Curriculum Theory Research Articles

Individualized New Teaching Mode for Sports Biomechanics based on Big Data

Sports biomechanics is an applied discipline with relatively strong theoretical knowledge. At present, it is used as an analysis means in exercise training in various countries and plays a huge promotion role for the development of competitive sports and sports science. However, phenomena, such as single-teaching methods, fixed-teaching thinking, backward-teaching environment, and hardware, still exist in the current education for sports biomechanics. For such phenomena, we perform individualized IRDC (Internet + retrieval literature + big data + cloud) teaching by using the Internet big data analysis and considering different characteristics of every student and apply it in online teaching of sports biomechanics course. We base our proposed individualized IRDC teaching mode on postmodern curriculum theory. According to four features, namely, rich, recursive, relational, and rigorous, we propose an individualized IRDC online teaching mode in this study. Moreover, we apply a new wireless telemetry surface EMG tester as a learning tool of practical teaching in the teaching mode, which we use to acquire Internet information data of online course and induce a real time communication between teachers and students. Finally, we adopt the principal component analysis to develop evaluation indices, including expert evaluation in and out of school and peer teacher evaluation, for the teaching mode. We find through teaching practice that the proposed individualized IRDC teaching mode can make the best of advantages of big data teaching, help teachers implement targeted individualized teaching, and contribute to the improvement of students' academic performance and comprehensive qualities.

Curriculum Conceptualization, Development, and Implementation in the Ethiopian Education System: Manifestations of Progressive Curriculum Orientations

This article examines curriculum conceptualization, development, and implementation in the Ethiopian education system against the perspectives of notable progressive curriculum theories. To this end, the Ethiopian education policy and curriculum documents were reviewed against progressive curriculum orientations stemmed from Beauchamp, Pinar, and McNeil’s curriculum theories. The conceptualization of curriculum has suffered much from dizziness and blurred classifications of theories by different scholars. Despite the naming differences, value-oriented, child-centered, constructivists, re-conceptualists, social reconstructionist, and humanist theories were regarded as progressive curriculum orientations. Based on thorough reading of the literature, we came to believe that all these theories emphasize on considering learners’ interests, needs, and backgrounds either as an individual or as a group as a centerpiece in the curriculum development and implementation processes. Thus, the article analyzes the manifestations of value-oriented, child-centered, constructivists, re-conceptualists, social reconstructionists, and humanists’ theories in the whole education system of Ethiopia. On the basis of the discussions made on progressive curriculum theorists’ curriculum conceptualization, development, and implementation in the educational context of Ethiopia, relevant recommendations were forwarded.

An Investigation into Chinese Influence on the Current Curriculum of Bachelor of Business English Degrees at Vietnamese Universities

In education across the world the curriculum plays a very important part, as it guides student learning and helps to realise what the teacher has planned. A lot of research has been conducted on curricula; however, few studies have investigated the Bachelor of Business English (BBE) curriculum and even less focusing on Vietnamese universities. This project aimed to investigate the present curricula of BBE at Vietnamese universities to gain important understandings about the purposes of the curriculum of BBE. The project adopted an interpretivist, qualitative approach using document analysis to investigate BBE curricula. Information about the present curricula was collected from the official websites of Vietnamese universities and was analysed using thematic coding. The findings revealed that the present curricula of BBE, which is a national curriculum framework, is influenced by the curriculum theories of Bobbit (1918) and Tyler (1949). In addition, the results show the components of the BBE curriculum has been influenced by a Chinese influenced BBE framework. And yet, interestingly, today there is a focus on English language competence, rather than Chinese or Russian language competence. Nevertheless, the key findings reveal some concerns with the present BBE curriculum in Vietnam.

