The Norwegian curriculum and integration of knowledge in textbooks in social studies : A comparative study

Abstract

The new Norwegian curriculum subject renewal is part of an international trend with a shift towards more knowledge-based curriculum, with greater emphasis on subjects and subject concepts, with the aim of realizing in-depth learning in schools. This paper, which is grounded on social realism and Ratas' CDC model, examines, and compares the design of the curriculum and the new textbooks in social studies. The comparative study reveals a gap between the curriculum and the textbooks, with quite different interpretations of the Norwegian curriculum reform. The paper explains why coherence design, which links subject concepts, content knowledge and competencies, is a precondition for in-depth learning and cumulative knowledge building in social studies.