Local Curriculum Research Articles

Teacher inquiry and learning stories: a site for pedagogical change

ABSTRACT This article draws on the research findings of a case study at Greerton Early Learning Centre in Aotearoa, New Zealand, utilising data from the teachers’ research inquiries into their professional practice. Teachers’ inquiries included Learning Stories – a research-based sociocultural narrative assessment approach – written for children and families. Teachers, as part of usual practice, to deepen collegial understanding of their local curriculum (the learning and teaching culture), shared Learning Stories. The research findings indicated that the dialogical process involved in sharing Learning Stories strengthened teachers’ pedagogical practice. Constructing case study data using teacher inquiries was useful because it allowed for a zooming-in approach to understanding children’s learning identities by way of the Learning Story narrative assessments [Carr 2001. Assessment in Early Childhood Settings: Learning Stories. Sage] that captured learners’ lived experiences over time, across cultures, and community spaces. A zooming-out focus then enabled wider comments about the effectiveness of strengthening children’s learning identities and stretching teachers’ pedagogical practice through analysing Learning Stories that tracked the continuity and progress of both learning and teaching. All participants provided informed consent, including choosing to forgo anonymity.

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.

Pedagogical Leadership in Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care through the Lens of Practice Architectures

This research examines how practice architectures, i.e., cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements both enable and constrain the pedagogical leadership practice of early child-hood education (ECE) center directors (N = 3). The data were collected by a qualitative shadowing method and analyzed deductively using the theory of practice architectures. The findings revealed that social- political arrangements were fundamental for directing pedagogical leadership practice, affecting both material- economic and cultural-discursive arrangements. The social- political arrangements of pedagog-ical leadership were grounded in the municipality’s organizational structure; in turn, this structure organ-ized daily pedagogical leadership practices. Social-political arrangements were narrated as the directors emphasized the importance of national guidelines, legislation, and implementation of the national and local curricula. These were related to the material-economic arrangements because they required organizing time for discussion and further training of personnel. The national guidelines combined material-economic and social-political aspects as well as cultural-discursive arrangements in leadership practice, as pedagog-ical development aligned with legislation and national curriculum demands in a wide range of leadership functions in ECE centers. The essence of pedagogical leadership practice was the focal point of joint dis-cussions regarding pedagogy and the implementation of curriculum in the ECE centers. Most significantly, the quality of these discussions could enable or constrain pedagogical leadership and were influenced by cultural-discursive arrangements and leadership philosophy of the center directors alike.

Menganalisis Perbandingan Pendidikan Kurikulum Dinegara Indonesia Dan Negara Finlandia

When viewed from educational issues. In particular, the Indonesian curriculum can be categorized as a country whose education curriculum is still low, when compared with countries that have advanced education systems. Coupled with evidence from reports from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conducting an international survey using a test called the Program for Assessment (PISA). The method used in this paper is a literature review because it compares education systems, especially the curriculum between Indonesia and Finland. The curriculum components in question are results and discussion. Data collection methods are related to the topic of this paper. Primary School Curriculum in Finland and Indonesia The 2014 Finnish National Core Curriculum (FNCC) is divided into two parts. The general part includes the importance of the local curriculum, the local curriculum process, the mission and general objectives of basic education, as well as evaluation. In the primary school curriculum, the parts that relating to subjects is divided into several levels (grade 1, grade 2, and grades 3 to 6). The Finnish curriculum is designed to provide standard content and serve as a guide for educational institutions. Subjects are adapted by local authorities to the needs of students, schools, and even parents can participate in editing the curriculum and its objectives.Education in Finland is based on an integrated curriculum system.The Indonesian curriculum also includes several core subjects such as language, religious education, citizenship education, social studies, mathematics, science, physical education and sports, skills and vocational, arts and culture, as well as local content.

