Implications For Curriculum Planning Research Articles

Trajectories of powerful knowledge and epistemic quality: analysing the transformations from disciplines across school subjects

ABSTRACT This paper outlines the development of a comparative research framework in subject didactics and applies this in the process of analysing the transformations from academic disciplines across different school subjects. The theoretical framework builds on the concepts of ‘powerful knowledge’ and ‘transformation’ and ‘epistemic quality’ within which transformation processes from the classroom to the societal level are considered as ‘trajectories of powerful knowledge and epistemic quality’. The framework is used to analyse the findings from recent empirical studies across school subjects that have been reported on in publications arising from the Knowledge and Quality across School Subjects and Teacher Education (KOSS) network. 1 The paper then focuses on analysing the transformations from disciplines across school subjects, given that the first boundary in defining powerful knowledge concerns knowledge that is specialized in both how it is produced and transmitted. To analyse this boundary, the findings from the empirical studies are grouped into broad subject categories. These are then compared with the corresponding disciplines by using the widely cited Biglan classification scheme of academic disciplines in higher education. Finally, we consider the implications for curriculum planning and teacher education policy and reflect on the concept of subject-specific educational content knowledge (SSECK).

Conceptual Knowledge and Its Importance in Teaching Mathematics

Purpose: This study highlights the importance of teaching conceptual knowledge alongside procedural knowledge in mathematics. It examines the effects of a lack of conceptual knowledge on students’ responses to mathematics teaching from the perspectives of researchers and educators. Approach/Methodology/Design: This study draws on interviews with 30 secondary school mathematics teachers from Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq on conceptual knowledge in mathematics. The study focuses on three main areas: mathematics teachers’ perspectives on teaching conceptual knowledge, the conditions needed to teach conceptual knowledge, and the obstacles that they face in teaching conceptual knowledge. Findings: A thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that mathematics teachers believed that conceptual knowledge is as important as procedural knowledge. In addition, they believed that achieving a balance between conceptual and procedural understanding and emphasizing the connections between them are necessary for understanding real mathematics. Practical Implications: Many mathematics teachers tend to use traditional teaching methods that focus on procedure and neglect conceptual mathematics. The results of this study would offer insights into the difficulties associated with mathematics teaching. Moreover, it would have practical implications for curriculum planning, emphasizing the balance of both conceptual and procedural knowledge. Originality/value: The study focuses on mathematics teachers’ perspectives on teaching mathematics conceptually, the conditions needed to teach conceptually, and the obstacles that they face in teaching mathematics conceptually.

Learning progression in the humanities: identifying tensions in articulating progression in humanities in Wales

AbstractThe paper explores tensions in the articulation of progression in learning across the Humanities disciplines. Informed by our review of research in the Humanities disciplines, international curricula on progression in these areas and reflections from professional activity within the newly defined Humanities ‘Area of Learning and Experience’ in the new Welsh curriculum, this paper describes how learning progression in Humanities has been conceptualised within the new curriculum and then delineates and critically reviews four challenges that emerged when identifying and describing the progression in learning in the new Humanities curriculum. Tensions include the relationship between disciplines; the balance between knowledge, skills and values; the differences between underlying models of progression in Humanities; and balancing the complexity of learning with practical considerations for a national curriculum. Underpinned by the Integrity Model of Change, this paper makes a contribution, through providing new insights on broad aspects of learning progression in Humanities and highlighting the potential benefits and challenges of taking particular decisions within each of these four tensions. Implications for curriculum planning and future research are offered, including the fundamental role of professional learning in curriculum development and enactment.

Koncept in umestitev učnega izida v slovenski visokošolski prostor

Learning outcomes and their integration into the Slovenian higher education area. The authors discuss the concept of learning outcome and critically evaluate its definition, translation into the Slovenian language and its implications for curriculum planning in (higher) education. Methodologically, the article is the impact analysis of the process of Europeanisation on the conceptualisation of learning outcomes in European (higher) education. More precisely, it evaluates the impact of the European Qualifications Framework and A Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area on the contemporary understanding of learning outcomes.

