Since 2010, some private and public high schools in Eswatini1 have begun to offer the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS). Demand for this increased from one school in 2010 to 13 schools in 2018. The study accordingly investigated the challenges inherent in the transferal and implementation of the CAPS Curriculum in secondary schools in Eswatini. Phillips and Ochs (2003) and Dolowitz and Marsh’s (2000) model of policy borrowing were used as a theoretical lens to steer the study. The study adopted a qualitative case study as the research design in terms of which a sample of four schools was conveniently and purposively selected. Document analysis and semi-structured interviews with 33 participants were conducted. The study identified that the curriculum transfer was initiated by parents whose demand for the South African curriculum emanated from a number of factors such as low pass threshold, cheaper access, rejection of Swazi learners by South African public schools, limited professional courses and few universities in Eswatini. The challenges to such transferal and implementation were identified as lack of contextual suitability; lack of training for educators; border immigration requirements; high tuition fees and absence of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Education Management and Policy Studies / PhD / Unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of school libraries in supporting an inquiry based approach for teaching and learning science subjects in senior secondary schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The significance of this study revolves round the prominence given to science education being a mechanism for realising national advancement in Nigeria. This was emphasised in the Nigeria National Policy on Education (2013) as the Federal Government of Nigeria adopted science education as an instrument for effecting national development. This study addressed the following research questions: What is the status of secondary school libraries in Ekiti State, Nigeria? To what extent does the quality of library resources influence science curriculum implementation? To what extent do science teachers advocate using information resources beyond textbooks?

The Florida Department of Education revised the Common Core State Standards into what are now known as the Florida Standards in February 2014, approving 99 revisions to the original standards that were accepted in 2010 (Dunkelberger, 2014). The purpose of this research was to identify current teachers# attitudes towards the new Language Arts Florida Standards (LAFS), specifically regarding teachers# perceptions of text complexity and close reading as enacted in the reading curriculum. Additionally, this study will attempt to identify how teachers# attitudes impact their implementation of the new standards. This research used a self-administered survey to collect the teacher perceptions of the LAFS in six different categories. The sample entailed the participation of 21 practicing teachers from the Central Florida area. The survey revealed that, although teachers don't necessarily dislike the construction of the standards, they feel that they are not knowledgeable in some integral areas of the LAFS, such as text complexity and close reading. The implications of the results are discussed, and some improvements for the future of the LAFS are given.

The research focuses on the role of the principal in the implementation of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) in Tshwane North District 3. The district is characterised by urban areas, townships and informal settlements. Educators in schools in these areas are well qualified; however, schools in the informal settlement lack resources and facilities. Thus, the curriculum implementation problems experienced by principals and educators in the informal settlements differ from those of principals and educators in urban schools. The amendment of the Curriculum 2005 through the RNCS introduced innovations in schools and changed the principal's role in its implementation. A literature review provided a conceptual framework and covered requirements for successful curriculum implementation, the principal's role therein and relevant training for principals. An empirical investigation using a qualitative approach was conducted and data gathered by interviews with principals, officials from the Department of Education and educators. Finally, a synopsis of the findings and recommendations for further research are provided. / EDUCATIONAL STUDIES / MED (EDUC MANAGEMENT)

