School Curriculum Reform Research Articles

Role of New Opinion Leaders on Social Media in Political and Religious Polarization (Jordanian case study).

Social media brings to the fore new opinion leaders. Due to their supposed role in public debate as well as persuasion and promotion of opinions and new behaviours among users of such networks, they are called Influences. In the last few decades, communication research has explored opinion leaders as effective influences on their environments and societies. They present and interpret information, give opinions and adopt innovation before the audience, in addition to mediating between the audience and media in the communication process. More particularly, Facebook represents a new space for discussion in the Arab World. The phenomenon spread during the Arab Spring in 2011 and even expanded later. It took different forms, like the transfer of information, interpretation of incidents, and mobilization for mass events, political and cultural polarization and new critical discourse. However, what is taking place in cyberspace is still debatable. The present study looks into the new opinion leaders’ phenomenon in the Arab public sphere and their part in political and religious polarization. The discourse of posts on three Facebook accounts of new opinion leaders (Influences) in Jordan is analysed. As these figures play disparate roles in national political and cultural events and dilemmas, lessons can be derived from such a rising phenomenon. The study aims at exploring the discourse features of the posts addressing public issues which sparked widespread controversies in the period 2017-2018, such as the civil state, theocratic state, school curriculum reform and political reform in Jordan. Study has found that the new opinion leaders’ phenomenon on social media in Jordan is on the rise, in terms of political and religious polarization. That would reveal some characteristics and roles of new opinion leaders, in addition to the features of their discourse with reference to major political and religious issues and values as well as political and religious polarization.

Comparison of OSCE performance between 6- and 7-year\u2009medical school curricula in Taiwan

BackgroundThe year 2013 marks a watershed in the history of medical education in Taiwan. Following Taiwan’s Taskforce of Medical School Curriculum Reform recommendations, the medical school curriculum was reduced from 7 to 6 years. This study aimed to analyze the impact of medical school curriculum reform on medical students’ performance in objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs).MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the OSCE records at Taipei Veterans General Hospital (Taipei VGH), one of Taiwan’s largest tertiary medical centers, between November 2016 and July 2020. The eligibility criteria were medical students receiving a full one-year clinical sub-internship training at Taipei VGH and in their last year of medical school. All medical students received a mock OSCE-1 at the beginning of their sub-internship, a mock OSCE-2 after six months of training, and a national OSCE at the end of their sub-internship. The parameters for performance in OSCEs included “percentage of scores above the qualification standard” and “percentage of qualified stations.”ResultsBetween November 2016 and July 2020, 361 undergraduates underwent clinical sub-internship training at Taipei VGH. Among them, 218 were taught under the 7-year curriculum, and 143 were instructed under the 6-year curriculum. Based on baseline-adjusted ANCOVA results, medical students under the 7-year curriculum had a higher percentage of scores above the qualification standard than those under the 6-year curriculum at the mock OSCE-1 (7-year curriculum vs. 6-year curriculum: 33.8% [95% CI 32.0–35.7] vs. 28.2% [95% CI 25.9–30.4], p < 0.001), and mock OSCE-2 (7-year curriculum vs. 6-year curriculum: 89.4% [95% CI 87.4–91.4] vs. 84.0% [95% CI 81.5–86.4], p = 0.001). Moreover, medical students in the 7-year curriculum had a higher percentage of qualified stations in mock OSCE-1 (7-year curriculum vs. 6-year curriculum: 89.4% [95% CI 87.4–91.4] vs. 84.0% [95% CI 81.5–86.4], p = 0.001) and mock OSCE-2 (7-year curriculum vs. 6-year curriculum: 91.9% [95% CI 90.1–93.8] vs. 86.1% [95% CI 83.8–88.3], p = 0.001). After clinical sub-internship training, there were no differences in the percentage of scores above the qualification standard (7-year curriculum vs. 6-year curriculum: 33.5% [95% CI 32.2–34.9] vs. 34.6 [95% CI 32.9–36.3], p = 0.328) and percentage of qualified stations (7-year curriculum vs. 6-year curriculum: 89.4% [95% CI 88.1–90.7] vs. 90.2% [95% CI 88.6–91.8], p = 0.492).ConclusionsAt the beginning of the sub-internship, medical students under the 7-year curriculum had better OSCE performance than those under the 6-year curriculum. After the clinical sub-internship training in Taipei VGH, there was no difference in the national OSCE score between the 6- and 7-year curricula. Our study suggests that clinical sub-internship is crucial for the development of clinical skills and performance in the national OSCE.

