Recently "Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements" ("CAPS") were introduced in South Africa in response to confusion precipitated by previous curriculum documents. The purpose of this paper is to explore that confusion in the subject 'Physical Sciences' and consider the nature of the transformation from the previous…

Recent policy debates surrounding Japan's graduate education raise a serious skepticism in the validity of its "research-based" or "learning-by-doing" training approach that these institutions have uniquely established. Proponents of reform suggest drastic restructuring of the graduate programs by replacing the experience-based…

This study explores how and when physics became the last course in U.S. high school science and what impact this had on high school physics offerings and student enrollment. Four main areas of historical data were identified: (1) national and state education statistics; (2) reports from major organizations on reform and policy; (3) reports from…

This investigation of the teaching of science in secondary schools is based upon the analysis of 58 courses in general science, 45 courses in biology, 27 courses in physics, and 30 courses in chemistry. The courses were obtained from schools in response to a request from the Office of Education for courses which had been revised since 1925. Some…