本研究之主要研究目的在於探討我國綜合高中之課程規劃與實施之現況、相關問題及具體改進建議，包含綜合高中教育基本理念之相關問題、課程規劃之相關問題以及課程實施之相關問題三個部分。為達成上述研究目的，研究者採用文獻分析法以及問卷調查法；首先探討課程規劃與實施的理論基礎與相關研究； 接著探討我國辦理綜合高中的相關理論基礎與研究；之後分析美國、英國與我國綜合高中的沿革與發展現況；最後編制『我國綜合高中課程規劃與實施現況問題之分析研究問卷』，針對2003學年度接受教育部綜合高中輔導訪視150所學校進行調查研究；然後依問卷回收後分析之結果，建議我國綜合高中課程規劃與實施可行之改進途徑，以提供相關單位決策及後續之研究。 本研究之問卷調查對象以學程主任、學科召集人、承辦綜合高中業務之組長或教務主任以及輔導人員為母群體。首先在學校部分進行普查，而學校相關教師樣本之取得則採取隨機抽樣而來，共抽取150所學校，900位教師，回收有效樣本為530份，問卷資料處理採用SPSS10.0版進行統計分析。 據此，研究者係將本研究之調查結果發現與文獻探討發現作成結論如下： 一、綜合高中教育基本理念未能落實 (一)就編班方面來說：學校未能落實高一不分流及依意願分類編班。 (二)就開始教授專業科目的時間來說：有部分的學校未能在「高二上」實行，高一未進行性向試探及輔導，即開始教授專業科目。 (三)就規劃綜合高中課程的主體來說：部分學校未能透過「該科老師於教學研究會時參與討論」之後，經由「課發會」進行協調，再由校務會議通過後實行。 (四)就各類課程及各學程課程之規劃經何種會議討論通過方面來說：仍有學校相關人員對此議題不甚清楚。 (五)就一年級職業試探課程之實施方式方面來說：仍有學校「未開設」或直接教授專業科目。 (六)就『高一不分流』、『提供多元課程』、『學生適性選課』這幾方面來說：各校由於理念不清，學校在各面向均自覺已符合綜合高中相關精神。 (七)就二、三年級學生選課之方式來說：仍有學校抱持選學程不能選課的觀念。 二、綜合高中課程規劃之意見調查分析 (一)就校訂必修科目數為多少學分數來說：仍有學校理念不清，將校訂必修學分數視為學程概念或「不清楚」，甚而無校訂必修科目。 (二)課程規劃以升學導向為主：課程規劃仍有考試領導課程規劃的情形。 (三)就學校在修訂或調整綜合高中課程時的決定主體方面來說：仍有學校決定主體未能落實綜合高中相關理念。 (四)就課程發展委員會之成員方面來說：學校課程發展委員會的家長代表及學者代表比例仍低。 (五)就生涯規劃課程由誰擔任方面來說：學校仍有配課的情形產生，未能給予學生專業的輔導。 (六)就規劃空白課程之單位以及學生遇空白課程時，負責到班或活動地點的負責老師方面而言：學校多數以「教務處」為主。 三、綜合高中課程實施之意見調查分析 (一)就學生空白課程節數方面而言：學校對綜合高中的理念並不清楚，因此大部分學校並無空白課程的實施。 (二)就學生改選科目方面的主要程序方面而言：學校輔導機制並未落實。 (三)就學生課表中之科目包含哪些類而言：課程的實施仍受限於升學導向的限制。 (四)就一年級學生說明有關綜合高中理念與具體做法之方式而言：學校便宜行事，使效果不彰。 本研究根據文獻探討、調查研究發現與結論作成以下建議： 一、強化綜合高中教育基本理念 (一)宣導綜合高中理念 (二)正確瞭解空白課程及職業試探的意義 二、綜合高中課程規劃之意見調查分析 (一)課程之規劃本著學校本位課程之精神，除教師積極參與之外，宜增加學者專家、社區及家長之意見 (二)課程規劃時，增加學生課程選修空間 (三)輔導人員需加強瞭解課程之規劃，以利輔導 (四)規劃空白課程及職業試探課程 (五)除升學及檢定科目之外，宜兼重人文素養之科目 三、綜合高中課程實施之意見調查分析 (一)豐富空白課程之內容及職業試探的廣度 (二)處室之間密切合作 (三)接受教育改革挑戰，行政上不宜方便行事 / The main purpose of this study was to explore the current situation, related issues and concrete suggestions of the curriculum planning and the curriculum implementation of Comprehensive High Schools in Taiwan. This study had three parts: the related issues of basic educational ideals of Comprehensive High Schools, the curriculum planning and the curriculum implementation. To achieve above-mentioned goal, the researcher adopted literature review and questionnaire survey as research methods. First, the theories and related researches of the curriculum planning and implementation were reviewed, and then the development and current situation of Comprehensive High Schools in America, England and Taiwan were discussed. Finally the researcher made “Current Problems Analysis of the Curriculum Planning and Implementation of Comprehensive High Schools in Taiwan Questionnaire” and took 150 schools interviewed and guided by the Ministry of Education in 2003 as samples to conduct the survey. According to the result of analyzing these questionnaires, suggestions of the improvement about Comprehensive High Schools in Taiwan were offered for related authorities' execution and the following researches. The investigation took heads of programs, heads of subjects, the section chiefs or directors of academic affairs who are responsible for the affairs of the Comprehensive High School and the counselors. 900 teachers in 150 schools were randomly chosen as research samples and 530 valid copies were retrieved. The questionnaires were analyzed by conducting SPSS10.0 statistic software. The conclusion according to the result of this survey and findings of literature review are as follows, 1.The Incomplete Implementation of Educational Ideals of Comprehensive High Schools (1)Class Assignment：The implementation of integrating the academic and vocational programs for the first-grade students was incomplete and students were not grouped according their willing. (2)The Beginning Time to Teach the Professional Subjects：Students didn’t learn the professional subjects in the first semester of their second-grade years but during their first-grade yeas without accepting the aptitude tests. (3)The Subjectivity to Planning the Curriculum of Comprehensive High Schools：The implementation of the Curriculum didn’t follow the procedures of subject teachers’ discussion in the teaching committee, negotiation in the curriculum development committee and approval in the school affair conference. (4)The Conferences to Discuss and Approve the Curriculum of Different Programs：Some school staff didn't realize it clearly. (5)The Implementation of the Occupation Exploration Curriculum for the First-grade Students：Some schools didn’t provide it or taught students the subjects directly. (6)The Academic and Vocational Programs Integration during Students’ first year in High School, the Multiple Curriculum Offering and Adaptive Course Election：Schools had vague ideal and didn’t correspond to the spirits of the Comprehensive High School. (7)Curriculum Election for the Second and Third-Grade Students：Students couldn’t elect courses but programs. 2.The Analysis of the Survey about the Curriculum Planning of the Comprehensive High School (1)The Credits of the School Required Subjects：Some schools regarded the credits of school required subjects as the level of programs, ill-defined or not established. (2)The Exam-oriented Curriculum Planning：The curriculum planning relied on the exams. (3)The Subjectivity Deciding the Revision and Adjustment of the Curriculum of the Comprehensive High School：Some couldn’t put the ideal of Comprehensive High School into practice. (4)The Members of the Curriculum Development Committee：The participation rate of the representatives of parents and scholars in the curriculum development committee was low. (5)The Teachers Responsible for the Career Planning Curriculum：The career planning curricula were taught by teachers of different subjects and students didn't accept the professional counseling and guidance. (6)The Responsible Administration and Teachers of the Alternative Learning Period：The offices of academic affairs in schools were assigned. 3.The Analysis of the Survey about the Curriculum Implementation of the Comprehensive High School (1)The Number of Students' Alternative Learning Periods：Most school didn’t provide the null learning periods. (2)The Main Procedures of Students’ changing elective subjects：The counseling and guidance mechanism were not put into practice. (3)The Dimensions of the Subjects：The implementation of the curriculum was confined to the exam-orientation. (4)The Announcement to the First-grade students about the Ideal and Concrete Methods of the Comprehensive High School：The schools acted in haste and it turned out inefficiency. Suggestions according to the literature review, findings of the survey and the conclusion are as follows, 1.Strengthening the ideals of the Comprehensive High School (1) announcement of the ideal of the Comprehensive High School (2) to realize the meanings of the alternative learning periods and the occupation exploration curriculum 2.The Analysis of the survey of the Curriculum Planning of the Comprehensive High School (1)the curriculum planning according to the spirit of the school-based curriculum, teachers’ active participation and scholars, communities and parents’ suggestions adopted (2)flexibility of students’ selecting the elective courses (3)counselors’ deeper realization about the curriculum planning. (4)planning the alternative learning periods and the occupation exploration curriculum (5)emphasizing the subjects for the entrance examination, skill tests and humanities cultivation at the same time 3.The Analysis of the survey of the Curriculum Implementation of the Comprehensive High School (1)enriching the content of the alternative learning periods and broadening the occupation exploration (2)the close cooperation among offices in school (3)taking the challenges of educational reform

