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This study sought to determine the beliefs of curriculum directors within the public school districts of Indiana with regard to the purpose of education and to the impact of high-stakes testing. The six cultures of curriculum described by Joseph et al. (2000) were utilized to provide the lens through which curriculum directors could view the overall curriculum of their individual districts. For the purpose of this study, the curriculum director was defined as the person at the district level most responsible for the organization and implementation of the curriculum. The researcher first sought to determine the culture supported personally by curriculum directors and the culture believed to be most prevalent within their districts. In relation, the researcher further wished to learn if directors believed high-stakes testing served a valid purpose within the context of their personally supported culture or the one perceived to be most prevalent. Finally, the researcher sought to determine if directors believed the pressure to perform well on high-stakes tests had an influence upon their decision-making in relation to curricular changes. Data from 136 (46.6%) of Indiana’s 292 public school districts showed Constructing Understanding, defined as “Developing in students the ability to think independently and to build knowledge from the information they gather through observation and collaboration” (Appendix E), was selected by 64.4% of the respondents as the curriculum culture most in agreement with their personal beliefs. When asked to identify the curriculum culture perceived to be most prevalent within their school districts, Training for Work and Survival, defined as “Providing students the necessary skills to allow them to be both effective and adaptive in the workplace and in society” (Appendix E), was selected by 66.9% of respondents. With respect to perceived pressure related to high-stakes testing, 73.5% indicated the pressure significantly impacts or has the greatest impact on my decision-making; 73.7% felt significant to extreme pressure for their students to perform well on ISTEP+ and the ECAs; and, 63.6% reported feeling moderate to extreme pressure to encourage teachers to teach to the test. / Department of Educational Leadership

This study is undertaken to investigate the students’ learning experiences in second year Augmented Economics tutorials. Augmented Economics tutorials is a second year academic development (AD) programme for students in the extended Bachelor of Commerce degree. The investigation into the students’ learning experiences is done by interrogating the causal relationship between the learning environment at a higher education institution on the one hand and the student learning approaches and the students’ performance outcomes on the other. The study focuses on the students in the AD programme who are enrolled in the extended Bachelor of Commerce degree. The rationale for the study stems from the non-existence of research data on the effectiveness or lack thereof in the extended Bachelor of Commerce since the programme started in 2004. The study is intended to identify possible areas of strength and weaknesses in all the Augmented Economics modules. The study uses Biggs’ 3P theory of students’ approaches to learning to explain the interrelationship between the presage, process and product vriables. The Course Experience Questionnaire is used as an instrument with which to gather data from the second year Augmented Economics students. A questionnaire with 29 items was used, of which data from 26 of these items was used. The study found strong positive linear correlations between the institutional factors but very weak positive and negative correlations between grade 12 and institutional factors. Significant gender difference in the deep learning approach but no gender difference in the surface learning approach was found. This study found that the second year Augmented Modules are perceived by the students as positively empowering them with generic skills. The study recommends a relook at the curriculum structure and the workload as well as the assessment models being used in second year Augmented Economics. Further research is also recommended over a longer period and a bigger sample to establish the generalizability of this study’s findings. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of developing (a) the concept of instructional claim, and (b) credible principles for instructional claim formulation and evaluation. The belief that these constructions are capable of contributing to the advancement of curricular and instructional research and practice is grounded in three major features. The first feature is that of increased precision of basic concepts and increased coherence among them. The second feature is the deliberate connecting of instructional strategies and goal-states and the connecting of instructional configurations with curricular configurations. The third feature is the introduction of fundamental logical principles as evaluative criteria and the framing of instructional plans in such a way as to be subject to empirical tests under the principles of hypothesis testing that are considered credible in the empirical sciences.

Thesis (MEd (Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / This study focuses on the cognitive preparation of National Curriculum Statement (NCS) (Grades 10 – 12) Accounting learners for studies at a University of Technology (UoT). The purpose was to determine to what extent NCS cognitively prepares Accounting learners for studies at a UoT, and whether there is a difference in the extent to which NCS (pre-2014) and CAPS (2014) cognitively prepare learners for the first-year National Higher Certificate in Accounting and Financial Information Systems at a selected University of Technology (UoT). This study is contextually situated within the curriculum theories developed by Basil Bernstein‘s ‘code theory’ in the sociology of education. The theoretical framework for this thesis draws on the work of David Conley’s redefining college readiness, in which he argues that Higher Education (HE) readiness is a multi-faceted concept comprising numerous variables. Cognitive preparation for HE Accounting studies is reviewed in terms of the educational objectives of the cognitive domain of Benjamin Bloom. A mixed method approach for the research design was employed. The quantitative approach entailed completion and analysis of questionnaires by first-year Accounting students at a selected UoT to ascertain learners’ levels of Accounting competence as envisioned by the NCS (Grades 10 – 12). Marks for the Grade 12 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination in Accounting were obtained so that these examination marks could be compared with students’ levels of Accounting competence and marks at the end of the first term (March). The qualitative approach entailed document analyses of the Accounting FET (Grades 10 – 12) curriculum, the curriculum of the National Higher Certificate, the NSC Accounting examination of 2014, and the National Higher Certificate in Accounting March 2015 assessment, as well as interviews with the Accounting 1 lecturers at a selected UoT. Data revealed that the NCS (Grades 10 – 12) Accounting curriculum (formal or intended curriculum) adequately prepares learners cognitively for studies at a UoT. There is little evidence that CAPS prepares learners better for tertiary studies than students not trained according to CAPS. There is a statistically significant relationship between the mark obtained in the NSC, the mark in the questionnaire and the formal assessment in March. There are, however, various other factors that contribute to academic success or failure and drop-out in HE. Findings from this study suggest that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and universities could work more closely together in various subject groups to ensure these challenges are met and that universities provide feedback to the DBE on whether the changes implemented are making a difference to the quality of first-year students who enter university.

