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CURRICULUM STUDIES
Unit 1, Section 1: Definitions and descriptions of the curriculum IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION

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CURRICULUM STUDIES
IN EARLY CHILDHOOD Unit 1, Section 1: Definitions and descriptions of the curriculum
EDUCATION

UNIT 1 SECTION 1 DEFINITIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE CURRICULUM

Dear learner, you are welcome to section 1 of this module. In this section,
we shall take a look at the meaning of curriculum, the relationship between
curriculum, education and the syllabus and the characteristics of the
curriculum. I strongly believe that since you have already taken a course in
curriculum during the diploma programme, it will be easier for you to
understand what curriculum is. I hope you remember this. This section to a
large extent will therefore serve as a review of what we learnt. So just relax
and try to remember some of the things you learnt about the curriculum.

By the end of this section, you should be able to;

 explain the concept curriculum.
 distinguish between various descriptions of curriculum.
 explain what education is.
 describe the relationship between the curriculum and education

Activity 1.1
In your own words, explain curriculum.
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What is curriculum?
Curriculum is often mentioned anytime education comes under discussion.
It therefore suggests that curriculum and education are interwoven or
interconnected. Like many other concepts in education, curriculum has been
described in many ways; it therefore has no one definition that is accepted
by everyone. This is because it has been perceived and explained by
different people from different fields of specialization. I believe you have
heard about the story of the blind men and the elephant. Each one of them
described it based on the part he touched. For instance, the word
‘curriculum’ when used by an educationalist may mean something different
from that of a politician.

Like education, curriculum is originally derived from the Latin word

‘curere’ meaning a ‘race course’. This (curere) was the course on which the
Roman chariots competed. It is applied to institutionalized education since
educational institutions or schools for that matter run on programmes which
have starting and finishing points. Learners enter an educational institution
to go through programmes ran by such institutions over a period of time.

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Unit 1, Section 1: Definitions and descriptions of the curriculum IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION

Learners enter educational institutions to pursue programmes at specific

points. As they progress on the programme, they take examinations which
determine their movement from one level to the next or higher level. These
may be equated to hurdles on a race course (Abroampa, 2012). Learners,
after going through the full length of the programme (race course)
successfully, exit at a prescribed point. Use yourself as an example, the post
diploma in early childhood education programme you are pursuing is for
two years, you were admitted to start at a point, you will take end of
semester examinations, your performance will determine your movement to
the next level and then completion after passing all the required courses.

Activity 1.2
Attempt an explanation using the kindergarten curriculum
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The meaning given to the term curriculum over the years has lead to a
variety of definitions in curriculum literature. Some of these definitions do
not represent exactly what curriculum is. Infact, some of the definitions
rather add to the confusion. In order to arrive at a better one, these
definitions have been put into three categories by Tamakloe (1992) as cited
by Adentwi (2005) as narrow, broad and midway definitions. Now let us
look at examples of definitions under each group and why we may consider
them as good ones or not.

Narrow Definitions
Some curriculum definitions are said to be narrow because they exclude
some activities that may be considered educationally relevant and valuable
such as those of the co-curriculum and the positive aspects of the hidden
curriculum. I believe you remember these terminologies from your
diploma curriculum course? You can quickly refer if you have forgotten.
Examples of narrow definitions are those like that of McNeil (1985) who
describes curriculum as a course of study to be taught to students in an
educational institution. Beach and Reinhatz (1989) explain it as a prescribed
series of courses to take. Zais (1975) as cited in Adentwi (2005) says that
such definitions are too simplistic and naïve. These definitions or
descriptions limit the curriculum to written or documented activities and
experiences learners are supposed to be taken through in schools. They,
therefore equate the curriculum to only academic work, subjects and also
the syllabus suggesting that only what is written is what is learnt by
learners. But you will agree that there are a lot of good things; I mean skills,
values, attitudes etc; you learnt at the basic and high school you attended
which were not taught by any teacher.

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CURRICULUM STUDIES
IN EARLY CHILDHOOD Unit 1, Section 1: Definitions and descriptions of the curriculum
EDUCATION

Those who explain the curriculum narrowly wrongly assume that activities
such as games and excursions and those organised by clubs and societies
that take place in educational institutions are not part of the curriculum as a
result do consider such activities as ‘extra curricula’ because they are not
documented.

Activity 1.3
List four good skills, values or attitudes that were not taught by your
teachers but you acquired at the basic school.

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Broad Definitions
Unlike the narrow ones, some definitions of curriculum are seen as too
broad. Broad definitions suggest the inclusion of experiences and activities
that may not be considered as educationally valuable or relevant to learners.
Such experiences may either be mis-educative since they constitute the
negative values and attitudes learners acquire due to peer pressure and
socialization in school (Adentwi, 2005) such as cheating, drug abuse,
vandalism, alcoholism and the like or non educative experiences which
entail municipal or auxiliary services provided by school administrative
staff, security staff, labourers and cooks. Examples of broad definitions may
be that of Mathews (1989). He says that the curriculum is what goes on in
schools and other training institutions.

Obviously a lot of things take place in schools. Learners go through a lot of

activities and encounter a number of experiences, such as those mentioned
earlier, some of which are not educationally worthwhile or valuable and
affect learners negatively. By and large, any curriculum worth its salt should
be able to expose learners to activities and experiences that will bring about
a relatively positive permanent change in behaviour. Such definitions are
therefore too wide and broad in scope. They undermine the function of the
curriculum as a tool for planning an educational programme and instruction.