A Literature Review of the Feasibility of Enacting Curriculum Leadership in Chinese Schools

With the implementation of the New Curriculum Reform in China, both schools and teachers are empowered with more right and autonomy in making instructional decisions. However, previous literature related to teachers’ curriculum leadership (CL) remains sparse. The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility of investigating how curriculum leadership is enacted from the perspectives of teacher leaders. It employed literature review with the Chinese studies related to teachers’ engagement in CL and found the necessity of examining the issues of feasibility of enacting curriculum leadership, which focuses on teacher as the leader under Chinese scenario.

IB Teacher’s Professionality in China and School Curriculum Reform: The Research on the Various Academic Background Teachers’ Performances in IB Classroom

IB Teacher’s Professionality in China and School Curriculum Reform: The Research on the Various Academic Background Teachers’ Performances in IB Classroom

Arctic Pedagogy

This paper is about the place of Indigenous people in an early instance of a culture war in the United States: the conflict in the 1970s over an innovative middle-grades social studies curriculum called “Man: A Course of Study” (MACOS). Funded by the National Science Foundation, MACOS sought to revamp social studies education by addressing big questions about humans as a species and as social animals. It quickly came under fire from conservatives and helped to solidify the concept of “secular humanism” as a social threat. A broad conservative organizing effort, whose effects can still be felt today, eventually ended not only MACOS, but the very viability of school curriculum reform projects on the national level. Though this story is familiar to historians of American education, this paper argues for its centrality to the development of contemporary conservative politics and the early history of the culture wars. It also takes up the largely unaddressed issue of how Indigenous people figured in the MACOS curriculum and in the ensuing controversy. Focusing on the ethnographic film series featuring Netsilik Inuit that was at the heart of the MACOS curriculum, this paper addresses the largely unacknowledged legacy of Indigenous pedagogy, to argue that the culture war that led to the demise of the MACOS project also represented a lost opportunity for Indigenous knowledge and teaching to be incorporated into the formal schooling of American children.

The Impact of High School Program Reform on First-Year University Students’ Academic Performance. Case Study: Biology

The student transition from high school to university is a complex process in which various factors operate. One of these factors is the degree of the students’ academic preparation in certain subjects. This article analyzes the impact of this factor on the students’ success in the first year of university studies, in the conditions when the subject program in high school has been reformed. This impact on the students’ success, which is expressed both in the degree of academic preparation and in the students’ attitude in the relevant subject, has been assessed employing statistical analysis. The analysis covers a period of 3 years (2017-2020), and is based on a sample of first year students of the Bachelor degree in Biology. The results of the questionnaire, conducted with first year university students, show the impact of their high school academic preparation on the success they have in the first year of university. This success is measured by assessing the change in average grade and their pass rates. Evidence of the impact of this factor in teaching has helped to know in detail these intermediate phases of this process. The built model makes it possible to analyze the impact of the high school curriculum reform on the students’ success, creating the opportunity for further improvements. Despite the fact that the object of the study is the Biology curriculum and the evaluation of the impact in academic success of students who graduated from high schools where a competence based curriculum was implemented, this methodology can be used for the study in other subjects, especially life sciences.

Redesigning Schools of Social Work Into Schools of Social Work and Social Justice: Opportunities for Civic and Organizational Renewal in a Justice Reform Environment

ABSTRACT This paper explores the re-envisioning of a school of social work into a School of Social Work and Social Justice. The thought experiment identifies how a school can meet its educational and social justice mission in response to the historic crises of 2020. An outgrowth of the aspirational strategic vision statement is the proposed strengthening of democratic learning spaces involving students and faculty members, better alignment of school curricular reform with human service workforce dynamics and social work practice needs, and an emphasis on culturally responsive leadership. The overall intention is to identify opportunities for social work schools and departments at public and private universities to advance anti-racist, community-centered innovations in social work education in an uncharted environment.

