Curriculum development in the general secondary school in Egypt since 1952, with comparative reference to the secondary school in America and the grammar school in England

• Main Author: Madkour, A. A. A.
• Published: University College London (University of London) 1979
• Subjects: 375
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.464581

This study attempts to analyse curriculum development in the general secondary school in Egypt in its relation to the social, economic and political changes that have taken place since 1952. To accomplish this, an analysis of secondary school curricula in two other countries, namely America and England, which have been faced somewhat earlier than Egypt with some of Egypt's current problems, is carried out. Thus in their relation to the social, economic and political changes, the secondary school curricula in the three countries are judged. In addition, in order to understand the nature of these curricula and to characterise changes that have taken place over the period being examined, the major curriculum theories which have dominated educational practices in the world, are identified. Various socio-economic and political changes are associated with the process of modernisation and domecratisation. The effect of this kind of change on secondary school curricula in the three countries takes two forms; first, the need for schools to supply the labour market with skilled manpower flexible and adaptive to the rapidly changing needs of society; second, the need for curricula to provide opportunities for young people to learn the skills needed for making democratic decisions and for participating actively in their society's affairs. Education at secondary level in the three countries has responded (in different degrees) to these demands at mainly organisational level. However, the pragmatic curriculum in America has been geared, to some extent, to these demands. But the same did not occur with the essentialist curriculum in England nor particularly with the encyclopaedic curriculum in Egypt. Thus, problem analysis and its intellectualisation is the subject of Chapter 1. The analysis of contextual variables or causes in the three countries, America, England and Egypt, is carried out in Chapters 2, 4 and 6, respectively. Then, in Chapters 3, 5 and 7, the analysis of curricula in the three countries is carried out. Finally, a theoretical framework to close the gap between theory and practice in the general secondary school in Egypt is suggested in Chapter 8.