To support the review of the National Curriculum, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the Department for Education in the spring of 2011 to produce a report detailing curricular arrangements in a number of high-performing educational jurisdictions. The principal source of information for this report has been…

UNESCO and the International Bureau of Education devoted this international inquiry in comparative education to the study of environment in schools throughout 79 countries of the world. Concerning the scope of the topic, introductory comments note that "study of environment in schools is difficult to define or confine, for it constitutes more…

The first part of this article reviews research comparing innovative to traditional curriculum introduced since 1957 and draws tentative conclusions about the influence of curricula on school achievement; the second part explores the implications of those conclusions for educational theory, research, evaluation, and practice. (JH)

Although research on testwiseness has varied to a great extent in the aspects of testwiseness measured and the strategies used, some conclusions can nevertheless be drawn: testwiseness is a bona fide entity and deserves attention, it is measurable, it appears to be made up of a set of specific skills rather than a collection of some general…

This document contains summaries of six courses presented at the Second Annual Presessions of the American Educational Research Association: (1) Bayesian statistical analysis, (2) curriculum research and evaluation, (3) design and analysis of comparative experiments in education, (4) educational research management procedures, (5) multivariate…

A study was conducted utilizing new adult Interstate Distributive Education Curriculum Consortium (IDECC) curriculum materials to evaluate through experimental research the effectiveness of IDECC's systematic teaching approach. The study was quasi-experimental involving two levels of treatment: (1) the adult IDECC teaching approach and (2) the…

A study was conducted utilizing new postsecondary Interstate Distributive Education Curriculum Consortium (IDECC) curriculum materials to evaluate through experimental research the effectiveness of IDECC's systematic teaching approach. The study was quasi-experiential involving two levels of treatment: (1) the postsecondary IDECC teaching approach…

Using a case study approach, this paper examines how science and social studies curriculum materials are used in the elementary classroom. The major questions of interest to the study are: What differences in curriculum materials use and classroom activity patterns are evident when old programs are replaced with new ones? To what extent do…

This report is a synthesis of five research studies comparing the facilitative effects on learning of searching and reception modes of study. The following five studies are discussed: (1) J.R. Dale, the effects on achievement of using the forced inferential response mode in an intermediate grade population-geography unit; (2) D.D. Dumbleton, the…

Discusses research into high school economics teachers' attitudes about U.S.-Japan trade policy and teaching about Japan. Compares teachers' and general public's responses to Harris poll on U.S.-Japan trade relations. Reports that, although 91 percent of teachers believe they should teach about Japan, only 53 percent spend 2-5 class periods on…

Students in eight urban and three suburban high schools were asked for their perceptions of social studies, mathematics, and English. Although most students thought that learning all three subjects was important, they believed that learning social studies was less important than learning mathematics and English. The majority thought that their…

This study of pre-college psychology in Florida is presented to assist educators and researchers in their efforts to more fully describe and assess the development of pre-college psychology in general. It is divided into five sections: (1) An Introduction; (2) The 1970-71 Survey, including the questionnaire sent to Florida secondary schools, the…

The results of a 1972-73 survey of Florida secondary schools concerned with the teaching of psychology are reported and compared to a similar survey made in 1970-1971. The survey of 1973, a four-page questionnaire, was mailed to 409 schools and gathered 218 responses. A description of the results analyzes and compares data collected in the…

This paper describes the research agenda at Technology Based Learning and Research (TBLR) at Arizona State University, whose primary research mission is to provide information to guide the development and subsequent application of its technology based instruction (TBI) products. It is noted that the research question at the heart of the agenda is…

The symposium report focuses on effects of state curriculum mandates on the social studies curriculum. Part of a larger study designed to examine the effect of state law on the introduction and implementation of law-related education, the report is presented in two sections. Section I analyzes social studies mandates in the 50 states. Five…