A Global Context for Instructional Leadership: Implications for Teaching and Teacher Preparatio

Various school systems across the world are facing a plethora of global changes and realities that dictate rethinking instructional practices and professional training of teachers. Pressures on schools to promote conceptual knowledge and relevant skills for all students to be successful in the technologically advanced world in order to succeed in the competitive world continue to mount. Similarly teachers are constantly facing the challenges dictated by the universal culture that exerts a huge power on learning and teaching as manifested in today's classrooms. Thus there is a need for paradigm shift which underscores the need to prepare globally competent students and teachers in the technologically advanced world. This paper focuses on the vital role of teachers as instructional leaders who undertake their tasks and responsibilities within the local and global contexts of schools. It delineates a workable model for teaching and teacher preparation in global environments by establishing a set of goals for both students and teachers as a blueprint for skillful interaction in the complex world. Drawing on pertinent research and literature in the field, the discussion introduces an instructional leadership model conducive to producing promising educational outcomes. Finally, implications for curriculum planning, pedagogical practices, and teacher education are drawn while suggesting specific guidelines and ingredients for educational success.

Economic Education and Student Performance in the Business Discipline: Implications for Curriculum Planning

The authors conducted an empirical examination of the relationship between extra-normal ability (inability) in principles of economics courses and student performance in the various areas of the business discipline such as finance, marketing, management, and accounting. Extra-normal ability is defined as the part of an economics grade that cannot be explained by a student's general academic ability. The authors found the relationships to be disparate. Performances in finance and management were found to be related to extra-normal ability in both micro- and macroeconomic principles; for marketing, performance was found to be related only to microeconomics, and it was found to be unrelated in accounting and economics principles. The authors argue that effective curriculum designs should involve variation of economics emphasis across the different business concentrations.

Nursing students’ use of technology enhanced learning: A longitudinal study

Background: Nurses are expected to be information and communication technology (ICT) literate at registration but, despite the growth of social uses of technology, little is known of the views of students on the use of technology enhanced learning. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience and confidence of first year pre-registration nursing students with information and communication technologies and technology enhanced learning. Methods: A prospective longitudinal survey design with multiple data collection strategies was employed. Cross- sectional surveys using a new ICT and Education Scale at three time-points were used to collect data. The target population were first year UK nursing students (n=458); of those 287 (41.7%) participated in the initial baseline survey. Results: There were three main findings. First, more than half of the respondents (67%) reported that they were not confident with aspects of information literacy and were not prepared for technology enhanced learning (60%) as they entered university and these aspects showed least change through time. Second, from varied starting points at baseline, respondents’ experience and confidence with ICT skills showed different trajectories over time. Third, there was some evidence that demographic profile was related to use and acceptance of ICT in the educational context. Conclusions: There is some evidence that nursing students find it difficult to negotiate the boundaries between their pre-university experience with technologies and that of education and practice. In a rapidly changing technology environment this has implications for curriculum planning in the first six months of a programme of study as well as student/staff preparation for technology enhanced learning.

Confucianism and early childhood education: a study of young children's responses to traditional Chinese festival stories

The teaching of values has seen renewed interest, as educators, policymakers and parents seek ways of increasing peaceful coexistence for children in a conflict‐driven world. Education systems are again reviewing values as part of their core mission. Confucian values form the core of most Asian cultures, penetrating different levels of social life, and also set the standards for most families, communities and political behaviour. The research reported in this study set out to examine young children's expressed views of Confucian values represented in traditional stories of four Chinese festivals. Within this research, Confucian values were centred on five virtues: Ren (benevolence), Yi (righteousness), Li (courteousness), Xiao (filial piety), and Zhi (wisdom). The four selected Chinese festivals were: (1) Chinese New Year, (2) Dragon Boat festival, (3) Chung Yeung festival, and (4) Mid‐Autumn festival. Participants included 392 children aged four to five years from 29 kindergartens or nursery schools and 57 pre‐service early childhood teachers in Hong Kong. Results showed that the values of Ren (benevolence) and Yi (righteousness) were the most popular responses among local young children, while the value of Li (courteousness) tended to be the least popular category. Some implications for curriculum planning in early childhood education are discussed arising from the study findings.