The instructional strategies implemented by the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in an international technical college in Saudi Arabia did not prepare students at an intermediate level of proficiency on the Common European Framework of Reference. As a result, more than 77% of the first-year students were not progressing to the specialized diploma studies in the second and third years of their learning journey. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory case study was to better understand the instructional strategies adopted by instructors and the barriers to students developing their English skills. Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) served as a framework of the study because it is aligned with the purpose and it emphasizes the context of instructional strategies in understanding how knowledge and learning are constructed. Multiple sources of data and interviews with 8 participants were used to investigate the research problem. Data were analyzed using thematic coding based on the conceptual framework followed by open coding to discover any emerging themes. Data analysis revealed that the observed teachers did not implement the student-centered instructional strategies discussed in Vygotsky's conceptual framework or ZPD-informed strategies. By designing a professional development program to train teachers on student-centered instructional strategies such as feedback, scaffolding, and student engagement, the results of this study can be used to lead to positive social change by educating teachers on strategies to help students develop better English skills.

This study aimed to investigate how English language curriculum of the sixth, seventh and eighth grades of public primary schools was implemented by teachers and how it was experienced by students. The major areas of investigation were the teachers&rsquo / and students&rsquo / perceptions of the curriculum goals and content, instructional strategies, evaluation and assessment procedures, learner attitudes and the problems encountered during the curriculum implementation. Through a questionnaire for teachers and students, the data collected were from 368 teachers and 1235 students randomly selected from the 21 cities and 42 towns of the seven regions of Turkey. The results revealed that the implementation process of the English language curriculum showed differences in relation to the facilities of schools and classrooms, teacher and student characteristics and perceptions. Majority of the curriculum goals were attained at a moderate level and there were some problems with the selection and ordering of curriculum content. Various types of teacher-centered and learner-centered instructional strategies were implemented depending on the language skill to be taught and learned, and the students had positive attitudes towards most of these instructional strategies. The main problems encountered in the implementation process resulted from the lack of materials and resources, the course-book, the learners, the classroom environment and the curriculum. These problems influenced the attainment of goals, classroom practices and the assessment procedures. v Teachers&rsquo / perceptions of curriculum goals and content differed in relation to school location, age, teaching experience and educational background. Students&rsquo / perceptions of the curriculum differed in relation to their grade levels, gender, parents&rsquo / educational and English level and previous English grade. English language curriculum, English language teaching, curriculum implementation, teacher perceptions, student perceptions, primary school

