Presents a five year cross-sectional study that measured the self esteem, reading, and mathematical attainments of five cohorts of Year 2 British children over the period of introduction of the National Curriculum and assessment procedures into primary schools. Reports that self esteem showed a downward trend throughout the first four years of the…

Investigated the nature of children's participation in their education in two primary and two secondary schools in England. Found that children's opportunities to express their views were extremely limited even where school councils existed. Concluded that the goal of active citizenship espoused by recent national curriculum developments will…

Compared policies and practices of curriculum change in English and Finnish primary schools. Case studies documented the implementation of reforms at the classroom level and teachers' attitudes toward them. Though England promoted a national curriculum and Finland was moving away from one, teachers in both countries had common responses to change,…

The Business Education Council (BEC) is a national curriculum agency in England established to plan and administer nondegree courses in business education. Reported here are findings of a case-study investigation into the implementation of BEC national certificate courses at a further educational college. (RM)

Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) inspected the teaching of literacy and mathematics in the reception year in a sample of 129 schools between autumn 2000 and summer 2001. Most of the schools were designated as primary, teaching children from the age of four or five to eleven. A few schools had nursery classes or units attached to them. In half the…

A case study explored the issue of writing at transition, by describing the types of writing tasks a group of four pupils did at the end of Year 6, and at the beginning of Year 7. The range of writing activities has not changed much in the last 20 years, in spite of the introduction of the National Curriculum. The data indicate a mismatch of…

This paper explains the government of the United Kingdom's (UK) National Literacy Strategy (NLS), established in 1997 by the incoming UK government to raise standards of literacy in English elementary school over a 5- to 10-year period. The paper summarizes how international research influenced the Strategy; reports on the impact of the NLS on the…

This study assessed Turkish elementary teachers' planning practices in terms of influences, problems, and effectiveness. Participants were 1,194 teachers from 210 schools. Teachers completed questionnaires that collected demographic data and explored their perceptions of instructional planning (types of plans, influences on these plans,…

This paper on entrepreneurial education compares positions in three national debates. It identifies different ways that formal and informal texts define entrepreneurial education and gives rationales for it--in comprehensive schools or K-12 education--in different contexts. The study was guided by three questions: (1) What is understood by…

Reports results from a close study of five classes that are learning National Curriculum science with the help of special materials. Contains excerpts from interviews and test scores that illustrate some of the problems students have in understanding the nature of experiment and theory. (DDR)

Describes a small-scale survey of the opinions and attitudes of experienced art department heads in comprehensive British schools on the National Curriculum Art using a repertory grid technique. Indicates a range of dissatisfaction in some areas to overall satisfaction of the mandatory framework. (CMK)

Among 63 countries studied, increases in standard of living during 1960-85 were positively related to hours of science education required in elementary school and negatively related to prevocational instructional time. In developed nations, positive national economic effects were also found for instructional time overall and language instruction…

Explores whether it is easier to achieve a higher level in the KS2 Student Assessment Tasks than in those for KS3. Results of a study in which samples of both were given to two groups of pupils indicates that most obtained the same level in both or one level higher in the KS3. (DDR)

Observes that changes in European education since the late 1970s have been conditioned by internal and external forces. Argues for viewing educational restructuring as part of a general pattern of response to an intensified drive for globalization and competitiveness, albeit with national idiosyncrasies. Compares restructuring in nine European…

Interviewed 118 Irish students at Key Stage 4 and their teachers to determine their reactions to the teaching and carrying out of investigative science. The major response was one of enjoyment, although the purpose of investigative science was often seen as being related solely to British National Curriculum requirements. (SLD)