The purpose of this study is to suggest ways to develop the curriculum for open English education in Korea based on the theme-centered integrated curriculum. The study critically examines the characteristics of the 7th National Curriculum for English and compares it to the 6th National Curriculum for English and the theme-centered integrated…

Compares standards in primary school mathematics in England and Cyprus, drawing upon national curricula, textbook content, and international comparisons of attainment. Finds that "expected" and planned standards were higher in Cyprus than England but were not associated with higher student achievement. Explores four possible…

Interviews with 48 British elementary teachers and assessment coordinators about level descriptions to evaluate students (summary statements of performance on the National Curriculum) found that communities of assessment practice have developed within schools but not more widely. Factors inhibiting growth include lesser status of teacher…

This study examines to what extent the Korean National Kindergarten Curriculum has actually influenced pre-school practices. This study explores the characteristics of the National Kindergarten Curriculum as it is implemented in Korea. It also examines pre-school teachers' perceptions, daily practice and the curriculum content in pre-school…

This study reports on a 4 year project conducted to detect any alteration to students' experience and self-confidence in key skills resulting from the introduction of Curriculum 2000. The project involved 460 first year medical students who left school before the introduction of Curriculum 2000 and 478 who had experienced the new curriculum.…

This article draws upon a Department for Education and Skills (DfES) commissioned telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of schools to investigate the challenges faced by those seeking the successful implementation of the Foundation Stage (FS) (for 3--5-year-olds) in reception classes. Its focuses on head teachers' and reception…

The primary focus of this paper is two case study schools, one in Singapore and one in Australia, which have both been actively pursuing an agenda to build a unique internationally-oriented curriculum, in a context of globalization, but also within the constraints set by national/State curriculum frameworks, examinations and league tables.…

Mathematics performance at 7 years as assessed by teachers using UK national curriculum criteria has been found to be highly heritable. For almost 3000 pairs of 7-year-old same-sex twins, we used multivariate genetic analysis to investigate the extent to which these genetic effects on mathematics performance overlap with genetic effects on reading…

Evidence from several media illustrates the ways children attempt to fit their observations into their own, known constructs. The contrast is drawn between adult concepts and children's misconceptions and the argument made that children would have more control over their learning with a "bottom-up" approach to teaching rather than the…

There has been relatively little empirical research on the impact of stage of fluency in English of bilingual pupils. However, this issue is increasingly important given growth in the bilingual school population in England of over one-third between 1997 and 2004 to around 10% of the school population. This study evaluates the relationship between…

Previous research suggests that Muslim women can experience particular problems when taking physical education (PE) lessons, for example with dress codes, mixed-teaching and exercise during Ramadan; and they can face restrictions in extra-curricular activities for cultural and religious reasons. The area is under-researched and there is little…

Most studies of school development have taken a one-dimensional point of view. This booklet presents findings of a study that used triangulated methods to measure compulsory school development in Sweden. It compares curriculum texts, the effects of curriculum change, and the metaphors used in the curriculum policies. The first part describes the…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined changing governance structures in the educational systems of several European countries. The reforms have developed new modalities for the content, standards, administration, and control of education. Special attention is given to the relation between the reforms in authority structures and the…

As part of a study of the development and implementation of the National Core Curricula (NCC) in Australia, a historical background was prepared from a number of data sources and views on NCC were sought from senior Technical and Further Education (TAFE) officers in Australia. More specific information was sought in three case studies, the project…

A recently completed landmark study of mathematics and science education in more than 40 countries gathered information that can help address questions as to why students in one country do better in math and science than students in another. This report focuses on the results of the primary school science test of students in 26 countries, from the…