This study attempted to identify reasons for the failure of kibbutz society to retain its young people, and to explain the role that parents play in encouraging their children to leave Israel. Data was collected through intensive individual interviews with several dozen ex-kibbutzniks currently living in Los Angeles, California, and through…

It has been argued that qualitative research demands a special ethics code because of the special relationship between researcher and subject. Ethical aspects of teacher-thinking research were examined by asking 12 teacher-thinking researchers in Israel to participate in an interview on ethical issues of teacher thinking. Interview transcripts…

This study investigated the implementation of a 7th grade biology curriculum ("Animal and its Environment") in Israel. The curriculum has seven parts, each one with a dictated sequence including well-defined objectives, suitable activities, and assigned materials, with little degree of freedom for the teacher. A primary concern for the…

Successful curriculum implementation depends partially on agreement between developers and teachers regarding the relative importance of the objectives of the program. This paper analyzes the ratings of the relative importance of various stated objectives of an elementary science unit by developers, teachers, and outside evaluators. The rating…

Reported is a study which investigated reasons responsible for the lack of enthusiasm among junior high teachers in implementing a new biology curriculum in Israel. Identified variables related to high expectations set at the ideal level, the greater role given to verbalization, and mechanical or routine implementation approaches. (ML)

In order for teachers to take a greater role in curriculum development, more trained curriculum coordinators are needed. A two-year Israeli course to teach skills in leadership, curriculum development, subject matter, and teaching techniques to future curriculum coordinators is described. (IS)

Presents pattern of trends in science curriculum reform for elementary and secondary schools that blossomed in the middle of the 1960s. A brief review is also included to show how the society has affected the different stages of the curriculum movement. (HM)

The paper shows how various evaluation information, received through a number of feedback sources was used for revisions made in curriculum materials. The value of the results provided by the various evaluation instruments is discussed as well as how each technique validates the outcomes received from the other techniques and illuminates a…

Explored issues related to student evaluation in higher education through responses of 40 faculty members to a scenario involving the evaluation of a graduate student whose thesis did not meet the teacher's expectations. Findings illuminate the clash between instructors' concerns for their students and the need to evaluate them according to…

How researchers view the teacher informants with whom they work on studies of educational improvement was examined by placing the researchers themselves in the roles of informants. Responses of approximately 40 researchers show differing attitudes, but the teacher informant was not generally considered a true research partner. (SLD)

This study focuses on the process of novice teachers' adjustment to the teaching profession and to school culture in Israel. Forty-six beginning teachers who participated in a support program for novice teachers were interviewed extensively during their first and toward the end of their second year of teaching. The findings indicate how the…

Autonomous schools in Israel are faced with the challenge of integrating centralized and decentralized curricular approaches. The curriculum structure by which schools attempt to comply with national curricula standards and achieve school autonomy is examined. Case studies of three primary schools involved document analysis, observation,…

The success of any new curriculum depends on an appropriate level of qualified input on the part of many individuals at different stages of the change process. Professional curriculum centers are cited as important agents in the effective implementation of a new program. Workshops in curriculum development are explained. (CE)

Describes the roles of coordinators leading teachers' workshops dedicated to developing curriculum materials. The analysis of the coordinators' roles, accompanied by detailed maps of competencies needed to fulfill these roles, is intended to serve as a guide for developing a systematic training program for coordinators. (Author/MLF)

This study focuses on the transmission stage of curriculum implementation, specifically at the interaction level of curriculum developer and teacher. Level of agreement regarding objectives and priorities between evaluators, teachers, and developers was determined for a unit on "colors" developed for primary school children and partially…