Jan Van den Akker – författare

The field of design research has been gaining momentum over the last five years, particularly in educational studies. As papers and articles have grown in number, definition of the domain is now beginning to standardise. This book fulfils a growing need by providing a synthesised assessment of the use of development research in education. It looks at four main elements:background information including origins, definitions of development research, description of applications and benefits and risks associated with studies of this kindhow the approach can serve the design of learning environments and educational technologyquality assurance - how to safeguard academic rigor while conducting design and development studiesa synthesis and overview of the topic along with relevant reflections.

The field of design research has been gaining momentum over the last five years, particularly in educational studies. As papers and articles have grown in number, definition of the domain is now beginning to standardise. This book fulfils a growing need by providing a synthesised assessment of the use of development research in education. It looks at four main elements:background information including origins, definitions of development research, description of applications and benefits and risks associated with studies of this kindhow the approach can serve the design of learning environments and educational technologyquality assurance - how to safeguard academic rigor while conducting design and development studiesa synthesis and overview of the topic along with relevant reflections.

Based on the study of successful cases in several countries, this book shows what it takes to put activity-based science programs into practice in elementary schools.Based on research conducted in four developed countries, this book focuses on the question of how elementary schools with successful activity-based science programs put them into practice and maintain them over the years. In general, activity-based science programs are advocated in developed countries, but are relatively rare in practice. By studying successful cases in several countries this book shows what it takes to make them successful.Topics discussed include the research approach employed, the educational context within which these cases are set, comparative analysis of the cases, and recommendations for practice.This book will be of interest to teachers, administrators, and support personnel-as well as to fellow researchers-who wish to introduce and nurture activity-based elementary school science so that it becomes an integral and sustained part of the local curriculum.

In the millennial learning society, expectations about the contribution of education and training continue to rise. Moreover, the potential of information and communication technology (ICT) creates many challenges. These trends affect not only the aims, content and processes of learning, they also have a strong impact on educational design and development approaches in research and professional practices. Researchers from the Netherlands and the USA present their findings on these issues in this volume. The major purpose of this book is to discuss promising design approaches and to present innovative (computer-based) tools. The book aims to serve as a resource and reference work that will stimulate advancement in the field of education and training. It is intended to be useful in academic settings as well as for professionals in design and development practices.

Developing Science, Mathematics and ICT (SMICT) in Secondary Education is based on country studies from ten Sub-Saharan African countries: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, and a literature review. It reveals a number of huge challenges in SMICT education in sub-Saharan Africa: poorly-resourced schools; large classes; a curriculum hardly relevant to the daily lives of students; a lack of qualified teachers; and inadequate teacher education programs. Through examining country case studies, this paper discusses the lessons for improvement of SMICT in secondary education in Africa.

Curriculum problems are everywhere: alert observers with a practiced eye and educated mind will find it almost impossible to read a newspaper without discovering curricular issues.

Curriculum problems are everywhere: alert observers with a practiced eye and educated mind will find it almost impossible to read a newspaper without discovering curricular issues. The media often report about educational reforms or even about curriculum wars with opposing parties fiercely debating the aims, content and organization of learning. Few people analyze these trends and discussions from a curricular conceptual framework. In addition, people sometimes think that their curriculum approaches and problems are unique and context-specific. However, international experience shows us that we can learn a lot from curriculum issues elsewhere. This book aims to sharpen the eyes and minds of a broader audience in identifying, understanding, addressing and reflecting upon curriculum problems. It also aims to contribute to the increased exchange, discussion and reflection on all the current curriculum problems that form such a crucial part of learning worldwide.