Two experiments investigated learning outcomes and comprehension processes when students learned about the heart and circulatory system using (a) text only, (b) text with simplified diagrams designed to highlight important structural relations, or (c) text with more detailed diagrams reflecting a more accurate representation. Experiment 1 found…

Previous studies of the professional discourse of literary studies have focused solely on published scholarly articles and have produced contradictory evidence regarding the knowledge-building function of literary argument. In this study, 9 English department faculty members use a "think-aloud" procedure to read four lyric poems and compose a…

Initiated in November 1989, the Exploring 4-H program in Indiana is a child care program providing delivery models and a 21-topic curriculum for use in existing 4-H clubs, after-school day care programs, day camps, summer programs, and library programs in both school and non-school settings. To evaluate the program and the effect of the setting on…

This document presents a critical analysis of two of the most popular types of programs that schools have implemented to prevent violence among students: (1) mediation programs, and (2) conflict resolution curricula. While both promote interpersonal skills necessary to prevent violence, their effectiveness has not been evaluated adequately. These…

Meaningful drawing curriculum construction is an especially difficult challenge for art teachers of early adolescent students, given such students'"crisis of confidence" with art skills and the cultural diversity of present day classrooms. This document describes an analysis of six published drawing instruction programs employing three approaches…

This report examined the effects of implementation of England's National Curriculum requirements on teachers, students, teaching methods, and classroom organization. Most teachers accepted the National Curriculum in principle, while at the same time reporting problems regarding pace and extent of changes. Changes in teaching approach and…

This document describes the objectives and focus of a workshop convened by UNESCO in 1982 to design and develop frameworks for training national curriculum specialists, and presents three "workshop products," i.e., reports on policy resulting from the workshop. Part one outlines purpose of the workshop and lists the participants from eight…

To examine why citizens today do not understand the U.S. Constitution and its provisions, a survey was conducted among 153 high school social studies, journalism, and English teachers to examine, among other things, how they taught about constitutional rights and how they rated their students' knowledge of the subject compared to students'…

This paper describes the nature and substance of elementary art/music teachers' curriculum deliberations from several points of view, presenting: (1) an art teacher who initially thought she was wrestling with a discipline problem instead of a curricular problem; (2) a post-observation conversation (instigated by a dissatisfied principal) between…

Research shows that developing a curriculum model for senior adult education requires consideration of at least four important factors: (1) the heterogeneous nature of the senior adult population; (2) their specific information and interest needs; (3) the specific nature of the learning activities; and (4) the specific barriers and facilitators…

An instrument constructed for scoring behavioral directions in curriculum materials was utilized in an evaluation of 25 randomly selected curricula. Selected curricula were not more than 10 years old and were used through 1986 in Dutch primary schools. Directions included in texts were scored on completeness, clarity, potential, and commitment:…

The creation of a new reading program at a New Jersey elementary school can provide administrators with a lesson in trying to make major changes in schools. A reading specialist presented research from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicating the need for a different approach to reading instruction, as shown by reduced reading…

The distinctive focus of interpretive research on the meaning of curriculum is described, and the reconceptualization of the practice that interpretive studies provide is illustrated. The illustration includes the use of an interpretive lens to assess curriculum differentiation in lower-track high school classes. The interpretivist's interest in…

Charting the curricular institutionalization of environmental education, particularly as it seeks to establish an appropriate niche in the K-12 curriculum, was the focus of a recent symposium held at the annual conference of the North American Association for Environmental Education in October, 1987. Contained in this document are the papers…

The 13 papers collected in this volume illustrate the issues that currently interest educational researchers in Ireland. Seamus O. Suilleabhain explores education as a profession and the concept of professional identity. Papers written by Jim McKernan, Diarmuid Leonard, and Luke Murtagh examine curriculum research and development as a professional…