IMPLEMENTATION OF BOARDING-BASED FORMAL SCHOOL LEARNING AT SYUBBANUL WATHON HIGH SCHOOL TEGALREJO MAGELANG

Modern developments have made changes in the world of education, one of which is combining the formal school education system which uses the national curriculum and the Islamic boarding school education system which uses the local curriculum. This research aims to increase knowledge about the Islamic boarding school-based high school learning system which is currently rarely implemented in the Indonesian education system. This research uses qualitative methods, namely data collection methods through interviews and observations as well as through library sources, scientific journal articles and books. This research discusses the integration of the formal school education system and the Islamic boarding school education system at Syubbanul Wathon High School. The process of accepting new students requires applicants to take general knowledge tests such as English, Indonesian and Mathematics, as well as a reading and writing test of the Al-Qur'an. The implementation of learning is divided into 2, namely male students study from morning to afternoon and afternoon to evening reciting the Koran at the boarding school, while female students do the opposite. Then in the evening the santri and female students continue to recite the Koran at the Islamic boarding school. Learning evaluation is carried out by combining all assessments at school and at the Islamic boarding school. A learning system like this can balance students' religious knowledge and general knowledge, so that there will be no gaps in one of them.

Maintaining Local Languages Through Local Content Curriculum: Analysis of Contextual Approaches and Field Learning

It is not impossible that language undergoes changes over time. The existence of local languages among teenagers and young people is no longer a communicative language choice in the environment where they are. The purpose of this research is to elaborate on the role of education, especially local curriculum, in preserving the local language by involving contextual approaches and field learning to teach the local language in schools. This study applies qualitative description with a literature review approach. Data is obtained by collecting reference materials such as books, theses, and journals manually and online. Manual data collection is done at the library, while online data collection involves downloading e-books and scientific journals from the last 10 years. The data are analyzed using content analysis, which involves reviewing books, journals, and theses to answer formulated questions. The results of this study indicate that an effective method for implementing local language learning is a method with contextual approaches and field learning. The contextual method applies components of constructivism, questioning, exploration, modeling, and authentic assessment. Meanwhile, field learning brings students closer to the relevance of context in learning the local language

Epistemic agency, Indigenous knowledge, and the school science curriculum: reflections from Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT In this article, we take up ongoing questions about relationships between epistemic agency, Indigenous knowledge, and the school science curriculum. We were brought together as curriculum advisors to provide guidance in the form of a conceptual framing for teams working on updates to Aotearoa New Zealand’s national curriculum and assessment frameworks. We contribute, therefore, to this critically important discussion from within the context of an ethical and political imperative that is currently driving curriculum reform in our context: he mana ōrite mō te mātauranga Māori (equal status for Māori knowledge). It is from this context that we share how we have arrived at a ‘multiple knowledge systems’ approach to science curriculum reform. We argue that a science curriculum for the Anthropocene must afford teachers the creative space to bring together multiple knowledge systems in the form of a local curriculum, supporting students’ inventiveness, empathy, and epistemic agency.

Supporting transdisciplinary STEAM practices: Integrating architectural modelling into mathematics education through a cross-cultural dynamic lesson plan (DLP) tool

This paper proposes a cross-cultural dynamic lesson plan (DLP) tool that could be adopted by teachers across different cultures to implement STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) education practices. An abundance of well-developed lesson plans is available to teachers on numerous Internet sites, but the cultural diversity of such lesson plans – i.e., difficulty to customize for alignment with local curriculum and lesson plan requirements, make it difficult for teachers to utilize and share these resources – due to the lack of flexible customizations for orientation with local curriculum and lesson plan requirements. This study suggests an approach to overcome such challenges by presenting the DLP tool to assist teachers’ STEAM teaching practices using GeoGebra for learning content elaboration. Our proposed transdisciplinary STEAM practice uses architecture as a real-life example that connects mathematics learning to culture and history through mathematical modelling. This study follows a design-based research approach to develop and implement DLP tool and its related design heuristic. Moreover, the study is examining how the DLP tool can be utilized with teachers cross-culturally and how it could support teachers in professional development workshops to design transdisciplinary STEAM lesson plans. The qualitative analysis of teachers’ artefacts developed during these workshops demonstrated the versatility of DLP tool to address cultural diversity in lesson planning through these STEAM practices applications. The emerging themes from this study show that regardless of participants’ cultures, using the DLP tool to implement transdisciplinary STEAM practices could support teachers in developing operational and shareable lesson plans.

