A History of Ideas in Science Education: Implications for Practice
By George DeBoer
Chapter 8: Curriculum Reform Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s
Background…
 Progressive education was dead by the late 1950’s
 Shortage of technical personnel during WWII; had an unmet need for scientists and
engineers
 Perceived threat to national security brought on by the Cold War
 Soviet launch of Sputnik- beat us in the space race
 American education moved away from the theme of social relevance to a mastery of the
traditional disciplines
Curriculum Projects Supported by the National Science Foundation



Mid 1950’s the NSF (funded by the federal government) financially supported several
curriculum projects
Purpose was to make available to schools a set of curriculum materials of high quality
and considerable appeal AND prepare students for entering into college science programs
Curriculum included a text book, lab guide, series of films, and optional supplemental
material; some programs offered different versions for slow learners, those not going to
college
PHYSICS: Physical Science Study Committee- 1956
 Primary goal was to present physics as a coherent set of related concepts
 Excluded technological applications, description of physical laws, real life application,
math
BIOLOGY: Biological Sciences Curriculum Study- 1959
 Primary goal was to create a more up-to date course that allowed deeper understanding of
biological concepts, human side of scientific investigation
 Excluded technological applications, relation to everyday life
CHEMISTRY: Chemical Bond Approach Project- 1957
 Primary Goal was to introduce logical thinking using a unifying theme- the chemical
bond; present chemistry as an intellectual discipline; develop analytical and critical
thinking
 Excluded applications to everyday life
CHEMISTRY: CHEM STUDY/ Chemical Education Material Study- 1959
 Goal was give students a better idea of the nature of scientific investigation and how
knowledge is generated
 Excluded applications in industry and the home; pictures and illustrations
EARTH SCIENCE: Secondary School Project/ “Time, Space, and Matter”- 1966 and Earth
Science Curriculum Project/ American Geological Institute- 1967
PHYSICAL SCIENCE: Introductory Physical Science- 1967
ELEMENTARY SCIENCE: Science- A Process Approach- 1967; Study Elementary Science
Study - 1969; Science Curriculum Improvement- 1970
Theoretical Support for the Curriculum Reform Movement
Jerome Bruner- noted psychologist from Harvard
 1959-The Woods Hole Conference
 Tentatively supported inductive, discovery learning as an appropriate mode of learning
 Introduced a number of other ideas, namely idea of stages of mental dev’t from Jean
Piaget, ending up as “spiral curriculum”
Joseph J Schwab- curriculum theorist from University of Chicago
 Felt the nation faced three important needs:
1- additional scientists
2- competent political leaders
3- a public sympathetic to ongoing programs of scientific research
 Stressed the processes by which scientists generated the knowledge
How successful were the new programs?
Studies conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the new programs…

NSF sponsored “National Survey”- 1977
o Half of all school districts used one or more of the BSCS courses in Biology
o Fewer than one quarter used the new materials in chemistry or physics
o Courses in earth science and physical science became more popular in junior high
school

Suzanne Quick- 1978 studied the effects of the new curriculum on commercially
published textbooks
o Most notable changes in textbooks was their updating of science content and
greater use of conceptual themes to organize that content into more conceptually
meaningful units

CHEM Study Group- 1964 evaluate any changes in enrollment into science classes
o Increase in students in the new versus the old courses, BUT the overall percentage
of students enrolled in science courses remained essentially unchanged (the
actually dropped a tiny bit!)
Overall analyses of the projects… Paul Hurd- 1970 in “New Directions for Teaching
Secondary School Science”
Pros: (identified 14 specific points)
 More up to date and valid information
 Engaged students in independent, “discovery”- type investigations
 Presented a more accurate picture of the nature of science
 Dealt with smaller number of significant concepts taught in depth and in context
Cons: (identified 13 specific points)
 Too difficult for avg high school students
 Didn’t motivate students to study science-no relation to real world
 Ignored the role of science in everyday life
Future Implications…
By the end of the 1960’s there was a new theme emerging among science educators…
Scientific Literacy- renewed emphasis on the study of science in its relationships to human life
and action
The New Progressivism…