Anatomy of a Peace Educator: Her Work and Workplace

This article reports a case study that examined the peace education practice of a 5th and 6th grade teacher at an independent, non-profit school in the Mid-western United States. The study used Paulo Freire’s (1970) conception of dialogue as its conceptual framework. After describing the study’s context and methods, we present data focusing on the teacher’s background and development as a peace educator, her teaching practices, and her relationships with her students, school and local community. We discuss Michelle’s interdisciplinary approach to peace education linked with her personal background and her use of dialogue as dynamic, fluid, and relational. Our analyses also prompted emergent themes for which we used curriculum theory to capture forms of integration between the personal and political dimensions of peace education, based on which, we propose an “integrated peace education.”

P. H. Hirst의 전기와 후기 논의에 대한 재고찰을 통한 교과 지식과 역량의 관계 탐색

본 연구의 목적은 Hirst가 전기 논의에서 옹호했던 ‘지식의 형식’과 후기 논의에서 지식의 형식의 대안으로 제시했던 ‘사회적 실제’의 관계를 살펴봄으로써 교과 지식과 역량의 관계를 규명하고 그것으로부터 차기 교육과정 개정을 위한 시사점을 도출하는 데에 있다. 그 결과, 사회적 실제는 지식의 형식을 정당화해주는 근거로서 지식의 형식과 층위가 다른, 교육목적이나 목표 층위의 개념이라는 점, 이러한 지식의 형식과 사회적 실제의 관계는 교과 지식과 역량의 관계에 그대로 적용될 수 있는 바, 교과 지식이 교육내용 층위의 개념이라면, 역량은 교과 지식을 정당화하는 근거로서 교육목적이나 목표 층위의 개념이라는 점이 도출되었다. 이러한 결론에 의거하여 본 연구는 차기 교육과정 개정을 위한 다음과 같은 시사점을 도출하였다. 핵심역량이든 교과 역량이든 역량은 교육내용이 아니라 교육과정을 개선하기 위한 일반적 원리나 방향을 지시하는 개념이다. 역량이 지시하는 교육과정 개선의 일반적인 방향이나 원리는 ‘교과 지식을 그것의 생생한 실제적 맥락과 함께 가르쳐서 학생들로 하여금 교과 지식을 “살아있는” 지식으로 학습하도록 해야 한다’는 것이다. 따라서 차기 교육과정 개정에서는 이러한 일반적인 방향이나 원리를 교과 교육과정 내용 구성과 관련된 구체적인 세부 지침으로 재해석하는 작업이 무엇보다 필요하다. 또한 교과 지식을 삶과 연계하여 배우도록 하기 위해서 교과 간 연계ㆍ통합이 적극적으로 이루어질 수 있는 방향으로 교과 교육과정이 개발될 필요가 있다.

Designing multilingual and multicultural curriculum

What is the relationship between language and culture? What role do language and culture play in designing curriculum that is inclusive of the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse students? What does multicultural and multilingual curriculum development look like? Scholarship on multicultural education acknowledges a strong interactive relationship between language, culture and learning and includes the benefits of bilingual instruction for multilingual students [10]; yet, often the assumption is that coming to voice takes place in English only [22]. Similarly, curriculum development for multicultural education is mainly done in the English language. The purpose of this article is to integrate both culture and language into the review of curriculum development that embraces both linguistic and cultural needs of diverse students. Using Sleeters [37] Un-Standardizing curriculum: Multicultural teaching in the standards-based classroom this targeted review encloses relevant scholarship in the fields of multilingual and multicultural education rooted in 4 central questions of curriculum theory: Question 1: What purposes should the curriculum serve? Question 2: How should knowledge be selected, who decides what knowledge is most worth teaching and learning, and what is the relationship between those in the classroom and the knowledge selection process? Question 3: What is the nature of students and the learning process, and how does it suggest organizing learning experiences and relationships? Question 4: How should curriculum be evaluated? How should learning be evaluated? To whom is curriculum evaluation accountable? [37] The results of the review provide educators and curriculum developers with much needed guidelines for developing comprehensive, culture and language sensitive curriculum.