Curriculum Making Across Sites of Activity in Upper Secondary School Vocational Education and Training: A Review of the Research in Sweden

Purpose: This paper presents a qualitative systematic review of Swedish research on vocational education and training (VET) at the upper secondary school level over the past 20 years. The review is based on a theoretical model on curriculum making as social practice that may serve as model for comparative studies between countries. By introducing the model, the ambition is to open for new perspectives on VET curriculum in policy and practice. Questions regarding key themes and the interplay of discourses and processes across multiple sites in the education system have not been addressed in previous systematic reviews of Swedish VET research. Methods: The methodological approach in the present paper is a qualitative systematic research review with an integrative and interpretative purpose and research design. The qualitative review is based on the conceptual model of curriculum making as social practice, seeking to capture the inherent complexity and porous boundaries of education systems and movements of ideas, discourses and actors between sites of activity. The model is used for mapping the research, and a content analysis for identifying main themes and emphases and exploring and discussing the potential gaps that may inform future international research studies. Findings: The results show that the research is focused on the micro and nano sites of curriculum making, with connections to macro site activities of national curriculum policy enactment. Research focusing on the macro site of activity has an emphasis on national policy and policymaking regarding the relationship between academic and vocational knowledge/programmes and apprenticeship and employability. In the micro and nano sites of activity – which comprise the majority of the research – the main themes are vocational knowing and identity, teaching, learning and assessment practices and work-based learning. Conclusion: An observation is the absence of principals and middle leaders as actors and informants in the studies. There is little evidence of actors moving between sites of activity and the meso site of activity only comprise a very small part of the research. In this respect, there is a potential gap to be explored, not least regarding how local curricula and syllabi are made and shaped in terms of the influence of representatives from local authorities, companies, trade unions, employer associations, universities and regional agencies. Curriculum making as social practice has the potential to be used for comparative international studies and as a framework that takes national differences in VET education systems into account.

Enhancing Local Cultural Education: Proposing a School Model Infused with Heritage for Vietnamese High School Students

Heritage education for students is essential for developing an understanding of history, culture, and UNESCO's sustainability goals. In Vietnam, Tra Vinh city stands out for its cultural diversity, showcasing tangible and intangible cultural heritages from the Vietnamese, Chinese, and Khmer ethnic groups, including national treasures and intangible relics. Despite this richness, there exists a research gap in enhancing cultural heritage education in Tra Vinh, limiting the educational utilization of its cultural wealth. This paper introduces a school model integrating heritage education in Tra Vinh city to enhance the local curriculum and support sustainable development. Emphasizing student-centered learning with local heritage materials and experiential learning, the model promotes practical application of heritage knowledge. Through curriculum integration, extracurricular activities, field trips, and scientific research projects incorporating local heritage, the proposed model aims to enrich students' educational experiences and deepen their appreciation for Tra Vinh's cultural heritage. By applying the experiential learning theory and integrating technology, the model seeks to create a dynamic educational environment fostering students' connection to Tra Vinh's cultural legacy and advancing local sustainability efforts.

Towards diverse, critical understandings of “international” for higher education

PurposeThe study explores diverse and critical understandings of “international” in a higher education curriculum context, situated in a curriculum review of a postgraduate taught programme entitled “International Education” at a university located in England. Our study problematises and decentres some dominant, normalised notions of “international”, exploring critical possibilities of engaging with the term for higher education internationalisation.Design/methodology/approachWe examined a set of programme curriculum documents and conducted a survey exploring teaching staff’s uses and interpretations of “international” in their design and delivery of course units. Through a thematic analysis of the dataset, we identify what “international” might mean or how it may be missing across the curriculum.FindingsOur findings suggest a locally-developed conceptualisation of “international” beyond the normalised interpretation of “international” as the inclusion or comparison of multiple nations, and different, other countries around the global world. More diverse, critical understandings of the term have been considered, including international as intercultural, competences, ethics, languages and methods. The study provides an example approach to reflective scholarship that programmes can undergo in order to develop clarity, depth and purposefulness into internationalisation as enacted in a local curriculum context.Originality/valueThe study provides a first step towards establishing clearer guidelines on internationalising the curriculum by higher education institutions and individual programmes in order to challenge a superficial engagement of “international” within internationalisation. It exemplifies a starting point for making purposeful steps away from normalised notions and assumptions of international education and facilitates development towards its critical, ethically-grounded opportunities.

