The study investigates how the school management teams (SMTs) manage the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). The NCS has been incrementally implemented as a curriculum change in the South African secondary schools’ Grades 10-12 from 2006. In addition to literature review, this study employed empirical investigation based on qualitative research approach which involved three semi-structured focus group interviews to gather data from the six sampled schools in Moretele Area Project Office, North West Province. The review of related literature reflected that SMTs are responsible for the successful implementation of curriculum change in schools. The empirical findings revealed that SMTs experience challenges that overwhelm their function of managing the implementation of the NCS effectively. These challenges involve, poor training of SMTs, resources constraints, poor stakeholder involvement, policy overload, and lack of APO administrative support. Finally, the study elicited some strategies that can be applied to overcome certain challenges. / Educational Leadership and Management / MED (ED MNG)

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ experiences of curriculum change in two under-resourced primary schools in the Durban area. By examining the experiences of educators using a qualitative approach the researcher was able to identify problems that prevent a smooth transition from one curriculum to another. The introduction of the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements in January 2012 necessitated a plethora of adjustments for teachers at schools. Changes were made to the number of subjects to be taught, the notional time for each subject as well as a renewed emphasis on textbooks as a vital teaching resource in the classroom. This study was conducted in under-resourced primary schools in the Durban area. Data collection in both these schools shows that despite the lack of essential resources such as text books, teachers still manage to implement change and follow policy, whilst at the same time ensuring that their learners benefit from the curriculum. This study also highlights the challenges experienced by teachers in under-resourced schools that need to be confronted for effective curriculum implementation. The researcher makes recommendations to address these challenges as well as suggestions for future research. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The education ministry has introduced a number of important curriculum forms, including Curriculum 2005 (C2005) in 1998, the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) in 2002, and most recently, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in 2012 in Grade 10. The latter was aimed at replacing the NCS in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning. The need for replacement was necessitated by problems that teachers experienced concerning understanding and implementing various previous curriculum policies. The literature study and theoretical framework explored scholarly contributions that are relevant to CAPS implementation. The purpose of this study is to determine teachers‟ perceptions, and identify and clarify possible barriers relating to the implementation of CAPS in Grade 10 in selected schools at Ndwedwe in Durban. For sampling purposes, rural disadvantaged schools were selected to explore the knowledge and experiences teachers hold with regard to curriculum implementation. Exploratory qualitative research design was executed with a sample of purposively selected participants which constitute one Head of Department and two teachers from each of the five different schools. Data collection was facilitated by means of interviews. The findings revealed that teachers were at first eager to welcome and accept CAPS. Furthermore, this study indicated that some challenges emerged and impeded teachers from effectively implementing CAPS. The challenges experienced relate to resource shortages, teacher training, resistance to change, class size, lack of time, professional development, workload, administrative support, monitoring and language as a barrier ( on the part of the learners). The study argues that without proper infrastructure, schools can neither hope nor manage to successfully implement CAPS. Based on the findings from literature and interviews, teachers still need immediate assistance with CAPS related matters. Recommendations are made to teachers, head of departments, principals, subject advisors, DBE and parents to aid effective implementation of CAPS. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Keung Yuen-kwan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i-ii / Acknowledgments --- p.iii / Introduction / Chapter Chapter One --- "The Two Curricula, England and Hong Kong" --- p.9-31 / Chapter Chapter Two --- Language Discourse and Local Education Policy --- p.32-45 / Chapter Chapter Three --- Local Research on Cultural Identity --- p.46-54 / Chapter Chapter Four --- Local Identity as Constructed in School Textbooks --- p.55-74 / Conclusion --- p.75-80 / Bibliography --- p.81-101

楊鑫. / "2013年9月". / "2013 nian 9 yue". / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 334-362). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract in Chinese and Englisha. / Yang Xin.

