Reports that Ellsworth Collings faked data and misrepresented his research in a 1923 study that became a hallmark of progressive education. "An Experiment with a Project Curriculum," supposedly documented a group of high school students' independent efforts at studying an outbreak of typhoid. Collings seriously misrepresented his input.…

Argues that Australian inservice education policies have unintentionally controlled and deskilled teachers. Focuses on Queensland, Australia, from 1973 to 1986. Claims teacher managerial skills are emphasized over curricular and instructional skills. Contends that teachers' professional development consequently suffers. Premises arguments on…

Discussed is the deliberative process--the verbal interchange that is carried on, usually by a group, with the intent that some kind of curriculum plan, policy, or program will emerge. A case study involving a curriculum committee deliberating over a new science program for their Ontario (Canada) school board is presented. (RM)

Examines Jean Piaget's developmental theories and evaluates how his psychology of constructivism relates to contemporary behavioral sciences, modern education, and modern monopoly capitalism. Concludes that Piaget's constructivism is inconsistent with capitalist ideology and is widely misunderstood by educators. (DB)

Provides an overview and an examination of educational didactics in Sweden. In this context, didactics refers to the study of what content is chosen and how it is taught. Some theorists have extended this to include how students conceptualize what they are taught. Discusses the conflicting schools of thought. (MJP)

Raises questions about an aspect of rhetoric called the commonplace. Suggests how commonplaces may be applied to educational topics in innovative ways. Shows historical analysis can highlight assumed concepts and values in discourse, policy, and practices. Argues educators must increase awareness of the interrelated arts of rhetoric in teaching by…

Critiques nine major curriculum texts. Argues the field has failed to produce important research. Looks at citation ratios in curriculum research journals versus other scholarly journals. Explores the impact and influence between curriculum texts and their intended audience. Includes suggestions for a curriculum program from the…

Describes the Written Literacy Forum, a collaborative research effort between Michigan State University's Institute for Research on Teaching and the East Lansing, Michigan Public Schools, which attempted to identify ways that research on writing could be applied to instructional problems. Depicts the first year's experience and offers sample…

"Educational Knowledge: Changing Relationships between the State, Civil Society, and the Educational Community," edited by Tom Popkewitz, is generally a collection of essays which emphasizes theoretical explications of the linkages between the state, society, and educationists. The author found that the book makes critically important…

The study showed that graduate study has a positive impact on the professional practice of teachers. Participants said that they felt more knowledgeable, more confident, and more analytical about their own and others' viewpoints and more aware of the importance of their own role in curriculum decision-making. (RM)

Asserts that most representations of non-Western cultures are inherently tainted with Eurocentric and colonialist precepts. Argues for, and describes, a variety of strategies to deconstruct these perceptions. Maintains that issues of ethnicity, inclusion, and difference are more complex than normally thought. (MJP)

Asserts that many educators do not hold curriculum studies in high regard. Reviews the "Handbook of Research on Curriculum," published by the American Educational Research Association. Concludes that the volume will serve the interests of researchers but not other constituents within the curriculum community. (CFR)

Examines Australian curriculum movements since 1950. Argues that curriculum specialists in the 1970s allied with progressive teachers' and parents' organizations to foster diverse participation in curriculum decision making. Contrasts this to the 1950s, 1960s, and 1980s, when curriculum specialists assisted conservative state education…

Argues that many of the conditions advocated in current educational theory relating to curriculum change are unrealistic in the present political and economic climate, and that politicization of education, the role of the media, as well as subject-specific factors, deserve more attention. Illustrates with a case of curriculum change in Australia.…

To what degree is a Dutch curriculum reform in classics incorporated into teaching practice? This study included two data sources: questionnaires that asked teachers about their beliefs concerning curricular innovations and an analysis of authentic assessment material, i.e. school examinations constructed by teachers. The findings suggest that the…