Inquiry-Based Learning in the New Greek Primary Science Curriculum: A Critical Reading of Policy Design and Implementation Conditions

Internationalisation of the Curriculum in Minority Higher Education in Slovakia: A Critical Case from J. Selye University

This article examines the internationalisation of higher education in a semi-peripheral system through the concept of a minority higher education space, focusing on the implementation of internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC) at J. Selye University. Drawing on world-system theory and approaches to global inequalities in knowledge production, the study conceptualises minority higher education space as a structurally constrained, symbolically marginalised, and epistemically subordinated institutional configuration. The concept is operationalised through three dimensions: structural peripherality, epistemic partial subordination, and symbolic limitation. The empirical part uses an instrumental case study combining curriculum and project document analysis, data from a pilot regular course with elements of blended learning, and qualitative feedback from Faculty of Education students (N = 15), complemented by data from an international project consortium. The findings reveal the ambivalent nature of IoC in minority higher education spaces: while it reflects adaptation to dominant European academic norms, it also enables horizontal cooperation among semi-peripheral institutions and the pluralisation of pedagogical perspectives. Student feedback highlights the development of intercultural, civic, and project competences. The article introduces the concept of reflexive internationalisation to explain changing patterns of international engagement in minority academic contexts.

Degree Project with Specialisation in Education: Educational Theory

Unpacking Resistance and Reform: The Struggle to Implement Competency-Based Curriculum in English Language Teaching

The paper analyses the dichotomy between policy directives and the implementation phase of a competence-based curriculum in English language teaching (ELT). The study focused on selected secondary schools in central Uganda to assess the compliance mechanism against the background of teachers who have been trained and have been using traditional teaching methods for a long time to deliver a knowledge-based and content-loaded curriculum, and to shift to the new model, which is a herculean task. The study examines the challenges of transition, for example, observable resistance among teachers and learners, coupled with institutional inertia. It is noted that resistance is driven by the new loaded curriculum, an intricate assessment model, the complexity of the learner-centred approach, and collaborative groupwork. In interpreting the entrenched challenges, the paper applies sociocultural theory, curriculum implementation model, and constructivist learning theory, among others, to underpin the resistance vis-à-vis reform to clarify theory versus practice. The research used a mixed-methods design to analyse the reform versus resistance. The findings revealed inadequate institutional support at the school and the top level. The competence-based curriculum is highly content-loaded, leading to a backlog and wasted time to recoup uncovered work from the previous term/year, thus leading to time wastage and stress for both the teacher and the learners. Besides, it is found that the teachers’ professional capacity development is inconsistent, with little or no follow-up or feedback. Besides, teachers still maintain the traditional teacher-centred approach, justifying that learners have to be prepared for exams and thus complete the syllabus. So, the issues arising from the tension between the new and old cast doubt on the effectiveness of the competence-based curriculum in the teaching of the English Language. The study calls for urgent harmonisation of policy directives and classroom practice.

Systemic Design: A teaching-learning action

A Creative Inquiry Attempt in Architecture Education: Producing an “...ism”

This study examines the pedagogical boundaries of freedom in architectural education through a student-centred and critical classroom experience. In the process structured on researcher student collaboration, students were positioned not merely as receivers of knowledge but as actors who generate value. The discussion, conducted around the question “What would postmodernism criticize if it emerged today?”, encompassed critiques ranging from class inequality to the urban skyline. The students’ proposals were compiled within the framework of problem definition, supporting arguments, and counterarguments. These proposals were evaluated in relation to the positioning of creativity against institutional, political, and technological boundaries; the relationship between spatial justice and design; and the balance between individual freedom and collective responsibility. The findings reveal the creative potential of free thought in architecture and demonstrate education as a field of polyphonic production. It is anticipated that the participating students’ recognition of architecture’s potential to transform the social and physical environment, as well as its intellectual dimensions, will have a lasting impact in helping them position their own roles within this transformation.

LITERACY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL I: AN ANALYSIS OF TEACHING PRACTICES IN THE FINAL YEARS OF THE EARLY ELEMENTARY CYCLE

This article analyzes the pedagogical practices of literacy in the 4th and 5th grades of Elementary School in a municipal school in Manaus, investigating their importance for the development of students' reading and writing skills. The research, with a qualitative approach of a descriptive and exploratory nature, was developed with five teachers, 36 students, school administrators, and a pedagogical coordinator. Data collection occurred through methodological triangulation: semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, focus groups, and document analysis. The results revealed significant tensions between the theoretical discourse aligned with contemporary conceptions of literacy as a social practice and the predominantly traditional pedagogical practice, with an emphasis on mechanical activities. The main challenges include the heterogeneity of learning levels, the scarcity of adequate didactic resources, and limitations in ongoing teacher training. It is concluded that the effective promotion of literacy requires not only the updating of pedagogical practices but also the overcoming of structural challenges that permeate the reality of Brazilian public schools.