Preschool Teachers' Views of Active Play

This study surveyed 98 teachers of 4-year-olds about dramatic play in their classrooms and about their attitudes and practices about rough-and-tumble play. Gender differences emerged in the nature of dramatic play reported and in the ways in which teachers interacted with children engaged in different forms of dramatic play. Teachers also reported their coursework in early childhood education as the greatest influence on their beliefs and attitudes about rough-and-tumble play. The findings have implications for curriculum planning, school behavior policies, and teacher education programs.

Undergraduate socialization in medical education: ideals of professional physicians’ practice

AbstractA study of professional socialization in a medical education programme in Sweden is presented. The aim of the study was to explore ideals held within the educational practice concerning what constitutes an effective professional practitioner. Sixteen respondents from educational practice, eight teachers and eight students, were interviewed regarding their views on what constitutes ‘the ideal physician’, i.e. the desirable end product of medical education. Their responses were classified into six virtues: wisdom, discipline, humility, empathy, maturity and strength, each with corresponding vices. These virtues and vices reflect a desired direction for professional socialization during medical training and the professional performance of physicians. They also provide useful indicators of what has been described as medicine’s hidden curriculum. Implications for curriculum planning and the organization of learning in medical education are discussed.

Critical Reading of Science‐Based News Reports: Establishing a knowledge, skills and attitudes framework

A recognised aim of science education is to promote critical engagement with science in the media. Evidence would suggest that this is challenging for both teachers and pupils and that science education does not yet adequately prepare young people for this task. Furthermore, in the absence of clear guidance as to what this means and how this may be achieved it is difficult for teachers to develop approaches and resources that address the matter and that systematically promote such critical engagement within their teaching programmes. Twenty‐six individuals with recognised expertise or interest in science in the media, drawn from a range of disciplines and areas of practice, constituted a specialist panel in this study. The question this research sought to answer was “what are the elements of knowledge, skill, and attitude which underpin critical reading of science‐based news reports?” During in‐depth individual interviews the panel were asked to explore what they considered to be essential elements of knowledge, skills, and attitude which people need to enable them to respond critically to news reports with a science component. Analysis of the data revealed 14 fundamental elements which together contribute to an individual’s capacity to engage critically with science‐based news. These are classified in five categories “knowledge of science”, “knowledge of writing and language”, “knowledge about news, newspapers and journalism”, “skills”, and “attitudes”. Illustrative profiles of each category along with indicators of critical engagement are presented. The implications for curriculum planning and pedagogy are considered.

Un enfoque constructivista para el desarrollo del currículo en ciencias

The differences between children's ideas and scientific thinking gives us some indication of the types of changes and the magnitude of those changes which we may be attempting to promote in young people's understanding during school years. In this paper 1 will review how such changes might be promoted and consider implications for curriculum planning.

Before Head Start: Income and Ethnicity, Family Characteristics, Child Care Experiences, and Child Development

The present study describes the early life histories of a large sample of three-year-old children from different ethnic backgrounds living in three levels of family income—poverty, near-poverty, and above-poverty. The study examined the developmental characteristics of children in the three groups and related them to family characteristics and experiences in child care. To no one's surprise, significant differences associated with income were found for most of the family measures. Poverty and near-poverty families were more likely to have mothers with lower education, less sensitivity, more depression, and lower HOME scores. Correlatively, for the child development measures, there was an upward progression associated with income. Poverty children consistently showed the greatest deviation from established norms for cognitive and social behavior. A striking finding, however, was the considerable variability found on all the measures—a pattern not sufficiently stressed in related research. This finding has major implications for curriculum planning in Head Start programs. The analysis also showed that child care experience cannot be disregarded as a significant aspect of the history of a prospective enrollee in Head Start or other intervention programs geared to low-income children. Fewer of these children are likely to have a child care history, as families that used at least 10 hours of child care per week were less likely to be either poor or near-poor and thus eligible for enrollment. While this may reflect selection factors associated with child care usage, it also indicates that availability of child care is essential for borderline families that try to stay out of poverty. Number of hours of care per week and age of enrollment did not predict developmental level when the full income sample was considered. However, when only poor and near-poor children in care for at least 20hours a week were used in the analysis, higher quality of care was associated with more favorable developmental outcomes in the children.

