Pupil attitudes to National Curriculum technology

Abstract

The Education Reform Act 1988 (HMSO, 1988) introduced for the first time a compulsory National Curriculum into schools in England and Wales. Technology was one subject in this compulsory curriculum; its inclusion was controversial and (for some) unpopular, generating a debate about the subject's nature and educational value. This study reflects upon that debate by:

• reviewing the opinions of educationalists on National Curriculum technology
• reviewing surveys of pupil attitudes to previous school technology courses
• investigating pupil attitudes to the 'new' subject of National Curriculum technology, and
• discussing whether the general aims set out by the subject's creators have been achieved.