a common occurrence, coincident with advances in technology and informational resources. This is designed to maintain alignment with the current educational landscape and to ensure relevance to contemporary times. Research is a scientific process that is formal and intensive. This is because it refers to established rules, cycles, and ways of representation that are necessary to obtain results that are recognized and beneficial to human life. The methodology employed in this research study was a systematic review of the literature. This approach was utilized to describe and elucidate the fundamental tenets of qualitative, quantitative research, as well as research and development initiatives associated with the implementation of the 2013 Curriculum. This result of the study is the concepts of qualitative, quantitative, and research & development research—along with their respective characteristics, types, and applications—offer significant benefits in the realm of education, particularly in the context of curriculum development. These research methodologies, which are commonly utilized in educational settings, align with the 2013 curriculum guidelines, facilitating studies or research related to education, thereby enabling more effective and impactful outcomes.

Measures of central tendency in primary education textbooks in Chile

This study analyzed the tasks associated with measures of central tendency proposed to Chilean students from 5<sup>th</sup> to 8<sup>th</sup> year of basic education. For this purpose, the activities involving mean, median, and/or mode were identified through the revision of two series of textbooks (16). The units of analysis were (1) type of measure, (2) task, (3) context, (4) support, and (5) cognitive skill. The main findings allowed us to indicate that the texts are aligned with the curricular guidelines, with tasks mostly associated with mean and mode, prioritizing calculation. Additionally, the tasks lack a context that gives meaning to the data. The support in which the data is presented is written and tabular. Finally, regarding the type of cognitive skills with the greatest presence in the textbooks, these are at a basic level.

Differenzierung und Individualisierung im Fremdsprachenunterricht – Ergebnisse einer deutschlandweiten schulübergreifenden Befragung von Fremdsprachenlehrkräften

The omnipresent heterogeneity in every classroom challenges teachers of all types of different schools to meet the diverse, individual educational needs of their students. Despite the curricular guidelines of the federal states regarding differentiation and individualisation, the empirical basis of the demanding management of heterogeneous learning groups in the foreign language classroom is surprisingly scarce. This circumstance led to a quantitative study conducted in 2019, focusing on differentiation, and individualisation in the most frequently taught foreign languages in Germany (English, French, Italian and Spanish,). More than 600 foreign language teachers from all over Germany participated in the online survey, regardless of their specific subject combinations and school types. The results of the collected data illustrate the various learning group constellations, the used techniques, methods and materials, and their (dis-)advantageous features according to the respondents’ perception.

Textualization of Curriculum Guidelines for Mandarin Chinese Language Instruction in 12-Year Basic Education

Textualization of Curriculum Guidelines for Mandarin Chinese Language Instruction in 12-Year Basic Education

Foreign experience of software testing engineers training: analysis of educational standards and programs of American universities

The article aims to explore the U.S. educational system's approach to training software testing specialists, highlighting specific features and methodologies. The study involves analyzing key standards for IT engineer training in the USA, such as the ACM/IEEE Computer Science Curricula, ABET Accreditation Criteria, ISTE Standards for Educators, and CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards, their overall context and targeting, as well as the inclusion of both fundamental and IT-specific disciplines into their content. In the study of each standard, particular emphasis was placed on defining the place and teaching methods of theory and practice of software testing in the university curriculum guidelines. As it was revealed in the analysis, despite the extremely similar interpretation of basic concepts and practices in the context of software testing, opinions about the methodology of their teaching and the need to study as a separate discipline, differ in a set of reviewed standards. Additionally, the research examines training programs at leading American universities, including MIT, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon University, to identify how software testing and quality assurance are reflected in their curricula, covering full-time training programs for students in computer science, software engineering and similar related fields. The analysis examined programs in both general and basic disciplines in the context of information technology, and specific to a certain technological or organizational area, such as mobile device development or IT project management. The content of the subjects, the list of modules and lectures, as well as tasks for extracurricular work, available in open sources, was also analyzed and searched for topics related to quality assurance or software testing. As revealed in the study, in most technical universities testing is not covered within a separate discipline, but is taught as a part of ones related to development practices. However, some training programs, in particular the Master's level, still have disciplines, devoted exclusively to quality control, testing management and automation

An international interdisciplinary approach to developing video educational materials promoting mental health literacy among adolescents in the Philippines.

