For Freudenthal, the practice of mathematics in the curriculum is not a set of predetermined theories, goals and means. On the contrary, it is always associated with positively understood phenomenological processes in mathematics, as the curriculum is often used in conjunction with the transformation or development of practice. For Freudenthal…

A warm and comprehensive child-centered approach to early childhood education "Who Am I in the Lives of Children? An Introduction to Early Childhood Education" reflects a practical, constructivist approach to early childhood education (birth to grade 3) and care programs that is dedicated to the development of the whole child--physical,…

This comprehensive text gives pre-service early childhood educators a balanced, accessible introduction to early childhood education that also covers the content areas. It shows readers how to teach and care for children by identifying and focusing on five essential elements: understanding child development, play, guidance, working with families,…

Presently in Malta, 'learning outcomes' have become a new focus in education, replacing traditional subject syllabi. The difference between the two is that while syllabi are phrased in a way that foregrounds subject content, a learning outcomes approach gives precedence to individual students' learning. For Grade 3 upwards (ages 8+ years), the…

This case study exemplifies an experimental design to measure the effectiveness of a new educational approach compared to the conventional approach. The researchers were interested in the impacts that reading culturally responsive Young Adult novels might have on eighth grade students' reading comprehension. Students were randomly assigned to the…

In this article, I describe the processes involved in designing and carrying out a case study project. The case study focuses on a science teacher, Donald, who was undertaking an inquiry-based curriculum change to an advanced chemistry course in a specialized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school. I describe the groundwork…

This case describes a collaborative self-study of how teacher educators define, enact, and navigate their roles as culturally responsive educators across various programs within a higher education institution. The purpose of the self-study was to answer the overarching question 'What does it mean to be a culturally responsive educator in higher…

Graduate students initiating qualitative research, like any inquiry, must hone and refine what they will study--the purpose of the research. Without clarity in the research purpose, the study's design will not likely unfold in a systematic way. However, narrowing one's research focus, such that methods follow research question, is much easier said…

This research project was carried as part of a doctoral thesis between 2009 and 2014. It aimed to answer a contemporary question about curriculum management in English primary schools, with a particular focus on history, and reflected contemporaneous policy initiatives and trends in curriculum management. The aims of the project were in-depth…

In 2007, I began research for my doctoral dissertation on what a curriculum in an undergraduate degree in homeland security should look like. At that time, the field of homeland security was a nascent discipline, and as such it did not have a standardized academic curriculum. There were several institutions of higher learning in the United States…

As veteran educational researchers in case study and action research methods, we engaged in a design-based research project as an innovative approach for dealing with the complex practice of integrating science and literacy within elementary classrooms. We choose design-based research as both a theoretical "and" research framework as our…

Considering the Bologna process and the consequent creation of the European Higher Education Area, which aims to create comparable and compatible academic degrees, and the fact that teachers must develop skills to thrive in our ever-changing society, we decided to study two initial teacher education programs of two different European higher…

The study reports on a small international qualitative research project on the implementation of national curriculum reform in Chinese middle schools, involving a team of eight researchers from the University of Leeds and two Chinese partnership institutions in Zhejiang and Beijing. Data were collected from six case study schools based on a…

Multidisciplinary educational curriculum development is a fundamental part of my role as an academic. In practice, the term historically meant that students were segregated into their respective professional disciplines and taught in 'optional modules' of relevance only to them. One of the aims of my work is to build capacity within and between…

This case study examines the methods I used to carry out my PhD field research in 2010 and 2011 on the modernization of the educational system in Bhutan. Distinguishing educational modernization in Bhutan is the state policy of Gross National Happiness, which shows powerful aspirations toward conserving 'traditional' knowledge and values while…