Self-perception, individual learning style and academic achievement by a pair of bilingual twins in a secondary school

This study is concerned with the academic progress and achievement of a pair of newly arrived bilingual twins in a secondary school in London and the affective factors involved. Differences in their personality traits and self perception resulted in the development of their divergent personal learning styles. The introverted personality of one of them helped him to adopt a relatively 'deep' learning style while the extroverted personality of the other enhanced his group work, talk and classroom socialisation under appropriate circumstances. Task interest, appropriate learning strategies and supportive situations improved motivation as well as learning style for both of them. The students' learning behaviour reported in this investigation have implications for curriculum planning in schools.

The Role of Drawing in Graphic Design and the Implications for Curriculum Planning

Over a number of years a programme of research has been carried out into the role of drawing in design processes, primarily the graphic design process, and on the possible implications for curriculum planing for design students. From the findings of an original in‐depth analysis of the use of drawing in the commercial environment of the design consultant, various initiatives in educational planning and assessment in England and Scotland have been fostered and a contribution has been made to the ongoing debate in drawing studies

Comparison of Characteristics and Attitudes of Entry-Level Bachelor's and Master's Degree Students in Physical Therapy

The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between type of entry-level education and selected student variables. Students in their final year of education in entry-level bachelor's and master's degree programs in the United States (N = 766) participated in the study. Questionnaires were mailed to these students, who represented 22 entry-level physical therapy programs selected at random from the December 1991 issue of Physical Therapy. Two-tailed t tests for independent means and chi-square analyses were performed to determine statistical significance for interval data and categorical data, respectively. Five hundred twelve surveys were returned, for a response rate of 66.8%. Master's degree respondents anticipated greater involvement in research and teaching and felt better prepared to practice across a broad spectrum of clinical practice and to perform activities related to research, teaching, management, and direct access practice. Baccalaureate programs, however, appeared to attract a greater percentage of minority individuals (14.9% versus 5.8%, respectively). These results suggest that differences exist between entry-level bachelor's and master's degree students in physical therapy. Findings of this study may have implications for curriculum planning, recruitment and scholarship efforts, and policy formation in physical therapy education.

The ecology of dramatic play centers and children's social and cognitive play

Traditional housekeeping and novel dramatic play centers were employed to compare the effects of theme, novelty, and duration on the social and cognitive play of 2 1/2- to 5-year-old children in a repeated-measures design (Term 1, n = 47; Term 2, n = 53). Significantly more dramatic play was observed in the familiar than the unfamiliar centers and on Day 1 of each novel center than on Day 3. The hypothesis that children would engage in more frequent dramatic play in the novel and postintervention housekeeping centers, compared to baseline, was generally not supported. Girls preferred the traditional housekeeping centers, whereas boys preferred the novel centers; age differences in preferences were also apparent. Findings are discussed in light of direct implications for curriculum planning and specific recommendations are advanced for educators.

Ten Curriculum Questions for Principals Questions for Principals

This writer poses several questions that have strong implications for curriculum planning, and asks the read er to consider how the central topic or deeper con cern of each question should be transformed to meet the needs of individual practice.

The Changing Face of Computer Utilization in Social Work Settings

Abstract This paper describes survey results from 103 human service agencies serving as MSW training sites. The survey concerned: (a) Their current and projected computer utilization for direct and indirect practice activities; and (b) perceived issues, benefits, and emerging training needs regarding responsible and effective use of the computer. These findings' implications for curriculum planning, for practicum development, and for reconceptualizing computer literacy are explored.

Comparing Texts and Faculty/Practitioner Priorities for MBA Marketing Research Course Content

A mail survey revealed general agreement and some differences in faculty and practitioner priorities for including specific data collection and analysis techniques in an MBA marketing research course. Texts give varying emphases to these techniques. Results from this analysis of texts and priorities have implications for curriculum planning and course content.