Curriculum models and syllabus design: The effect of teachers' and students' preparation to implement the CXC history syllabus in Trinidad and Tobago
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Date
Mar. 1983
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Abstract
The overall aim of this study was to determine whether teachers and students would encounter difficulties that would hinder the successful implementation of the syllabus. With respect to students, the study aimed more specifically to provide answers to such questions as: 1) whether learners could cope with the novel ways of studying history required by the syllabus, 2) whether an adequate amount of learning resources was available, and 3) whether the workload would be too heavy. With respect to teachers, the study aimed to collect data on such issues as: 1) whether they could employ the new methods advocated by the syllabus, 2) whether available teaching resources were adequate to meet their teaching needs, and 3) whether the new syllabus had increased their workload significantly, in addition to other issues. The sample consisted of 600 pupils from a cross-section of secondary schools and 15 teachers. Data were collected from questionnaires to students and teachers. The results of the data analysis showed that a combination of the academic and the pragmatic models of curriculum development paid dividends. Academicians and curriculum specialists effected a marriage of foundational sources and community concerns, interests and values in deriving objectives for the curriculum, selecting and organizing content and learning experiences, and planning evaluation strategies. The teachers and students who were expected to carry out the innovation were given an important stake in the curriculum development process, with the result that the conditions were created for coping with the introduction of Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Caribbean history in the schools of Trinidad and Tobago