As called New Curriculum Reform (NCR), a nation-wide curriculum reform has been implemented since the Guidelines for Curriculum Reform of Basic Education (trial version) issued by the Ministry of Education of The People's Republic of China in June 2001. Considering the background of the reform and cultural tradition, the importance of school curriculum leadership and teachers' commitment to the reform was notified. The purpose of the present research is to explore the impact of school curriculum leadership on teachers' commitment to NCR. The following three research questions have been formulated to guide my research: (1) What are the main reasons that influence teachers' commitment to NCR? (2) What strategies and measures do school curriculum leaders adopt in the process of implementation of NCR? (3) What is the impact on teachers' commitment to NCR of such strategies and measures? / Qualitative case study methods were adopted in this study. A primary school which started to carry out the reform in September 2001 has been chosen as the case. Three months has been spent in the field. Research methods include conducting participant observation, document collection and in-depth interviews. Grounded theory method was used to code and analyze data. And triangulation and participants checks were used to clarify the validity issue. / The present research shows that primary teacher's commitment to NCR is a strategic selection process with a deep-seated psychological mechanism of identity work. In such a process, teachers have to deal with the more complex working context and social context brought by NCR and the development of society. Only when they are able to cope with both contexts will they commit to NCR. Faced with contradictions and conflicts, school curriculum leadership will turn to impression management as a major strategy. However, there is a conflict between the school curriculum leadership aimed at impression management and teachers' commitment with a deeply psychological mechanism of identity work. Thus the school leadership makes very little positive impact on teachers' commitment to NCR as showing in the case study. On the contrary, some negative impacts have been identified. / The present study deeply analyzed the response of school curriculum leaders and teachers in the process of curriculum reform implementation in Chinese culture. How they interact in the reform also has been discovered and thus made the study significant in both theory and practice. Some knowledge-base for further study was also provided in the study. / 于澤元. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2005. / 參考文獻(p. 339-382). / Adviser: Wong Hin Wah. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2455. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in English. / School code: 1307. / Lun wen (Zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2005. / Can kao wen xian (p. 339-382). / Yu Zeyuan.

鄧薇先. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2001. / 參考文獻 (p. 215-236) / 中英文摘要. / Available also through the Internet via Dissertations & theses @ Chinese University of Hong Kong. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Deng Weixian. / Lun wen (Zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2001. / Can kao wen xian (p. 215-236) / Zhong Ying wen zhai yao.

Chan, Kin-sang, Jacqueline. / "August 2003." / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 278-291). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

"Dec 2003." / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 224-246). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Furthermore, whether they have the conscious and courage to break through the restraint which is given by the educational bureau and the school or not, they could be divided into two categories: the dependent inner-control empowerment and the transcendent inner-control empowerment. For example, if teachers confine their reflection within the existing value norm, we describe it as dependent inner-control empowerment. As for the LATQ teachers, they possess outer-control empowerment which makes teachers analyze and judge their own teaching practice from others' standards. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / Lastly, in terms of how practical reflections influence teachers' professional development, the reflections of HTQ and LATQ teachers share a common characteristic. That is, they are both an active learning process of the teachers, even though the reflections are the results of outside forces. And the differences among the two groups of teachers are as follows: (a) the HTQ teachers look at their own professional experiences as the important basis reflection. (b) In terms of the process of reflection, the outcomes of the point by point summarizing process lead to the incremental change in teaching style while the outcome of systematic inquiry is the fundamental change in the renovation of espoused theories and theory-in-use. (c) As for the HTQ teachers, the ability of understanding, controlling and creating practice from reflections has given them inner-control empowerment. / Secondly, practical reflection results from the interaction between teachers' habitus and school field. The main factors in teachers' habitus that influence teachers' practical reflection are the attitudes and motivations of teachers' professional development, educational beliefs, the time of reflection and the competence of inquiry. The main factors in school field that influence teachers' practical reflection include principals' assumption of teachers' learning motivation (compelling), the need of school image management (performance), freedom for teachers' professional development (freedom), the concept of teaching and learning (focus on student learning) and teachers' culture (learning & communication). / The great demands of creative talents in knowledge economy and the pursuit of better humanistic teaching and learning challenge teachers' professional competency. Teachers are expected to be more adaptive and creative in curriculum implementation. Theoretically, teachers' practical reflection is the process of curriculum deliberation and creation. In this context, the inquiry into practical reflection has important theoretical contributions on how to advance curriculum implementation and teacher professional development. / The main research findings are as follows: Firstly, there are intrinsic differences in contents, levels and process of practical reflection between HTQ and LATQ teachers. / The present study addresses the following three questions. (1) What practical reflection has been done in curriculum implementation? (2) Which factors influence teachers' practical reflection? (3) How practical reflection affects teachers' professional development? / 趙明仁. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2006. / 參考文獻(p. 261-272). / Adviser: Hin Wah Wong. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-03, Section: A, page: 0869. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / School code: 1307. / Lun wen (zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2006. / Can kao wen xian (p. 261-272). / Zhao Mingren.