Perceptions Of Curricula Research Articles

Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Undergraduate Conducting Curricula: A Review of Literature

Conducting courses are a common component of undergraduate instrumental music education programs. The experiences students have in those courses vary across and sometimes within institutions. This variation is due to many factors including choice of instructional materials and sequences, as well as whether textbooks or other instructional approaches (e.g., Laban movement theory) are used and how classes are designed for students to practice and refine their conducting. In this review, I summarized and synthesized literature related to the structure and content of undergraduate conducting curricula, as well as students’ and teachers’ perceptions of those curricula. I also made suggestions for teaching practice and for further research, and proposed a shift in the discourse on undergraduate conducting curricula toward authentic context, pedagogy-rich coursework aimed at preparing students to successfully adopt the conductor-educator role in their future careers.

Faculty’s Attitudes Toward a Reformed Curriculum at a Medical School in China

Purpose Wuhan University Medical School in China launched a pilot project to reform its education by adapting the medical curriculum of the University of Chicago. Students in the pilot were educated in the new curriculum while the rest remainedinthe traditionalone.Thisstudy assessedthe reform by exploring and comparing faculty participants’ perceptions of the reform and traditional curricula. Methods A survey was administered to faculty members who taught both curricula, asking them to assess each curriculum with respect to the following categories: overall content and structure, basic science courses, instruction, and assessments. Each category consisted of a set of questions. Frequency distributions and Wilcoxon signed ranks tests were used in data analyses. Results Participants’ (N=72) views of the reform curriculum and pedagogy were more positive than their views of the traditional counterpart. Significant differences between participants’ views were revealed in all the curricular categories. Item-by-item comparisons found many significant differences, suggesting an overall preference for the reform. Conclusion Study results suggest that the reform has been implementedeffectivelyandhasbeenwellreceivedbyfaculty participants. These findings have implications for similar reforminitiativesinChinaaswellasother developingcountries.

Teachers’ perceptions of the curricula of the Soviet and post-Soviet eras: A case study of Estonian pre-school teachers

Broadening the role of teachers in curriculum development was among the fundamental objectives of educational reforms in the formerly communist Eastern Europe in the 1990s. The research done so far, however, calls into question the degree to which teachers perceive the relevant changes in curriculum and their new role. This article first describes the context of curricular changes in Eastern Europe and Estonia after the fall of communism. It then analyses Estonian pre-school teachers’ perceptions of national pre-school curricula utilized in two different eras: the late Soviet period and the period from 1999 to date in a sovereign Estonia. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews. Thirty-one experienced teachers participated in the study. It was concluded that teachers generally apprehend the broadened meaning of the concept of curriculum and their augmented role as reflective curriculum makers and theorists. However, differences emerge between teachers’ perceptions of their new role and their readiness to adopt it. Regarding the reported generality and indefiniteness of the new national curriculum, teachers need more assistance for implementing the autonomy and self-responsibility imposed on them by the curriculum. A balance between self-responsibility and professional advice should be sought by both curriculum makers and teacher educators.