The Adaptation of Science Curricula‐‐an Exploratory Analysis of Some Relevant Decisions

Summaries

English

The paper attempts a systematic analysis of some of the issues involved in the adaptation of science curricula. The meaning of adaptation is defined and adaptation as a process is distinguished from adaptation (or ‘adaptedness') as a quality of a curriculum.

The ‘situation variables’ affecting the ‘adaptedness’ of a curriculum in a given setting are analysed; modifications which differences in such variables may necessitate are discussed and a simple classification proposed. The feasibility of adapting a given curriculum for use in a different setting depends both on differences in the situation variables and on characteristics of the curriculum itself. Some relevant characteristics are identified and their effects assessed.

Finally the paper directs attention to the wider issues of a socio‐economic character which, in practice, affect the desirability, or the wisdom, of opting for adaptation as a curriculum development strategy in a given context.     

Comparing the curriculum development process in special (MLD) schools: a systematic qualitative approach

ABSTRACT

The present paper describes a comparative study of ten special schools for pupils with moderate learning difficulties in England and Wales. Qualitative analysis of interview data and curriculum documentation collected from the schools provide a model of the curriculum process which is firmly grounded in the data. Comparisons across the categories of the model indicate strong differences between the schools in certain categories, e.g. use of objectives, specification of curriculum intention, monitoring of pupil progress and curriculum evaluation.     

Studying innovation in science teaching: the use of repertory grid techniques in developing a research strategy

Summaries

English

Conventional correlation studies are of limited value in research aimed at discovering why curricula are successful or unsuccessful. Their basic weakness is that they offer little scope for revealing how and why innovations become modified in practice as a result of their interaction with contextual constraints such as teachers’ views of their own roles and purposes. Observational studies and the collection, through interviews, of participants’ accounts can to some degree remedy this deficiency. However, such methods encounter problems of subjective data interpretation and of establishing their reliability.

In a study of the implementation of an innovative science curriculum, the Schools Council Integrated Science Project (SCISP), in three English comprehensive schools, the authors experimented with the use of repertory grid techniques based on personal construct theory: This allowed interviews of teachers to be conducted in such a way that categories were revealed rather than imposed and provided data which could be subjected to conventional statistical analysis. Some factors crucially affecting curriculum innovation were identified which might not have been readily discovered by the application of either trait measurement or ethnographic methods.     

Factors Related to Differential Achievement Among Boys in Ninth-Grade Algebra

Abstract

This study was an investigation to determine intellectual and non-intellectual variables associated with achievement, persistence, and change of curricular choice among secondary school pupils. The sample of 140 students was categorized into three groups: achievers (N = 86), those who encountered no academic difficulty in their four years of a curriculum; persisters (N = 23), those who encountered difficulty but remained in their initial choice; and changers (N = 31), those who changed their curriculum. The analysis of variance was applied to test significance of the intellectual variables; chi-square for the nonintellectual variables. The level of confidence used for significance was .05.

All intellectual variables tested proved statistically significant. None of the non-intellectual variables tested for changers and persisters proved significant. The conclusion reached was that academic skills, especially reading, arithmetic, and language, related to achievement and persistence in curricular choice.     

Evaluating the Impact of a National Curriculum on Content‐Free Cognitive Outcomes

Summaries

English

This paper elucidates some of the conceptual, measurement and methodological problems associated with evaluating science curricula in terms of their impact upon students’ content‐free cognitive outcomes. In particular, a report is given of an investigation of the effects of incorporating ASEP (Australian Science Education Project) materials into the science programmes of a large sample of seventh‐grade students in Tasmania. In this investigation, the content‐free outcomes were assessed at the beginning and end of a school year by means of three measures of understanding of the nature of science and four measures of enquiry skills.

It was found that a significant relationship emerged between the curriculum variables and one learning outcome, between sex and six learning outcomes, between socio‐economic status and one learning outcome, and between school type and all seven learning outcomes. All together, the curriculum shows a continuous influence on the general cognitive‐learning results in the scientific field, as far as they are not related to specific subject matter.     

Does Russia need sex education? The views of stakeholders in three Russian regions

Objective To investigate the attitudes of the main stakeholders towards the introduction of sex education in schools in Russia.

Design Qualitative semi-structured interview study.

Setting Altai Krai, Volgograd Oblast, Moscow, Russian Federation.

Participants One hundred and fifty-three interviews with Intersectoral HIV/AIDS Committee members, government officials responsible for HIV policies and interventions, non-governmental organisation and private-sector representatives.

Main outcome measures Perception of and attitudes towards the introduction of sex education in schools.

