Reports on a survey of primary teachers on science curriculum development. Cites a plethora of planning terminology and lack of a government-agency model for a primary science plan as obstacles to curriculum planning. Presents a curriculum planning model derived from the rationale that curriculum should be learning-outcomes-driven. (PVD)

Reflects on a small-scale survey of nine schools in England where results of the National Curriculum test in spelling were particularly high. Discusses common approaches among the schools, including the teaching of spelling patterns and phonics; the fostering of early independence in writing and reading; and the regular learning of spelling at…

Uses data from the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) to compare the relative success of different classes in science in the National Curriculum. Discusses differences in terms of cognitive styles, training, and attitudes of teachers. Reports that primary teachers are considerably less confident about teaching science than about…

An attitude questionnaire completed by 60 British teachers of English and a media education survey completed by 20 of them indicated they do not agree that the national curriculum should be revised by returning to narrow prescriptions and dropping media education. Teachers support a broad-based approach including personal response and critical…

Discusses trends in teaching about the nature of science in England. Two themes characterize teaching the nature of science; one concerns reflection on school experiment, and the other is about reflecting on aspects of scientific theory at different ages. (PR)

Despite national variation in political, economic, and social structures, elementary school curricula are very similar throughout the world. Argues that mass curricula are closely linked to the expansion of the nation-state system and the increasing dominance of standardized models. (DM)

A Delphi panel identified a core curriculum for middle school agricultural education, including four agricultural literacy subjects and six exploratory subjects. A nationwide set of instructional materials could be developed from panel recommendations. (SK)

Early childhood teachers in Britain (n=359) found working with young children rewarding but felt impeded by stressful educational changes and curriculum initiatives, especially when required to implement policies contrary to their teaching values and philosophy. They were frustrated at spending more time on bureaucratic tasks than on teaching. (SK)

Explores primary teachers' perceptions of technology. Findings indicate that the perceptions held by primary teachers ranged from technology as the application of science to designing and making artifacts, and many teachers appeared to be confused about the relationship between the National Curriculum view of technology and that held by general…

This paper critically examines the English National Curriculum (NC) for History and its Schemes of Work's development of temporal cognition within the primary school. In addition, it outlines the findings of a longitudinal research study into Year 4 pupils' assimilation of historical time. The paper contends that the development of historical time…

The use of the Internet in the classroom has often been characterized as a practice that disconnects the teacher from traditional forms of externally imposed influence. This paper examines this assertion by mapping the emerging field of cybereducation and considering how endemic knowledge is contextualized by national curricular authorities. The…

This paper explores physical education (PE) teachers' views of the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in PE from a figurational sociological perspective. Starting from the premise that teachers' views cannot be adequately explained by studying the concept of inclusion or the teacher in isolation, it is argued that we can only…

Issues of gender equity in English secondary schools over the last decade have been dominated by a concern with the "under-achievement" of boys, implicitly acknowledging the apparent success of strategies developed in schools in previous decades to improve equality of opportunity for girls. This paper presents evidence to challenge this…

In a companion paper, word recognition skills assessed by telephone using the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE) were found to correlate highly with National Curriculum (NC) teacher-assessed reading ability in 7-year-old twins. This study examined the genetic and environmental origins of this high correlation. TOWRE and NC scores were both…

Examines critically the claim that in elementary school mathematics there is a national curriculum defined by textbooks and tests. Reports results of the content analysis of (1) student exercise portions of each lesson of a mathematics textbook series widely used in grades four through six and (2) commonly administered standardized tests of…