Transplanting Practices in Social Studies: An Historical Case Study of Curriculum Development and Reform Efforts in Australia, 1969–1989

Selling the New Social Studies in Australia: experiences, perceptions and challenges in the professional development of teachers in the 1970s and 1980s

“…Although their work and contributions to curriculum development has been reported elsewhere (Parry, 1999(Parry, , 2000(Parry, , 2006, their contributions to professional development remain largely neglected. In addressing this neglect, my paper draws on and extends the earlier study by providing an historical and retrospective account of the experiences and perceptions of curriculum workers involved in the professional development for Queensland teachers in the NSS in the 1970s and 1980s, or, as one of the curriculum workers aptly puts it, 'selling the syllabus' (Taska).…”

“…The study of these shifts in curricular and instructional practices provides valuable insights into the complexities and intricacies of two contrasting eras of educational reform and change in the 1970s and 1980s (Parry, 1999). It establishes the roles, aspirations and experiences of two distinct groups of curriculum workers in the 1970s and 1980s, and accounts for the considerable variation that occurred between their activities and outcomes.…”

“…It arises out of a larger study of curriculum development and reform efforts associated with the transplanting of the New Social Studies (NSS) movement from the United States to Queensland (one of eight states and territories in Australia) from 1968 to 1989, and by situating these developments within a comparative, cross-cultural international context (Parry, 1999).…”