Context and Implications Document for: Recruitment to STEM studies: The roles of curriculum reforms, flexibility of choice, and attitudes

Context and Implications Document for: Recruitment to STEM studies: The roles of curriculum reforms, flexibility of choice, and attitudes

Connecting Sustainable Development and Heritage Education? An Analysis of the Curriculum Reform in Flemish Public Secondary Schools

Heritage education is understood to be multifaceted. The way it is approached and conceived in formal educational contexts can differ according to the emphasis policy makers wish to establish. In Flanders, a region within Belgium, a curriculum reform took shape over the last seven years. This paper explores the recently introduced curriculum in Flemish secondary education, in light of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. The main aim is to investigate how heritage education and sustainability fit into the newly developed curriculum framework, and the way they are interlinked on a conceptual level. The qualitative research draws on a screening of policy texts, learning outcomes, and additional interviews with policy advisors. The results show that heritage education is implicitly present. Cross-curricular opportunities are built-in and can be linked to (a) cultural awareness and expression; (b) historical consciousness; (c) citizenship; and (d) intercultural communication. Sustainable development, and more specific ESD, anchored itself firmly and more explicitly into the framework as a transversal key competence as well. However, clear connections to heritage education are not set up in the learning outcomes.

Teacher Librarians a Tour de Force for Information Literacy in Hong Kong Schools

The process of curriculum reform in Hong Kong schools has been an ongoing process since 1998. This reform has been largely driven by the catch phrase ‘learning to learn’ and has demanded a more student centered curriculum and pedagogy. Essential ingredients in this reform have been the demand for better qualified teachers, for IT savvy teachers, and for teachers and students who are able to effectively use information to solve problems. Perhaps not surprisingly, the teacher librarian and information services to schools were identified as key ingredients in the change process. Indeed, whereas a decade ago very few schools were equipped with a central library, today almost all schools have one. Likewise a decade ago few schools employed a teacher librarian where as today the post of teacher librarian is one of only two mandated positions in schools; the other being the principal. In addition, all newly appointed teacher librarians are required to complete a two year part time Diploma in Teacher Librarianship that is paid for by the employing authority (although participating teacher librarians face a modest course fee). Participating teachers are allocated time release to support their participation in the program.

Students’ narratives and conceptual changes in a cross-curricular inquiry-based study unit in a Finnish upper secondary school

Cross-curricularity is being implemented in the upper secondary school curriculum reform in Finland. This study investigates changes in conceptual constructs when studying humans and humanity from the points of view of six school subjects (biology, physics, physical education, philosophy, psychology and arts) in a pilot study unit. We found evidence of changes in conceptual constructs with vast individual differences. Learners with a mastery goal orientation manifested conceptual change, belief revision and threshold concepts the most. “Learning deepened by autonomy” was the dominant narrative in the students’ narrative interviews. Two counternarratives, “struggling with motivation and schedule” and “active communicator with poor effort regulation”, in which learners’ self-regulated learning skills were poorer, were also identified.

Ole of New Opinion Leaders on Social Media in Political and Religious Polarization (Jordanian case study)

Social media brings to the fore new opinion leaders. Due to their supposed role in public debate as well as persuasion and promotion of opinions and new behaviours among users of such networks, they are called Influences. In the last few decades, communication research has explored opinion leaders as effective influences on their environments and societies. They present and interpret information, give opinions and adopt innovation before the audience, in addition to mediating between the audience and media in the communication process. More particularly, Facebook represents a new space for discussion in the Arab World. The phenomenon spread during the Arab Spring in 2011 and even expanded later. It took different forms, like the transfer of information, interpretation of incidents, and mobilization for mass events, political and cultural polarization and new critical discourse. However, what is taking place in cyberspace is still debatable. The present study looks into the new opinion leaders’ phenomenon in the Arab public sphere and their part in political and religious polarization. The discourse of posts on three Facebook accounts of new opinion leaders (Influences) in Jordan is analysed. As these figures play disparate roles in national political and cultural events and dilemmas, lessons can be derived from such a rising phenomenon. The study aims at exploring the discourse features of the posts addressing public issues which sparked widespread controversies in the period 2017-2018, such as the civil state, theocratic state, school curriculum reform and political reform in Jordan. Study has found that the new opinion leaders’ phenomenon on social media in Jordan is on the rise, in terms of political and religious polarization. That would reveal some characteristics and roles of new opinion leaders, in addition to the features of their discourse with reference to major political and religious issues and values as well as political and religious polarization.

