Provides background information on the 1991 and 1992 Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment evaluations. Investigates whether the outcomes of summer-born children who received seven terms of infant education differ from those receiving nine terms. Reveals that children receiving a longer length of education did not have significantly higher…

Reflecting Ugandan culture, the national curriculum on HIV/AIDS and sex education was authoritarian and conformist, and students considered it irrelevant to their lives. An action research project that allowed student choice of classroom procedures and content concerning AIDS and sexuality not only increased student knowledge but also increased…

Discusses language standards, standard language, and examinations in terms of the 1989 National Curriculum for state schools in England and the tensions caused by the curriculum. Also reviews the history of public education and examinations in England since 1944, focusing on English language instruction. (Contains 19 references.) (MDM)

The view that a child-centered approach to curriculum and classroom organization in primary education provides a conducive environment for second-language acquisition is endorsed in England's National Curriculum. A small study is reported that suggests not all teacher-pupil interaction promotes second-language acquisition. (Contains 24…

Reports on 18 months of action research that examined the effectiveness of using the history of science to promote British students' understanding of the nature of science. Both quantitative and interview data offer substantial evidence of a strategic movement away from serendipitous empiricism and toward an appreciation of the interactive nature…

Discussed is the idea that students come into their lessons with already preformed notions for many basic astronomical events. Examples of students' responses during an astronomy lesson are included. Suggestions for uncovering students' alternative frameworks are presented. (KR)

Explores how secondary schools in China are managed using the results from case studies at three schools in the Shaanxi province while simultaneously comparing the findings to schools in Britain. Addresses the structure of the schools, the principal's role, the school's decision-making, and management techniques for the curriculum, finance, and…

Explores the implications of requirements in England's National Curriculum for English to develop students' ability to write standard English. Examines the use of nonstandard dialect grammar in students' writing. Finds that similar dialectical constructs are used in four regions and that they are used more frequently in speech than in writing.…

Analyzes four language activities from Korean English textbooks to ascertain how much they conform to the reform principles and the main purpose of the Korean 6th curriculum of English, which is to cultivate communicative competence of Korean students. (Author/VWL)

Compares provision for and the practice of craft education in England (and Wales) and Japan. Focuses on craft within the national curriculum subject of art at the lower secondary level, and on art teachers' perceptions of its educational value and the factors impacting delivery of craft education. (Contains 34 references.) (Author/SV)

Suggests that the direct teaching of written language features is no substitute for extensive experience of written language. Gives a brief preliminary account of a recent Centre for Language in Primary Education (CLPE) research project on the influence of children's reading of literature on their writing at Key Stage 2. Highlights the value of…

Eric Hobsbawm, perhaps the preeminent historian writing in English about the 19th and 20th centuries, previewed his encyclopedic account of the last 100 years with descriptions of the organizationally, collectively, and individually brutalizing effects of the intense round of wars, revolutions, and economic fluctuations that were the hallmark of…

This study is part of an ongoing, funded project, which seeks to develop workable criteria for the identification of talented pupils in physical education. Using interviews with teachers and qualitative data analysis, it focuses on the experiences of practitioners in the secondary phase of schooling in one English city. The study found a…

In 1994, Norway implemented large-scale educational reforms that altered the face of education in that country. An overview of these changes in upper-secondary education is presented in this paper. The report describes how international competition created a sense of urgency, prompting the government to rush in with wholescale education changes.…

Four significant reforms comprising the national debate on educational reform are defining national standards and goals; creating a national curriculum; using a nationwide standardized test; and adding more time to school schedules. This publication summarizes opinion data from the general public and public school principals and teachers on these…