Bespoke Music Theory: A Modular Core Curriculum Designed for Audio Engineers, Classical Violinists, and Everyone in Between

Traditional music theory curricula are increasingly scrutinized. Students regularly misunderstand the scope of epistemology and scope of theory, find theory intimidating and difficult, and fail to see its relevance to their career goals. In this essay, I outline a modular music theory curriculum, which works to address these negative perceptions through a combination of redesigned coursework and empowerment of students. After taking a 100-level course covering fundamentals and species counterpoint, students may take our three style-based 200-level courses in any order (18th-c music, 20th-/21st-c. music, and Pop/Jazz). We also offer a 300-level course in Baroque and Classical Forms. The content of these courses could and should be altered to fit the expertise of a given school's faculty and the needs of its students. This is especially beneficial to students who do not need four semesters of theory for their degree, such as music technology BAs, who can now take Intro and Pop/Jazz instead of learning strict chorale voice leading. This curriculum relates more clearly and obviously to each student's particular goals, clarifies the scope and context of each course, and reduces the gatekeeping aspects of the theory sequence to improve recruitment and retention.

교사와 교육과정 이론과의 관계 탐구

본 연구는 교육과정을 실행하는 주체인 교사가 교육과정 이론과 어떻게 상호작용하는지 그 과정을 탐구한 것이다. 이를 위해, 한 교사가 교육과정 이론을 탐구하고 그것을 어떻게 실제 현장에 적용하며, 그 과정에서 교육과정 이론을 어떻게 변이하여 내면화하는지 탐구했다. 연구 결과, 교사는 교육과정 이론과의 상호작용에서 다음과 같은 과정을 보였다: (1) 다면체로서의 교육과정 인식, (2) 이론의 사용, (3) 실제의 보완, (4) 실제적 이론 형성, (5) 실제적 이론 해석. 이 과정에서 교사는 교육과정 사용자 및 변용자의 면모를 보이며 절충적 기예를 발휘했으며, 자신만의 실제적 이론을 생성해냈다. 즉, 교사와 교육과정 이론과의 관계는 이론을 실제에 적용하는‘이론→사례’가 아닌 ‘이론→(실제적)이론’의 관계가 될 수 있으며, 이 때 교사가 생성한 실제적 이론은 교육과정 분야에 더 적확한 이론으로 작동할 수 있다.

An Empirical Analysis of Student Satisfaction in Practical Teaching––Research Based on Structural Equation Model

Since the middle of the last century, so far, practical teaching has been the focus of vocational education in our country[1]. This paper compares other practical teaching models at home and abroad, based on the two courses of “Real Estate Operation and Management” and “Curriculum Design” in the civil engineering major of our school, and discusses the satisfaction of the curriculum theory and practical teaching model. This paper mainly adopts the satisfaction model proposed by American scholars, combined with the data collected by the questionnaire survey, constructs the student satisfaction model of the practical teaching link, and obtains the linear path coefficient of the student’s practical teaching satisfaction and the student’s satisfaction index for the practical teaching link, so as to improve reform measures such as the assessment system, and improve the level of practical teaching, and ensure the effectiveness of practical ability training.

Curriculum Policy Implementation in Cameroon Education System Insights from Theories of Policy Change

This study takes as its point of departure the assumption that policy implementation is a complex process that cannot be fully understood without analysis of the complexities, tensions, conflicts, perceptions and dilemmas related to those engaged in the implementation. In curriculum, theories are used to provide explanations for practice that help to facilitate the creation and implementation of the curriculum. They also provide justifications that enable school practitioners to articulate the reasons for their actions and therefore help to assist the understanding of what has been created. Theories also criticize the outcome or that which has been created and implemented. It is therefore necessary to develop a fundamental understanding of curriculum theory by providing the tools necessary when analysing curriculum endeavours. This study has adopted four theories to provide an understanding of Educational policies in Cameroon.Itreviews the different theoretical perspectives relating to factors that impact on policy implementation and provide insights on trends in the approaches to curriculum policy implementation practices.