What guides student learning in the clinical years: A mixed methods study exploring study behaviours prior to the UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA)

Purpose Student study behaviours that prioritise the UKMLA content map over the local curriculum are a significant risk for UK medical education. To mitigate this, we describe a student-centred faculty process to improve local curriculum guidance based on an evaluation of student study behaviours, concerns and needs. Responses informed the build of an online curriculum map. Methods A mixed methods approach was adopted, including an online anonymous survey exploring student study behaviours and preferences for curricular guidance. This was followed by student-led focus groups to explore emergent themes further. Qualitative data underwent reflexive thematic analysis. Results 121 students responded to the survey, of which 12 consented to participate in two student-led focus groups. Five key themes emerged, including motivation for learning, student use of the intended curriculum, student experience of the enacted curriculum, the hidden curriculum, and expectations of an online curriculum map. Conclusions A participatory framework enabled shared aims and responsive outcomes for curricular development in the run up to the UKMLA. Student responses led to clarification of guidance, reorganisation of learning resources and optimal design of an online curriculum map which linked all content in a visible, UKMLA aligned framework, accessible to all students and teachers.

교육과정을 중심으로 한 학교와 지역 간 교육협력 방향의 시론적 탐색

Purpose: This study seeks to theoretically explore ways to strengthen educational cooperation between schools and regions focusing on the curriculum. Method: Differences in educational perspectives inside and outside of schools and solutions centered on curriculum are examined through literature analysis. Results: There are differences in educational perspectives between schools and regions, school-centered curriculum exclusivity and regional alienation, insufficient curriculum communication due to discussions on leadership, and differences between universal education and regional-specific education. To narrow this, curriculum-centered education is needed. Efforts are needed to communicate inside and outside the school, develop a local curriculum in which schools and regions participate, collaborate with schools and regions to interpret core competencies and achievement standards, and incorporate community resources into a curriculum that meets these. Conclusion: For meaningful educational linkage and cooperation inside and outside of school, efforts are required to activate curriculum-centered communication, cooperatively interpret achievement standards, and effectively achieve them.

Exploring Mixed Reality Board Games as an Innovative Educational Tool for Teaching History in Primary Schools

This study investigates the challenges of teaching history to primary school students and the endeavour to develop a board game, supported by educational apps and augmented reality, to enhance the learning experience. The initiative is in response to the New Zealand Ministry of Education's mandate that New Zealand's history must be taught in all Kura and schools' local curriculum from 2023. (Ministry of Education, 2023). The study was conducted in two phases. The first phase explored teachers' attitudes towards using technology as a teaching aid and the availability of digital devices for interactive teaching and learning. The results showed that many teachers are supportive of using board games and technology in their teaching. In the second phase, a board game was developed and trialled with a group of teachers and students as expert representatives for the target group. The results showed that the mixed reality board game has great potential and is well worth continued development. The study also suggests that emerging disruptive technologies such as mixed reality can create effective and engaging learning and teaching environments.

Water sanitation and hygiene practices of the indigenous Tharu community in Chitwan, Nepal

Nepal is a multi-ethnic country with cultural diversity according to ethnicity. Culturally rich, the Tharu ethnicity is the fourth largest ethnic group. Sanitation and hygiene are integral parts of their culture. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are fundamental for everyone. This study aims to identify the WASH practices and situation of diarrhoeal diseases among the Tharu ethnic group in the Chitwan district of Nepal. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was used for the study. The study area and ethnic group were selected randomly. Primary data were collected using an interview schedule and observation checklist. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 24. The findings confirmed that all households clean their yards, and about 9 in 10 (87.5%) respondents have dustbins in their households. Almost all (98.8%) clean their kitchen utensils twice daily, and 96.8 percent use ash or soap as a cleaning agent. Nearly all (99.7%) households have a toilet (92.8% water seal), whereas 75.3 percent use water, brush, and cleaning agents, and 96.8 percent use separate slippers in the toilet. All the respondents wash their hands with soap before eating food and after defecation. Almost all (95.7%) wash their hands with soap after cleaning yards, 92.5 percent after cleaning the child’s bottom, 91.5 percent after touching cow dung, 89.9 percent after agricultural work, 73.1 percent after feeding the child, and 90.7 percent after cleaning the toilet. The study shows that 46.3 percent of women and girls use commercial sanitary pads during menstruation, and 43.7 percent use pieces of cloth as pads. About half (49.6%) clean their genitals four or more times daily, whereas nine in ten (92.6%) respondents take a bath four or more times during the menstrual period, and 76.8 percent use soap as a cleaning agent. In the previous year, only 26.1 percent of respondents’ families suffered from diarrhea; however, nobody was infected by cholera. The study suggests that socioeconomic status and contextual factors must be improved to strengthen and sustain WASH practices. Including good WASH practices of indigenous Tharu people in the local curriculum could motivate them to empower and develop further good practices, which is possible through the school curriculum, which the local and federal governments mandate.

