ERIC Number: EJ1101004
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0362-6784
EISSN: N/A
Content Selection in Advanced Courses
Parker, Walter C.; Lo, Jane C.
Curriculum Inquiry, v46 n2 p196-219 2016
Advanced high-school courses, such as Advanced Placement (AP) courses in the United States, present a content selection conundrum of major proportions. Judicious content selection is necessary if students are to learn subject matter meaningfully, but the sheer breadth of tested material in these courses promotes nearly the opposite: "test-prep" teaching and mere "coverage" of the curriculum. This paper contributes elements of a theory of content selection that is aimed at meaningful learning (Bransford) and centered on the ideas of agency and constraint (Giddens), curricular structure (Bruner and Schwab), and knowledge and power in curriculum practice (Young). We also present the practical tool we used to select content for emphasis in a high-school government and politics course--an "advanced" course where selecting anything for emphasis is perceived as costly.
Descriptors: Advanced Placement Programs, Course Content, Government (Administrative Body), Political Science, Politics, Curriculum Development, Educational Theories, Knowledge Level, Urban Areas, Quasiexperimental Design, Mixed Methods Research, Syntax, High Schools
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California; Iowa; Washington
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A