Curriculum Reform and New Technology to Fill the Void of Musculoskeletal Education in Medical School Curriculum

Musculoskeletal (MSK) disease comprises over 20% of all visits to healthcare providers each year, yet a disproportionately small percentage of medical school education focuses on MSK disease. Even among students applying into orthopaedic surgery, less than 50% demonstrate prerequisite anatomic knowledge before beginning their residency. Medical school curriculum reform is needed, given that only 15% have a required MSK curriculum. Inadequate education ultimately leads to poor patient care and forces clinicians to learn MSK medicine later in practice. Although this inadequacy in medical school MSK education has been recognized for decades, little has changed to address this critical deficiency. A successful curriculum development requires defining critical MSK topics, evaluative methods to assess knowledge acquisition, and ultimately assessment of applying that knowledge to the care of patients. Newer strategies for MSK education include "near-peer" learning from senior classmates and residents, clinical immersion within MSK care teams, peer interest groups, and standardize learning platforms and assessment tools. Technologies such as virtual reality simulation, adaptive video learning, and other technologies will inform the development of affordable, succinct, evidence-informed curriculums that can enhance medical student MSK education with universal implementation. As clinical practice evolves to optimize patient care, so should the education of physicians who deliver that care.

The significance of context: autonomy and curriculum reform in rural schools

In the large volume of research on curriculum reform, very little attention is paid to the implications of geographical location, yet, this can be significant. The current curriculum reform process in Wales has presented an opportunity for schools to radically change their practice. While rural schools have welcomed this opportunity, they face challenges unrecognised by the wider educational establishment. This article presents a view of the reform process from school level, using data from semi‐structured interviews with teachers working on curriculum reform. Thematic analysis reveals enthusiastic responses to reform and the greater autonomy it promises. There are, however, challenges, including concerns about staffing, access to professional learning and learners' access to extra‐curricular learning. The research demonstrates that while rural schools face challenges unique to their location, their response to reform demonstrates a capacity for independent action in line with the aspirations of the new curriculum.

When an Omitted Curriculum Becomes A Hidden Curriculum: Let's Teach to Promote Health Equity.

Omitting topics such as the social determinants of health and the relationship between discrimination and allostatic load on individuals and communities conveys an implicit message about the health and health outcomes of people of color. Th is is an example of a hidden curriculum in health professions schools. Th is qualitative study includes the insights of 54 medical or nursing students belonging to groups underrepresented in the health professions. Th e students came from three academic health institutions and were asked about microaggressions they may have experienced as students. Th e data highlight participants' perceptions of curricular deficits and a hidden curriculum and indicate the need for curriculum reform in schools of nursing and schools of medicine.

Examining the Impact of Spherical Videos in Teaching Endangered Species/Environmental Education to Primary School Students

Aim/Purpose: The study examined whether spherical videos are an effective tool in teaching primary school students subjects related to the endangered species. It also examined their feelings/attitudes towards this tool. Background: Young students have trouble understanding concepts related to environmental education and, specifically, concepts related to the endangered species. Spherical videos constitute an interesting alternative teaching tool, applicable in diverse scientific disciplines. Additionally, research in this field is rather unsystematic and fragmented, given that the underlying technology is still an emerging one. Methodology: A three conditions within-subjects design was applied. Forty-nine, nine-to-ten years-old primary school students attending public schools in Athens, Greece were selected to participate in the project. They had never before been formally taught subjects such as the ones included in the study and had no prior experience in using Google Cardboard compatible head-mounted displays. The participating students were taught using printed material, web pages, and interactive applications in which spherical videos were embedded. The project lasted for nine two-teaching-hour sessions (three for each tool). Data were collected using nine evaluation sheets. About a third of the questions in these tests assessed declarative knowledge, while the rest examined procedural and conditional knowledge. A validated scale was also used, designed to evaluate users’ experience when using digital educational applications. For analyzing the data (from both the evaluation sheets and the questionnaire), several repeated measures ANOVA tests were conducted using SPSS 25. Contribution: By examining the learning outcomes from the use of applications in which spherical videos were integrated, by contrasting their impact on knowledge with other tools, and by quantifying their differences, the present study extends the -rather limited- literature regarding the educational uses of this technology. Given that there is a lack of a well-defined teaching framework, the study contributes towards this end, as a modified version of Bybee’s 5Es was tested, with encouraging results.” Findings: Post-hoc pairwise comparisons revealed statistically significant differences indicating that students’ performance when using the apps was better than their performance in the web pages and printed material. Statistically significant differences were also noted when analyzing the questionnaire’s data. In detail, the analysis revealed that the apps were considered more motivating compared with both the printed material and the web pages. The same applied to students’ enjoyment. Also, their sense of presence was stronger. Then again, all tools were considered as being equally useful. Finally, no usability issues were reported. Recommendations for Practitioners: As the development of apps requires time and effort, a large pool of ready-made apps has to become available to educators. Spherical videos have to be used in the context of a well-defined teaching framework. A familiarization period on how HMDs are used and how to run and navigate in the apps will help to avoid usability issues. Education administrators have to implement reforms in the primary school timetable and curriculum, for achieving the seamless integration of this technology to everyday teaching. Recommendation for Researchers: Motivation and enjoyment can be further enhanced by adding game-like features. Thus, software developers can consider adding such features and researchers can examine their effects. A lot more can be done for making the apps utilizing spherical videos easier to handle and navigate. For example, hand tracking can be used, which is a more natural interaction method. Future Research: Besides larger sample sizes and more interventions, future research can examine the impact of spherical videos on student misconceptions, attitudes, and behaviors towards environmental issues. It would be interesting to examine the views and experiences of educators as well. Longitudinal studies and comparison of spherical videos with other promising technologies would also be useful.