Ustad Strategy in Moral Development in the Sea Tribe Communities on Kojong Island

Moral are important in life, in the world and hereafter. Good morals have impacton good life and vice versa. Thus, knowledge abaout morals and moral developmet is very necessary. This is no exception for the Sea Tribe community. Purpose of the research is find out the strategies of the master in moral development and factors that influence it. So, this research is include in qualitative research. Obtaining data used observation, interviews, and documentation. Analyzing using John Creswell Data Analysis. And the result is master used strategy in moral development of local curriculum, and emotional approach. The supporting factors were motivation, enthusiasm, and open attitude. The inhibiting factors is lack of human resources and infrastructure.

Overcoming isolation: Online collaboration among rural primary school principals in New Zealand

This paper examines online collaboration between small rural primary schools in New Zealand, focusing on principals' perspectives. Through semi-structured interviews with eight principals involved in the Virtual Learning Network (VLN) Primary, the study explores the benefits, challenges, and key factors for successful collaboration. The findings indicate that online collaboration can provide professional support, workload relief, and expanded learning opportunities for students. However, challenges include varying expectations across schools and tensions between centralized online learning and local curricula. The study highlights the importance of shared understanding, time commitment, equity in contributions, and strong leadership for effective collaboration. It also discusses the principals' mixed experiences with the Communities of Learning, Kahui Ako initiatives. The research contributes to understanding how rural schools can leverage technology and professional networks to enhance educational opportunities, offering insights for school leaders and policymakers on fostering successful collaborative networks in rural education settings.

浅议乡土课程资源在高中历史教学中的开发与运用——以重庆市为例

浅议乡土课程资源在高中历史教学中的开发与运用——以重庆市为例

Practices of Local Curriculum at School Level in Jhapa District: A Review

Out of the subjects to be taught at the basic level (Grades 1–8) in school-level education in Nepal, one is a local subject. The main objective of this study is to analyze the local curricula developed and implemented by three municipalities (Kanakai, Birtamod, and Damak) of Jhapa district. Based on Taba's model of curriculum development and Local Curriculum Development and Implementation Guidelines, 2019, the local curricula of the three municipalities have been reviewed. As per the results obtained, the curricula of the three municipalities have clearly followed the steps of the above model and the framework of the guidelines. It was found that after ascertaining the level-wise competencies based on local needs diagnosis, the present curricula have attempted to match these competencies with the determination of course contents, content elaboration, and evaluation process. The curricula cover topics such as urban-specific social behavior, cultural-religious activities, geographical diversity, occupation and business, local environmental problems, health and yoga, special personality introduction, disaster management, etc.

A Study of the Application of Local Skills in Classroom Instructions in Nepal

This study aims at identifying the prevalent status of the application of local skills in classroom instructions in study area in the context of government schools in Nepal and analyzes the reasons behind the available status of the application of local skills in classroom practices in study area. It also attempts to recommend some strategies for the development of local skills oriented classroom instructions for the development of practical education through functional or task-based classroom instructions. Based on qualitative method, the data have been generated through PRA, classroom observation, and semi- structured interview. The collected data have been analyzed by using thematic analysis under interpretative paradigm. The study has revealed a poor status of the application of local skills based classroom instructions in study area along with the issues of teacher development, administrative supervision, local need, examination system and also emphasizes on addressing the development of skill-oriented local curriculum for the development of task-based classroom instructions in study area and in general.