The purpose of this study was to investigate socio-cultural factors underpinning curriculum change by examining teacher beliefs in the context of professional development. Scottish teachers in the study were participating in policy implementation based on formative assessment. Teachers were selected who were positive about the formative assessment…

This paper examines the fundamental yet largely neglected distinction between school subjects and academic disciplines in the discourse on teachers' specialized subject-matter knowledge. It analyses and critiques the curricular positions embedded in that discourse in the light of five possible relationships between school subjects and academic…

Investigates meanings of an innovative, reform-based curriculum (Active Physics) in various contexts. Explores how meanings of the curriculum transformed as it traveled across space and time. Discusses how aspects of the context enabled innovative science and those that constrained the potential of the curriculum. Demonstrates potential for…

Science programs funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) are increasingly involved in science education reform. Such entities are funded for science research and are expected to pursue educational activities with K-12 students and teachers. These efforts are often guided by ideas from current science education reform. The NSF Science and…

In the United States, African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans have lower success rates and higher drop-out rates in mathematics than other racial or ethnic groups. Given that quantitative competency serves increasingly as a vehicle for economic enfranchisement, these differential success rates make mathematics achievement a civil rights…

The youth smoking problem is discussed and assistance is provided for teachers in developing smoking prevention and cessation programs. Four chapters serve as guides to understanding and working with the youth smoking problem. "Teenage Smoking in America" reviews trends in teenage smoking behavior and the factors that influence the initiation of…

Evaluation of this interdisciplinary curriculum has consisted, in part, of examining student-use patterns for the various learning modules. These patterns help determine topic relevance among middle and junior high school students. (MA)

Nigerian secondary students were surveyed regarding selected environmental issues to determine prevailing knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Students performed very poorly in the knowledge component of the questionnaire and demonstrated negative attitudes towards issues. Students also indicated practices that were harmful to a healthy…

To enhance the chance for success in educating young drivers, there should be a balance between the content, structure, and goals of traffic safety programs and the normative rules governing young people's lives. Presents recommendations for safety education based on the notion of complementarity and using a multiperspective approach. (AF)

Examines implications of vocational education programs through investigations of Ontario education work experience programs. Argues that work programs provide opportunities for a critical counter-hegemonic pedagogy and the ethnographic investigations of such programs are valuable as a source of both a theoretical analysis of schooling and an…

This project examines the here and now of urbanization and the historical growth of urbanization in Canada. In both cases the basic research problem is: What does a person need to know about a community in order to live successfully as a citizen of that community? A second point of focus is: What types of socialization are needed when a person…

Reports on a study of the impact of a transformative curriculum in social studies among 96 11th-grade students in a New York City high school. Illustrates problems teachers face when they assume that students are making the intellectual connections expected of them. (CFR)

Discusses how Cold War ideological models provide a way to examine the U.S. role in world affairs. Discusses and compares on the writings of Paul Gagnon and Noam Chomsky on this topic. Concludes that students should stand outside both models to develop a meaningful perspective on the U.S. role during the Cold War. (CFR)

Project SURT, The Study of Rural-Urban Transition, deals with the dynamics of Canadian society. The interdisciplinary curriculum to be produced will be instrumental in assisting tenth and eleventh grade students in two or three months, to assess the changes which are occuring in selected Canadian Communities, and to gain some proficiency in…

Maintains that Australian curriculum governance takes place at different levels and all are targets of competing debates. Reviews recurring social influences and themes between 1981 and 1991. Asserts that the trend toward the devolution of management and curriculum control to local schools is the key to restructuring efforts. (CFR)