Activity 1.4
Identify the two groups of elements which make a curriculum definition
broad. Mention two examples in each case.

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EDUCATION

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Midway Definitions
Though, no single definition for curriculum has been widely accepted, those
that cater for all educationally valuable and worthwhile activities have been
preferred. Some of such definitions are that;
 The curriculum is “the sum total of all educationally valuable
experiences that learners undergo under the guidance of a school or
other training institutions” (Adentwi, 2005).
 “All the learning which is planned and guided by the school whether it
is carried on in groups or individuals, inside or outside the school”,
(Kerr, 1968).
 A plan or program of all experiences which the learner encounters
under the direction of a school (Tanner and Tanner, 1995).
 A curriculum is composed of a selection of socially valued
knowledge, skills and attitudes which an educand is made to acquire
through various forms of planning. (Tamakloe, 1992).

The scope of such definitions is seen to be clearly defined to include

activities and experiences from both the hidden and the co-curriculum. They
exclude mis-educative and non-educative experiences. Such definitions also
suggest that though not all activities or experiences may be planned by an
educational institution, the unplanned knowledge, skills, attitudes and values
that learners acquire, inculcate or acquire in the course of their studies,
which are products of schools culture, that the institution will feel proud to
associate with, can be part of the curriculum. These may be exposed to
learners either within the school premises or outside it. After all, learning is
not “two by four”; it goes beyond the two ends of the book and the four
walls of the classroom. Therefore, any educationally relevant and
worthwhile activities or experiences learners go through, be they inside or
outside the school, under the supervision, guidance, control or auspices of
the institution may be considered part of the curriculum. So it is such
descriptions of the curriculum that are considered acceptable. I hope now
you can identify a good curriculum definition.

Activity 1.5
In your own words, define the curriculum.

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Compare your definition to any of the midway definitions.

The Concept Education

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EDUCATION

Education like curriculum lacks a single definition. Many scholars,

therefore, resort to describing it. Due to this difficulty, some have explained
it using the origin of the word. According to Schofield (1973) originally,
education derives its meaning from a Latin word ‘educere’ meaning to lead
out. However, having considered this as too dry by some people, another
school of thought intimates that rather it is from the word ‘educare’ which
means ‘to form or train’. These words later influenced a lot of the
definitions that were proposed. For instance Farrant (1980:18) intimates that
“education describes the total process of human learning by which
knowledge is imparted, faculties trained and skills developed”, whiles
Barrow (1981) also explains it as the process of human learning through
which an individual acquires breadth of knowledge, understanding and
critical thinking. In Aggarwal’s (1995) view education is what each
generation purposefully passes on to those who are to be its successors in
order to prepare them to deal with one another and their surroundings
purposively. It can be deduced from the foregoing that some knowledge is
imparted or passed on. This is meant to lead learners out into the ‘light’ and
‘form’ learners by remolding their raw talents, skills etc.

It also suggests that education is not an event but a process that actually
spans over a period of time. Castle (1965) supports this by saying that
education is what happens to a human person from the day they are born to
the day they die. Education can therefore not be limited to a particular
period of time in life. I believe that since you were born there are a lot of
things you have learnt from various places and at different times till now.
The preceding discussion implies that education goes beyond schooling and
cannot be equated to schooling or institutionalised education. The purpose
and structures for delivering education renders it into different types- formal
or institutionalised education, non formal education and traditional or
informal education. I hope you remember these.

Activity 1.6
Write down some things you have learnt from other places apart from
schools you attended.

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This means that education in its broad sense is an ongoing process that takes
place in all settings; home, church, market, community centre, palace
including schools. At any of these places individuals are exposed to
activities and experiences as a result of which they acquire knowledge,

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Unit 1, Section 1: Definitions and descriptions of the curriculum IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION

skills and inculcate some values and attitudes. Only formal education takes
place in educational institutions or schools.
From our discussion so far about the curriculum and education, can you see
any relationship between the two concepts? Let’s attempt something.

Relationship between Curriculum and Education

We have realized that education in all its manifestations is broad and does
not only take place in educational institutions. Infact, it is meant to transmit
and preserve culture. However, curriculum is deliberately designed to meet
the needs of a society or country. It therefore translates a society’s
philosophy and goals of education into practical terms or programme of
instruction by capturing and making provision for relevant and valuable
aspects of culture which are delivered to learners through schools.
Therefore, by curriculum, we are referring to an educative process that takes
place under the control of an educational institution, that is, formal
education. Though, other agencies such as the media, religious bodies,
interest groups etc are all involved either directly or indirectly in the
education of individuals, it is the school that has been charged to provide
formal systematic education by transmitting what society cherishes through
the curriculum to the young who go to school to enable them contribute
meaningfully to the development of their society. Though education, in the
real sense of the word, is broader than the curriculum, it is the curriculum
that makes education more effective.

From the discussion, can you identify any link between education and the
curriculum?

Activity 1.7
Do this exercise in your jotter.
i. Why is education broader than the curriculum?
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ii. Describe the link between education and the curriculum.

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Summary
This section has dealt with the meaning of the concepts curriculum and
education and how they relate. It has helped us to understand that the
curriculum cannot be implemented only in the classroom and also not
everything that takes place in the school can be considered part of the
curriculum. This means that children can learn both inside and outside the
classroom provided it is under the supervision of the school. Children at the
early childhood stage must therefore be guided to explore their immediate

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EDUCATION

environment more through purposeful play and not restricting them to the
four walls of the classroom and taught as if they are ‘miniature adults’.

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