JOURNAL OF CURRICULUM STUDIES (J.C.S.)
Year:2006 | Volume:1 | Issue:1|Papers Count:6

Curriculum studies in a global knowledge economy: drivers of change. As with all academic disciplines, the study of curriculum within knowledge producing.organizations (such as universities) is influenced by global trends, transitions and transformations. The formation of a global knowledge economy is changing the types of work undertaken by academics and teachers and changing their relationships with their respective professional communities and students. Following Sohail Inayatullah (1998), I suggest that among the current drivers of change affecting alternative futures for intellectual work, four seem particularly significant, namely globalization, multiculturalism, virtualization and politicization.Curriculum studies in a global knowledge economy: alternative futures As Catlos Alberto Torres (2002) observes, globalization 'shifts solidarities both within and outside the national state' (p. 364) and, therefore, in considering alternative futures for education we must address questions raised by the globalization of these two traditional bases of formal education systems, namely, governance and economies.I suggest that one important task for curriculum scholars-whether they be in Australia, Iran, or anywhere else - is to re-examine the purposes of education in the light of the transformations of individual and collective identities into both more privatized and more globalised forms.In thinking about how we do this, I have found Nancy Fraser's (1993) distinction between two senses of solidarity to be useful: Solidarity premised on shared identity and Solidarity premised on shared responsibility.

School curricula are the most important element in any country's educational system. As such the very process of curriculum development includes a rather large spectrum of experts in this and other related fields. In this essay, different models that could be utilized in making decisions regarding school curricula are described and the extent of their applicability is identified. In addition to the identification of both hurdles and facilitators, different strategies for delegating the responsibility of making decisions regarding the curriculum to the schools are discussed.

The purpose of this study has been to identify the current weaknesses and strengths of the university curriculum in Educational Administration in Iranian system of higher education in order to pave the way for its improvement and ideal status. Eight hypotheses on the current and ideal status of goals, contents, and instructional, as well as evaluation, methods were developed. To test these, the opinions of a sample consisting of both graduate and undergraduate students at Tehran, shahid Behesthti, Alzahra, Tarbiat Moalem, and Allameh Tabatabai, as wet as experts and employers were surveyed. The survey was conducted using a questionnaire and followed by an interview, both of which were based on a strategic model developed by the author. The results show that all hypotheses regarding the current and ideal situations in educational administration curricula, at all levels of education, were confirmed. The current status, generally speaking, is not addressing the needs of the respondents, however the need for improvement seems to be much stronger at the undergraduate level.

This article reports the findings of an experimental research utilizing a newly developed multimedia model of instruction aimed at promotion of positive attitudes among middle scholars. The developed model is based on constructivist principles and utilizes multimedia software like MMB, Photoshop, and Power-Point. A sample of 368 male and female students of middle schools were taught a specific topic in social studies class using both the customary approach and the new computer based model of instruction. The findings show that the new model is significantly more effective than the existing approach.

One of the most important objectives in creative problem solving instruction is to have the students learn how to identity and face problems and then find special solutions for them. To see if this goal is obtainable a year-long study was undertaken utilizing the rather new method of brain writhing. This method is similar to brainstorming, except that it is in writing, and hence eliminates the difficulties of its verbal version. 50 male high school sophomores majoring in mathematics were selected using the cluster sampling method and then assigned to two experimental and control groups randomly. Instruments used were three tests including Aubedi's test of creativity. The experimental group was instructed on how to solve problems creatively during three two-hout sessions. The control group was instructed for the same length of time but in a different subject matter. Immediately following the treatment, subjects' abilities in finding and solving' problems, as well as using solutions, were tested. The experimental group showed a significant superiority in all areas. The testing was repeated almost a year later, but the experimental group's superiority was only significant in one dimension of creativity.