"It is the purpose of this paper, therefore, to show how in Florida's Program of Studies in the Elementary School science and social studies are related to each other. It will be urged that these subjects should be so related as to assist in developing those characteristics in boys and girls which will enable them to adjust creatively, within a democratic framework, to the problems and situations created through the interaction of technology and social change. In doing this it will be necessary: (1) to establish the social and psychological needs that underlie such a program; (2) to examine the Program of Studies as found in the Florida Curriculum Bulletin Series, published by the State Department of Education, relating to these two areas; (3) to work out a series of charts correlating work described in certain Florida Curriculum Bulletins; and (4) to develop one of these problem areas as a Resource Unit"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "June, 1952." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: W. Edwards, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-55).

The purpose of this study is to examine indoctrination in Oregon public schools during the period from 1947 to 1975. More specifically, it seeks to define and analyze the assumed changeable and dynamic aspect of indoctrination. The major hypothesis to be tested is that indoctrination has declined in strength during the test period.

M. S.

The purpose of this study was to collect information to measure the perceptions of superintendents and principals about the extent to which they: (1) were aware, (2) were supportive, and (3) have implemented the National Education Goals and Maryland's Schools for Success Goals. In addition, the study examined (1) level of implementation and (2) adequacy of funding for the National and Maryland Goals. Superintendents and principals from Maryland's 23 counties and the Baltimore City school district comprised the population in this study. A questionnaire was designed and administered by the researcher to gather data on education awareness, attitudes and involvement of the National and State Goals. It also gathered data about administrators t experience, size of school, school district, race and gender. A process was described in which the researcher designed and pilot tested a survey questionnaire. The revised questionnaire was used in a survey of 635 Maryland public school principals and 24 superintendents. Of the 635 surveys sent to principals, 443 or 70% were returned and processed. For superintendents, the return rate was 67% (16 of 24). Superintendents and principals responded to five questions for each of the six national goals and ten Maryland goals. The five questions assessed awareness of the goals on the part of the respondents, the extent to which they supported the goal, the extent to which the goal was currently being implemented, the extent of their personal commitment to implementing the goal and whether adequate funding support for the goal was being supplied. For each of the 16 goals, respondents rated their agreement-disagreement on a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical measures included ANOVA, F-test and t-test. The results indicated that there were a number of important statistically significant differences between the groups studied. Superintendents and principals differed significantly on level of awareness of the National and Maryland Goals. Superintendents were more informed. Elementary and secondary principals differed significantly on commitment to implementing the goals, secondary principals being more committed. There were statistically significant differences between urban, rural and suburban principals in implementation of Maryland Goals, with suburban principals being more advanced in commitment. Suburban schools were also more in agreement than were rural or urban schools in the area of financial support of Maryland Goals. School size reflected statistically significant differences concerning financial support. Smaller schools were more satisfied than larger ones. Similar differences were found on the basis of race of principal; African-American principals were more content with the level of support of National and Maryland Goals than were Caucasian principals. The results indicated that questions of awareness, support, degree of implementation, and personal commitment for the National goals correlated significantly with the corresponding Maryland goals. The process and instrument proved to be effective in gathering data related to the research questions. / Ed. D.

The major focus of this study was to obtain information and to make comparisons of the importance of technology education program goals as determined by three professional groups in the State of Virginia: professional leaders/teacher educators, local supervisors, and technology education teachers. Two dimensions were investigated: actual program goals and ideal program goals. Furthermore, goal emphases at two school levels, middle school and senior high, were investigated separately. Two primary factors were investigated: (1) were there differences among the three professional groups relative to the assessed importance of program goals; (2) were there differences among the geographic locations (urban, suburban, and rural) relative to the assessed importance of program goals? Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire. Results of the study were based on responses received from 77.1 percent of professional leaders/teacher educators, 82.5 percent of local supervisors, and 73.9 percent of technology education teachers. The MANOVA, and ANOVA, and Hotelling paired T² tests were used to determine significant differences among the mean scores. Major conclusions reached as a result of the study were: 1. Professional leaders/teacher educators held different beliefs than did local supervisors and technology education teachers about the importance of program goals for technology education. 2. Local supervisors and teachers in the three geographic locations held similar beliefs about the importance of technology education program goals. 3. All three groups of respondents put greater importance in the ideal goals as compared to actual goals for most the 14 goal statements for technology education. / Ph. D.