Decolonial Reflections on the Zimbabwean Primary and Secondary School Curriculum Reform Journey

The Zimbabwean curriculum reform journey is shaped by the weight of cultural technologies of domination employed in the country during British imperial rule (1890-1980). Moreover, these imperial forms of domination that, paradoxically, continue to exist today influence the sociocultural and political institutions in the country and delineate what is epistemologically feasible. In addition, the inherited education curricula, specifically at primary school level (the focus of this study) were theoretically and pedagogically disengaged from the lifeworlds of the learners they intended to educate. In this conceptual article, I challenge this colonially inherited education and the paradox of superficial interpretation of unhu/ubuntu (ironically, a doxa in the postcolonial Zimbabwean education system). Further, I suggest considering epistemic depth in pedagogy as an experience that transforms education and society.

Educational Thoughts of Western Radical Feminism

Since the 1960s, radical feminism has gradually been an important faction of the western feminism. Influenced by the trend of western modern educational thought, radical feminism, as a branch of feminism educational thoughts, mainly embodies in the fact that it reveals the problems of the patriarchal system in education and the encounter of female teachers in the patriarchal system. It advocates the reform of school curriculum through personal reflection and consciousness promotion, and examines the definition of knowledge. Therefore, an objective and dialectical view of the western radical feminism educational thoughts can provide some useful reference for the current female education in China.

Integration of Schools in Latvia and Estonia Using Curriculum Reforms

This article investigates into the reform of national school curriculum in Russian-language schools in Latvia and Estonia. We assess how well the reform-related regulations have been integrated into everyday schooling practices and reflected in educational outcomes in order to measure the success of the education reform in terms of adopting the new learning standard and improving the PISA results. The study exploits the situation of natural experiment that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, with countries that used to have a common education system taking different reform paths and achieving different outcomes. National school curriculum is analyzed at three levels: as intended (stipulated in documents), as implemented (taught by school teachers), and as attained (reflected in test results). Such three-level analysis required studying the documents that described the key reform provisions, conducting a series of in-depth interviews in Russian-language schools to investigate the process of integrating the proposed innovations in teaching practices, and analyzing how PISA results in Latvia and Estonia had changed between 2006 and 2015. It is shown that the gap between the curriculum as intended and as attained has reduced in both countries. Schools have been actively integrating the changes proposed, and PISA results have been improving consistently, yet the methods of achieving those results differ between the countries. The natural experiment study design allowed to explore educational reform processes in the two countries as well as to assess the effects of the reforms introduced.

Preservice Teachers Engage in a Project-based Task: Elucidate Mathematical Literacy in a Reformed Teacher Education Program

To meet the demand of the incoming school curriculum reform focusing on competency-based learning in Vietnam, this paper reports on an innovation project on developing secondary mathematics preservice teachers’ (PSTs) mathematical literacy and preparing them to teach mathematics contextually. We developed a curriculum and studied the effectiveness of the implementation to a secondary mathematics PST education program that integrates mathematical literacy (ML) in methods courses. The courses offer PSTs opportunities to experience ML as active learners and prepare them to teach ML. In this paper, we discuss the results on a project-based modeling task. The results showed that the PSTs begin to develop an understanding of ML when they engaged with the phases of the modeling cycle at different levels of sophistication. The PSTs did not take advantage of visual representations to support the analysis of the project-based task and to communicate their work. Discussion about the tension between simplifying models and reflecting the real problem and directions for future study are suggested.