The purpose of this study was to develop and investigate the construct validity of the self-reporting Educational Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ). Using the theoretical descriptions of five distinct educational philosophies provided in educational foundations literature, a 25-item Likert-type draft scale was developed and responses were collected from a volunteer sample of 610 K-12 teachers. A factor analysis employing maximum-likelihood extraction procedures with varimax rotation was used in examining the factor structure of the scale. This analysis resulted in a three-factor solution yielding a final 20-item version of the EBQ. This version contained three subscales which assessed the educational orientations of perennialism, romanticism, and progressivism.
Today many American educational reformers and policymakers are beginning to embrace a new reform strategy for improving our schools, a strategy that emphasizes results rather than inputs or the redistribution of power. Key components of this strategy include the creation of "world-class" standards, curriculum frameworks, and "voluntary" national tests. Reforms similar to these are already in place in England. The 1988 British Education Reform Act provided for the creation of a national curriculum and national assessment system. This article describes the British experience with these reforms and identifies potential lessons for American reformers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.