Results Ninety-one per cent of stakeholders welcomed the introduction of sex education in schools and emphasised its importance for a child's personal development, public health, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS control, and pregnancy planning. The majority of respondents suggested providing different information for each age and grade. Despite the claimed support of interviewed policy-makers and main HIV stakeholders, there has been no action to introduce sex education. The majority of respondents were of the view that wider positive support through propaganda about health, sex and healthy lifestyle should be gained prior to introducing sex education in schools by addressing the stigma surrounding sexual issues.

Conclusions There was little opposition to the introduction of sex education in Russian schools expressed in our survey, but there are uncertainties regarding curriculum quality, teaching methods and the starting grade of teaching about sex, and there is a need to cover local sensitivities in the territories. These concerns could and should be addressed during curriculum design, development and programme implementation by the federal and local authorities. Wider involvement of educational specialists, peer-adults, health workers, celebrities and religious representatives in discussion of the curriculum could help prevent opposition to its implementation.

Contribution to knowledge Discussion of sex-related topics has been taboo in Russia and there has been little research into opinions on issues related to sex education. The contribution of this research is in gaining theoretical in-depth understanding of the attitudes of the interviewed stakeholders in Russia about the introduction of sex education in schools.     

Patterns of Student Performance on Mathematics Strands for American Indians and Others

Abstract

This study was an investigation of the patterns of performance among elementary aged students on the strands of the mathematics curriculum of a large urban school district. Test data were measured by using locally developed criterion referenced benchmark tests which were administered to all kindergarten, first, second, and fourth graders in one large urban school district. Analysis of variance and multiple classification analysis were used to determine the difference in total test scores and strand scores by ethnic group, gender, and socioeconomic status and to determine the proportion of test score variability accounted for by these demographic variables. The results of this study suggest that numeration is an area of the mathematics curriculum that causes special problems for Indian and black students, and that geometry is an area of relative strength for these two ethnic groups.     

Complex Variables Throughout the Curriculum

Abstract

We offer many specific detailed examples, several of which are new, that instructors can use (in lecture or as student projects) to revitalize the role of complex variables throughout the curriculum. We conclude with three primary recommendations: revise the syllabus of Calculus II to allow early introductions of complex numbers and linear algebra, include complex variables and some infinite-dimensional linear maps in linear algebra courses, and spice up complex variable courses by better connecting them with the mathematics used in engineering in physics.     

The role of technology-facilitated peer assessment and supporting strategies: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Technology-facilitated peer assessment is gaining increasing attention. However, evidence for the contribution of technology-facilitated peer assessment to learning achievements has not been investigated. The present meta-analysis integrated findings on the effects of technology-facilitated peer assessment based on two main elements: (1) technology-facilitated peer assessment, (2) the use of extra supporting strategies in technology-facilitated peer assessment. A total of 37 empirical studies published from 1999 to 2018 were selected and analysed. Results indicated that technology-facilitated peer assessment had a significant and medium effect on learning achievements with an overall mean effect size of 0.576. The use of extra supporting strategies in technology-facilitated peer assessment also produced a positive and medium effect on students’ learning achievements with an overall mean effect size of 0.543. Different moderator variables, such as task types, assessment modes, training for assessors, durations, grouping types and assessment methods were related to different effect sizes. The results together with the implications for both practice and research are discussed.     

Teaching Objectives in Chemistry: a Comparison of Teachers’ and Students’ Priorities

Summaries

English

An inventory which consisted of 12 objectives of chemistry teaching was constructed from lists compiled from the responses of 12th‐grade students and given to 10th, 11th and 12th graders and to their teachers. All four groups were asked to rank the objectives according to their order of significance.

The analysis of the order of rankings gives an insight into what are considered as the most important and interesting aspects of chemistry by students and by teachers.

The use of an objectives questionnaire in this manner is recommended to curriculum developers as part of the process of development and implementation of any curriculum. This may help to make the subject matter more suitable for the needs of both students and teachers.     

An Experiment in the Teaching of General Psychology

Abstract

This study involves investigation of the relationships between a number of sociological background variables (including general categories of Social Class, Family Structure, Sibling Structure, and Religion) and school achievement at various periods in the child's academic career. The twelve achievement variables were organized into categories of Intelligence, Objective Achievement, Early Citizenship, High School Achievement, and After School Aspirations. The data was obtained from school files for 663 high-school graduates in a Midwestern city.

Using a regression analysis, significant relationships between sociological variables and achievement were examined. Each relationship was further investigated with the variables of socio-economic status and intelligence held constant in order to eliminate the effects of these two well-known predictive variables.     