The aim of this investigation was to predict the extent of curriculum implementation in early childhood education from several variables defined as (1) school related factors, (2) teacher demographics, (3) teaching beliefs, and (4) teacher self-efficacy beliefs. A total of 308 early childhood teachers employed in public schools in the central districts of Ankara, Turkey, selected through cluster sampling, composed the sample of this study. Data were collected with the instrument including Curriculum Implementation Scale, Turkish Version of the Teachers&rsquo / Sense of Efficacy Scale, Teacher Beliefs Survey, and Personal Information Form. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to provide evidence for validity and reliability of the scales. Two separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses were, moreover, employed at the alpha level of .025 to answer research questions. The results overall demonstrated that teacher self-efficacy and teaching beliefs significantly predicted the extent early childhood teachers implemented current curriculum as regards content selection and learning process, while teacher demographics were only significant for the extent of curriculum implementation regarding learning process. On the other hand, school related factors did not contribute to the extent of curriculum implementation for both content selection and learning process. In particular, constructivist teaching beliefs and teacher efficacy beliefs for student engagement and instructional strategies explained the extent of curriculum implementation regarding content selection. Considering the implementation of learning process, teachers&rsquo / years of experience was, moreover, found to be a significant predictor along with constructivist teaching beliefs and teacher efficacy beliefs for student engagement and instructional strategies.

The choice of a first programming language is critical for fostering problem solving skills and remains a concern in programming instruction that should be taken into account during discussions on the Computer Science curriculum. Criteria that should be considered in selection, therefore, need to be established. Few precedents exist for the implementation of such a language, and guidelines for this process ought to be introduced. This study aims to institute valid criteria and guidelines for the selection and implementation of a first programming language in high schools. Criteria for selection were established and guidelines for implementation introduced through a literature study, after which the validity of these was tested empirically. Care was taken to ensure the relevance of criteria, which were established regarding the development of thinking and programming skills, requirements for the programming language and its software development environment to make it appropriate for learners, new tendencies in programming, issues influencing programming used in practice, affordability, training and resources, and programming for various purposes. Guidelines were introduced for the implementation of a first programming language in high schools regarding appreciating teachers' roles in implementation, issues surrounding pilot testing, considering cost implications at macro-implementation level, introducing a new curriculum, and guidance, support and assessment. The validity of selection criteria and implementation guidelines identified was empirically verified within the South African context, in that all items in a questionnaire based on criteria and guidelines received averages rating these as 'fairly important'. Effect sizes designating practical significance for differences between 0 the reported importance and application/usage of criteria and guidelines and 0 the use of implementation guidelines as regarded by groups consisting of policy makers and teachers respectively indicate a need for more careful consideration of what is important and practical in the world of the teachers who implement a selected language. Key terms: selection criteria, implementation guidelines, first programming language, high schools, Computer Studies, curriculum development, curriculum implementation, curriculum dissemination / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

The choice of a first programming language is critical for fostering problem solving skills and remains a concern in programming instruction that should be taken into account during discussions on the Computer Science curriculum. Criteria that should be considered in selection, therefore, need to be established. Few precedents exist for the implementation of such a language, and guidelines for this process ought to be introduced. This study aims to institute valid criteria and guidelines for the selection and implementation of a first programming language in high schools. Criteria for selection were established and guidelines for implementation introduced through a literature study, after which the validity of these was tested empirically. Care was taken to ensure the relevance of criteria, which were established regarding the development of thinking and programming skills, requirements for the programming language and its software development environment to make it appropriate for learners, new tendencies in programming, issues influencing programming used in practice, affordability, training and resources, and programming for various purposes. Guidelines were introduced for the implementation of a first programming language in high schools regarding appreciating teachers' roles in implementation, issues surrounding pilot testing, considering cost implications at macro-implementation level, introducing a new curriculum, and guidance, support and assessment. The validity of selection criteria and implementation guidelines identified was empirically verified within the South African context, in that all items in a questionnaire based on criteria and guidelines received averages rating these as 'fairly important'. Effect sizes designating practical significance for differences between 0 the reported importance and application/usage of criteria and guidelines and 0 the use of implementation guidelines as regarded by groups consisting of policy makers and teachers respectively indicate a need for more careful consideration of what is important and practical in the world of the teachers who implement a selected language. Key terms: selection criteria, implementation guidelines, first programming language, high schools, Computer Studies, curriculum development, curriculum implementation, curriculum dissemination / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.