The Humilitant Pedagogue: An Invitation to a Refractive Curricular Encounter

The purpose of this auto-ethnographic study will be to explore and understand more fully how my experience of two educational events helped me discern between empty schooling and an educational education. I consider the theories of French philosopher Alain Badiou and their implications for English language arts curriculum and pedagogy. I hope to articulate what I will call a refractive curricular encounter as a contribution living within the traditions of reconceptualist curriculum theory, critical pedagogy and literary engagement. Such a refractive curricular encounter suggests breaking away from a given trajectory or set of coordinates; Badiou’s event does not interrupt or halt the world so much as interrupt the taken for granted knowledge and opinions, allowing the possibility of truths to emerge. As such, interruption is not static; interruption is vital and alive! I examine these truthful interruptions with a view to better understanding how neoliberal culture infiltrates my being so deeply as to have rendered my neoliberal and authoritarian urges invisible to me. My study also offers fruitful considerations for like-minded educators: how might framing education within an invitational context offer the possibility for an eventful-encounter to occur? Secondly, where Badiou suggests that the response to the emergent truth process ought to be one of a militant fidelity, I suggest that educators instead assume a disposition of what I call the humilitant teacher—a portmanteau of humility and militant. This paper explores the intersections of these notions and how they might offer insights into what it means to educate educationally.

Symposium: Emerging Perspectives on the Internationalization of Curriculum Studies

This symposium is concerned with understanding the forces that shape and influence curriculum in international contexts. The study of curriculum in international contexts reveals the insidious impacts of colonial, ideological and neoliberal influences on contemporary curriculum development in a variety of geo-cultural, political and economic contexts (Kumar, 2019). Four theoretical responses—Indigenous, critical, autobiographical and meditative—that provide thoughtful perspectives to challenge these negative influences will be explored in the symposium. The impact of intellectual movements such as Marxism and postmodernism on curriculum theory in varied political and economic settings will also be underscored. The symposium invites and initiates a complicated conversation around the internationalization of curriculum studies by inviting panelists from posthuman, Indigenous, black feminist, critical discursive and foundational perspectives to respond to the aforementioned colonial, ideological and neoliberal influences on curriculum development.

CABARAN PENDIDIKAN ABAD KE 21 SEKOLAH RENDAH

In this 21st century, the teaching and learning process has mostly been using various information and also communication technologies. This research aims to identify challenges in the implementation of the 21st century’s teaching and learning, and also suggestions to improve the teachers’ teaching and learning practices in the 21st century primary schools, based on the Emergent Curriculum Theory. Due to the dynamic nature of the Malaysian curriculum, which is driven by the changes in the environment and technological advancements, therefore this theory is the most suitable to be used because it is always open to many new possibilities. Enhancements in the teaching and learning practices by teachers need to be done so that all the shortcomings and constraints can be addressed immediately to achieve the goals outlined by the Ministry of Education (MOE). According to Wan Abdul Halim, Nor Laila, and Shafie (2006), ideal and excellent teachers are those who possess a high level of knowledge, experts in multiple fields, and efficient in carrying out their responsibilities as educators. A teaching and learning process will be effective if the teacher possesses skills and knowledge about the subject being taught and also an understanding of the aspects of student learning.

Tracing Implications of Transnational Policy in Curriculum Events

AbstractThe purpose of this keynote address is to discuss how curriculum theory can make a specific contribution to research on transnational education policy; in particular, curriculum theory has implications for national policy due to the interest in exploring educational phenomena at different levels of the school system. From a Swedish perspective on curriculum theory, the coordinative transnational policy ideas of having ‘high expectations’ and ‘raising standards’ are traced through three levels of analysis: the transnational/national societal arena, the programmatic curriculum arena and the classroom/teaching arena. The transnational policy idea of ‘international standards’ underpins the idea of standards‐based curricula, with a focus on the need to reach certain standards of knowledge and obtain equity in assessment; accordingly, such objectives have certain implications for curriculum structure and content as well as for actual teaching in the classroom. At each level of analysis, some concepts are introduced because of their potential to contribute in both exploratory and clarificatory ways. The analysis indicates that there is a need to uphold the role of the curriculum as a framework for genuine educational standards, with the professional teacher serving as the main actor for building educational relationships; otherwise, there is a risk that curriculum standards will degenerate into the instrumental standardisation of knowledge and teaching.