Sex Education in the New Zealand Primary School: A tangled skein of morality,religion, politics and the law

This article examines the political struggle from 1945 to 1999 over the place of sex education in the New Zealand primary school. It begins with the 1945 prohibition on sex education and goes on to chart the various political, legal and community manoeuvres leading up to the introduction of the 1999 health curriculum, which includes sex education for primary schools. Along the way there have been various conflicts but for the time being an uneasy truce prevails between liberals, who achieved the introduction of sex education into the primary school curriculum, and conservatives, who managed to make pupil participation voluntary.     

Concepts before coding: non-programming interactives to advance learning of introductory programming concepts in middle school

ABSTRACT

Background and Context: Learners struggle with conceptual understanding of introductory programming concepts such as variables, expressions, and loops.

Objective: We examine whether and how designed activities for conceptual exploration support preliminary engagement with and learning of foundational and often hard-to-grasp programming concepts for students in grades 6–8.

Method: Drawing on principles from dynamic mathematics, we developed a suite of non-programming digital and unplugged activities embedded in a curriculum before students engage in Scratch block-based programming. We conducted empirical research in three middle school classrooms in diverse urban US schools and examined student performance through mixed qualitative and quantitative methods.

Findings: Learning gains were significant and not predicted by grade, gender or prior academic preparation. Free-choice projects of students showed statistically greater (correct) use of key concepts compared to those not in the study.

Implications: Our work demonstrates the promise of novel approaches such as interactive non-programming activities for deeper understanding of programming concepts.     

Creativity and Academic Achievement

Abstract

The present classroom experiment used an analysis of variance for a 2x3x2 factorial experiment to investigate the relative effectiveness of inductive and deductive methods and to determine interaction among ability, sex, and method variables. Data were derived from a recognition and transfer criterion administered immediately after the 5 week instruction period and 2 weeks later. Obtained F values favored the inductive treatment (p.<.01) in each case and method by sex interaction was noted for the total score variable of the delayed test (p.<.05). It was concluded that the inductive method is superior in the teaching of morphological and syntaxical concepts regardless of Ss’ verbal ability level, and an investigation of the treatment by sex interaction suggests that inductive methods may be more effective with female Ss.     

Teaching technical communication on the pre‐college level: An annotated bibliography

Technical communication is being integrated into the pre‐college curriculum at an accelerating pace. However, few curriculum materials have been developed for the pre‐college level. This annotated bibliography is a partial attempt to address this lack. The entries have been divided into two categories: Pre‐College Level Material and Adaptable Post‐Secondary Material.     

Sequential Patterns of Structures in the English Language Compatible with Written Expressions of Junior High Students

Abstract

Fifty-seven Ss were administered the Teacher Characteristics Schedule and measures representing open-mindedness and analytic set. The scores were intercorrelated and the matrix factor analyzed. Dimensions representing analytic set and open-mindedness were orthogonal to each other and dimensions representing anticipated teaching style. Measures representing analytic set and open-mindedness were explored as possible moderator variables. Low analytic-high dogmatic Ss were significantly different from other Ss in their tendency to give information indicating that they are dynamic or surgent teaching personalities. The results of the study suggest that open-mindedness and analytic set may be useful in the understanding of teaching behavior if their effects as moderating variables are investigated.     

Tensions and challenges in China’s education policy borrowing

Abstract

Background: This article critically discusses the key tensions and challenges arising from the educational policy borrowing in China, through its current education reform. Focussing on the new curriculum reform (NCR), the paper highlights the interactions and conflicts between foreign and local ideologies and practices.

Sources of evidence: The main sources of evidence that form the basis of the analysis for this article were research data from an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews conducted with 166 school principals, vice-principals and teachers from China between 2013 and 2015.

Main argument: It is argued that the NCR has borrowed selective ideas and practices from elsewhere, such as a school-based curriculum, student-centred pedagogy and formative assessment. It is further suggested that the borrowed policies are mediated and moderated by the ideological attitude of the Chinese educational stakeholders, stemming from the notion of ‘theory-ladenness’ within an exam-oriented paradigm.

Conclusions: The example of China illustrates the effects of an ideological attitude on educational policy borrowing that challenges the notion of universally appropriate ways of teaching, learning and reforming an educational system.     

Concepts of Meaning and the Reading and Spelling Difficulty of Words

Abstract

This study investigated sex and grade differences of 503 disadvantaged students in kindergarten to grade three on behavioral traits delineated by orthogonal factor analysis. Six factors were extracted and factor scores used as dependent variables in univariate analyses of variance. Primary results indicated that a) creativity indices among disadvantaged students in the sample decreased steadily from kindergarten to grade three, and b) contrary to research conducted with general population $s, girls in the sample exhibited more aggressive behavior than boys and were no more dependent on the teacher than the boys. Possible explanations and implication are discussed.