Abstract
In recent years, it has been possible to see renewed interest in curriculum theory, policy, and practice in many developed countries. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the "new curricula" have emphasised generic key competences or capabilities and have tended to focus less on subject knowledge and skills.
On the other hand, we have also witnessed a renewed theoretical interest in subject-specific knowledge and its role in general education, and the emergence of new curriculum policies following the approach of conservative modernisation. This book analyses these trends by describing and comparing several cases of curriculum making in Western countries.
The introductory chapter provides a very brief outline of the theoretical framework and research methodology. We used the theories of comparative education (new institutionalism, policy borrowing approach) that proved to be suitable for the analysis of domestic political or economic reasons for introducing reforms from a supranational level and for the explanation of local translation, i.e. local adaptation, modification, or reframing of an imported reform.
In the area of curriculum theory, the focus of our work was the post-Bernsteinian theory of knowledge and the social realist approach. The second chapter describes the most recent educational initiatives of international and transnational organisations, with special emphasis on UNESCO, the OECD, and the European Union.
Next, we analysed in detail two jurisdictions within the United Kingdom: the cases of England and Scotland document different curricular approaches as manifested in the recent revision of the National Curriculum for England and in the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. The Scottish Curriculum is generally considered as a typical "new curriculum" and a model case of the global transformation of curricular practice at the beginning of the new millennium.
In its emphasis on general competences, an interdisciplinary approach, and school autonomy in the creation of curricula it is similar to the Czech framework educational programmes. The latest revision of the National Curriculum for England features a more conservative approach.
The introduction of a "British Values" policy documents the impact of recent security concerns on education. Next, we describe four Nordic curricula.
When choosing these cases, a similar systems/different outcomes approach was used. First, we outline some common features of Nordic school systems and the challenges they have faced in recent years.
Then we briefly portray the recent reforms in Denmark and Sweden. Two cases are described in more detail: Norway and Finland.
The following chapter covers recent curricular documents from the United States of America. First, we explain the role of national/common standards in the decentralised American educational system.
Then three recent national initiatives are described: the Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for social sciences. In the final chapter, we summarise the trends in two areas: the aims and content of the curriculum (e.g. the role of generic competences and literacies, the revision of subject matter, and well-being as the goal of education), and the processes of curriculum making (the search for a balance between autonomy and centralisation, legitimisation strategies, etc.).
The recent trends in both areas are further illustrated using vignettes of recent reform initiatives in Australia, the Netherlands, and Portugal.