“Online + Offline” Course Teaching Based on Case Teaching Method: A Case Study of Entrepreneurship Education Course

Effective entrepreneurship education can not only cultivate students’ entrepreneurship awareness and inspire entrepreneurial potential, but also set up an entrepreneurial foundation and form entrepreneurial practice, but the current teaching system doesn’t have strong timeliness, due to the high interest of students and lack of rich teaching methods and means by college teachers. Taking “online + offline” entrepreneurship education courses as an example, an “online + offline” teaching mode based on case teaching method was developed in this paper. Based on curriculum theory, the author identified the attractive quality and must-be quality of this course by fully understanding students’ needs in the learning process of “online + offline” courses, and designed a questionnaire on the needs for the learning support services of “online + offline” course products, to understand the satisfaction degree of students corresponding to each need. At the same time, combined with the characteristics of the “online + offline” courses, by reference to the evaluation criteria of DEMATEL-ANP, course mentoring, communication, final exam, subtitles and video effect were taken as key indicators, to build an evaluation system to be used in this mode. Finally, the teaching practice proves that this mode can better increase students’ learning interest, expand the teaching content of entrepreneurship education course and improve students’ satisfaction with this course.

‘Powerful knowledge’, ‘cultural literacy’ and the study of literature in schools

AbstractThere is no doubting the influence of E.D. Hirsch and Michael Young on UK education policy and practice over the last ten years. Hirsch’s notion of ‘cultural literacy’ and Young’s idea of ‘powerful knowledge’ are the theoretical drivers of a national shift towards ‘knowledge‐led’ or ‘knowledge‐rich’ school curricula. Evidence of this shift is plain to see in the current iteration of the National Curriculum for England and in the mission statements of a growing number of schools and academy trusts across the country.According to Robert Eaglestone, however, there is a mistake under the floorboards of the new, knowledge‐rich curriculum. It is a mistake that damages and distorts teaching in a number of curriculum subjects, but Eaglestone ‐ a literary critic and theorist ‐ focuses on its disastrous impact on the teaching of literature. Both Hirsch and Young fall prey to scientism: they take knowledge in the natural sciences as a template for knowledge across the board. Eaglestone shows first how scientism is baked into the theories of ‘cultural literacy’ and ‘powerful knowledge’, then how the adoption of these theories in schools has disfigured and diminished the teaching of literature.Eaglestone’s argument is arresting, timely and compelling. For those tasked with planning and teaching English curricula in schools, his penetrating analysis of where things have gone wrong and how to put them right will be revelatory and transformative. And for those concerned with curriculum theory and education policy more generally, it will reinvigorate and reorient the debate about what is helpful and what is not in the work of E.D. Hirsch and Michael Young.

Al-Kindi on education: Curriculum theorizing and the intercultural Minhaj

This article presents Al-Kindi as the first Arab intercultural curriculum theorizer, rather than the first Arab philosopher as is often argued. He envisioned an intercultural and interdisciplinary curriculum within the Arabic intellectual tradition. This article proposes Al-Kindism as a conceptual framework for education that revisits interdisciplinary and intercultural possibilities geared toward conflict resolution and synthesis. It also explores how Al-Kindi was arguably the first in the Arabic intellectual tradition to initiate a move from Majlis to Minhaj, that is from Masjid learning practices centered on theological studies to schooling. In other words, in the absence of actual schooling, his educational vision offered a possibility of a conceptualized curriculum to be taught. Al-Kindi’s scholarly eagerness was driven not necessarily by, as generally perceived, the desire to promote philosophy, but more importantly, by the need to develop an intellectually responsive educational tradition to accommodate emerging intercultural encounters. He believed that the acquisition of true knowledge could only be achieved through intercultural competence and that such competence would eliminate the tension between Greek thought and Islamic culture. Thus, as a curriculum theorizer, Al-Kindi initiated a Minhaj marked by indebtedness to intercultural encounters, by a shift away from Majlis, and by the implementation of interdisciplinarity.

