The purpose of this conceptual work was to provide a theory of curricular change in music education. The author introduced a "Model of Psychological Dimensions," and suggested how it might help the profession conceptualise the nexus between the individual and society. Identity as a manifestation of cultural psychology, and the role and…

Discussed is the influence of the nature of the environment on the culture of a people and students' concept attainment in science. The influence of the home environment, reasoning abilities, and preference in type of learning are included in the discussion. (KR)

The view that people of black African descent have made few significant contributions to the history of mankind is a widely held concept in the social science and humanities curricula of U.S. secondary and higher education. Prior to celebrating the cultural diversity of the United States, the curriculum and materials should be analyzed and…

This monograph, part of a series that attempts to bring a particular intellectual perspective to bear on the practical problems of administering education, points out that educational administration as a field of study is of limited use in coming to terms with the complexity and value-laden nature of educational practice. Language and cultural…

Traces the evolution of the curriculum designed for Black education in South Africa since the colonial penetration of the 1650s to the present. Argues that the curriculum reflects sociopolitical influences and that postapartheid curriculum reform is limited by extracurricular factors. (FMW)

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

If economies of scale are important in secondary education, a greater degree of resource specialization and curriculum comprehensiveness should occur in larger secondary schools. Using New York State schools data, this study shows that scale economy sources are exhausted at relatively small enrollment levels, allowing only trivial gains in…

Presents seven brief papers reflecting workshops given at the 1994 Meeting of the Association of American Geographers. Each workshop presented a teaching module concerning issues in medical geography. Methodological issues included interpretations of vital statistics and epidemiological diffusion. Theoretical issues included womens' health data…

The paper describes the role of teachers as mediators of the social studies curriculum. The first section summarizes the literature on teacher cognition and describes the hermeneutic, or methodological, turn in that literature. The second section describes teachers as curriculum agents--that is, as professionals who bring intellectual and moral…

Presents a curriculum development model that is arranged logically rather than chronologically, and emphasizes process rather than product or syllabus contents. The model's various components are related to recent research on student learning. Observations are presented on its use as a framework for curriculum development in workshops for…

The study reported in this paper intended to trace what Chinese children think about life and identify their naive theories. Fifty-eight 5-year-old children in Taiwan from 39 kindergartens were interviewed using a semi-structured instrument. Results indicate that preschool children have preconceptions about the concept of life even before entering…

This chapter discusses the implementation and encouragement of instructional development on the university campus, with particular emphasis on the instability and political nature of the campus environment. Empirical data obtained from a survey of instructional development activities throughout the Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania and New Jersey…

Considers the interaction between school curriculum policy and student course selection in Detroit (Michigan) high schools during the 1930s, a period of substantial enrollment growth. This trend arose from changes in the youth labor market rather than from curriculum expansion. During the Depression, schools introduced "life adjustment"…

Tracing the history of algebra within the U.S. secondary curriculum requires at the same time a review of the various reform movements relevant to secondary education, an acknowledgement of the sociological, political, and psychological perspectives driving these reforms, and most importantly, the perceived role of mathematics in the education of…

Efforts to reform teacher education should include careful reconsideration of what teachers learn about curriculum design and instructional methodology. The selection and organization of school knowledge have significant social, political, and ethical implications that are ignored by traditional, rationalistic assumptions about educational…