Adolescent mental ill-health is a common international challenge affecting both high- and lower-middle-income countries. The Republic of the Philippines enacted its first mental health law in 2019, underlining the importance of the promotion of adolescent mental health education in schools. In Japan, course instructions about mental ill-health were formulated in a Course of Study that reflects governmental curriculum guidelines. Embedded since 2022, the Course of Study aimed to promote an understanding of current issues of adolescent health. The National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Japan has been sharing experience of promoting public health practices and advancing medical technology in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the Western Pacific region. This paper describes the development process and content of these resources by an interdisciplinary team from Japan and the Philippines. The interdisciplinary team created an embedded mental health education programme using animated videos for the Philippine school curriculum to improve mental health literacy in adolescents. Two six-minute animated videos of age-relevant stories were created. The animation scenarios illustrate: 1) mental health problems and recovery; and 2) major symptoms of mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Each animated video presents several items for discussion among students and/or teachers, both in class and online for students unable to attend school. Our efforts may provide good opportunities for enhancing adolescents' mental health activities in the Philippines. In the following steps, we should investigate the effectiveness of school-based MHL using these animated videos with rigorous evaluation methods.

Integration of mathematics in the pedagogy licensure: analysis of the course at IFTO Porto Nacional

The methodology employed in this study followed a qualitative approach, as per Gil's (2017) guidelines, using descriptive and interpretative analysis. The Pedagogical Project of the Pedagogy Degree Program (PPC) of the Porto Nacional Campus, the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), and Resolution CNE/CP No. 1 of May 15, 2006, were examined. The research aimed to understand and contextualize the curricular guidelines of the course in light of the educational policies established by the BNCC and Resolution CNE/CP No. 1/2006. Detailed readings and comparative analyses of the documents were conducted to identify points of convergence and divergence. The analysis of the results highlighted that the Pedagogy Degree Program at the Porto Nacional Campus - IFTO provides comprehensive training aligned with national curricular guidelines. Graduates are prepared theoretically and practically to work in various professional contexts, including teaching Mathematics, demonstrating ethical commitment and an understanding of students' needs. The course's Fundamentals and Methodologies of Mathematics Teaching discipline addresses the necessary content and methods for effective Mathematics teaching in the early years of Elementary Education, following BNCC guidelines. The course promotes students' engagement and commitment to their professional development, reflecting in the effectiveness of graduates' training.

Analysis of Formative and Evaluative Activities on Statistical Graphs in Textbooks for Chilean Rural Multigrade Education.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the formative and evaluative activities involving statistical graphs in the new textbooks for Chilean rural multigrade education. The methodology is qualitative, at a descriptive level and uses the content analysis technique. The sample is made up of the six primary education textbooks distributed by the Ministry of Education for rural multigrade schools. The results show the predominance of the bar chart, semiotic level 3, the task of calculating and the personal context in both types of activities, although with respect to the reading level, it is evident that level 4 predominates in the formative activities and level 2 in the evaluative ones. According to the results, it is recommended to incorporate graphs proposed by the curricular guidelines of the Ministry of Education, which are absent in textbooks as well as to include evaluative activities that require reflection on the nature of the data, context, representation and conclusions obtained from them.

Analisis Kendala Guru dalam Penerapan Kurikulum Merdeka di Sekolah Dasar

This study aims to find out how the inhibiting factors become obstacles for teachers in implementing the independent learning program at SDN 2 Sanden. This research is descriptive qualitative research with the determination of informants using a purposive sampling technique. The sources of information for this research consisted of four class teachers and the school principal. Data collection techniques using interviews and observation. Test the validity of the data using the credibility test of the source triangulation technique. The data obtained was then analyzed using the Miles and Hurbermen technique or model which consists of data reduction, data presentation, drawing conclusions and verification. The results showed that there were many problems implementing the independent curriculum, one of which was the teacher's constraints in implementing the independent curriculum. The obstacles included difficulties in preparing learning tools according to the independent curriculum guidelines, lack of facilities and infrastructure, and teachers have difficulty adapting to the Independent Curriculum. Change cannot be obtained instantly, good cooperation is needed between all parties, both teachers, school principals, agencies, parents, and other related parties. The independent curriculum is expected so that students can develop according to their potential and abilities.