Gendering Social Studies: Teachers’ Intended and Enacted Curriculum and Student Diffraction

Due to intransigence of social studies curriculum-makers to broaden the scope of who and what is studied, women (especially non-white women) are lacking representation. However, some teachers go beyond the textbook to select alternative curriculum lenses. Utilizing curricular-instructional gatekeeping, complementary curriculum, and queer theory, this article examines how two secondary teachers who incorporate issues of gender and/or women’s experiences into their social studies curriculum describe their reasoning and intentions, how their expressed aims are manifested within their classrooms, and student reaction to the incorporation of gender and women’s experience in the social studies curriculum. Findings indicate participants value multiple perspectives and parity in social studies curriculum and map these ideas onto the explicit curriculum. However, student responses tend to resist teacher intentions and enactment of challenges to normative gender roles. This diffracted curriculum interferes with teacher aims, creating a curricular space where traditional assumptions of the gender binary play out in teacher-student and student-student interactions. These findings indicate a more relational approach to social studies curriculum may be needed to encourage students to engage constructively with nonnormative social ideas.

Politics, textbooks, and the boundary of ‘official knowledge’: the case of Liberal Studies in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT Liberal Studies (LS), a high-stakes senior secondary school subject in Hong Kong, has evoked widespread debate in recent years concerning the curriculum content about Mainland China. Highlighting the deregulated textbook policy on this subject as adopted by the Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB), this paper compares how specific socio-political issues in Mainland China are depicted in government-published and commercially-published LS textbooks. The findings demonstrate a significant mismatch between government and commercial textbooks, as well as differing narratives about Mainland China from one commercial publication to another. The paper argues that these divergences are closely related to the EDB’s current LS textbook policy, and they are reflective of the contradictions in the ongoing debate about LS and regional politics more broadly. Theoretically, this paper seeks to enrich the understanding of the notion of ‘official knowledge’ in critical curriculum theory, via an examination of the ‘non-official’ realm of knowledge production.

Teacher Preparedness in the Implementation of Early Childhood Development Education in Kericho County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was geared towards the analysis of the teacher’s preparedness and their attitudes towards the selection and use of the instructional resources in ECDE centers in Kericho County, Kenya. The research was based on the ideas and concepts of curriculum theorists; Gross et al. (1971), Tyler (1949), Fullan (1982) and Shiundu and Omulando (1992). A conceptual framework showing the relationship between the independent and dependent variables was also conceptualized. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and utilized a mixed methods methodology and was carried out in Kericho Municipality Zone, Kericho County. Simple random and stratified sampling techniques were used to select respondents who comprised of a target population of 84 head teachers and 180 pre-school teachers to get the sample size of 25 head teachers and 54 pre-school teachers from the selected ECDE centers. Data was collected using questionnaires, observation checklists and an interview schedule. The instruments for data collection were piloted in the neighboring Belgut Zone to validate the tools and determine their reliability. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, this included frequencies and percentages and the hypotheses were tested using Chi-Square test of association. Data was presented in the form of graphs, charts, and tables. The study provides useful information for the education policy makers to produce relevant learning resources and course books for the ECDE teachers. The Government of Kenya (GoK) can use the findings to consider funding the pre-school education and improve teacher preparedness and attitudes towards the use of instructional resources. Teachers can use the findings to improve on their preparedness and attitudes towards the selection and use of instructional resources. The major findings of the study showed that teachers were prepared, and had a positive attitude towards the selection and use of Instructional Resources. However, the status of the available materials in the centers were either inadequate, obsolete, dilapidated or unsuitable for use.