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Conservative and liberal challenges to progressivist curricula in Scandinavia
Author(s) -
Svingby Gunilla
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
the curriculum journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.843
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1469-3704
pISSN - 0958-5176
DOI - 10.1080/0958517950060205
Subject(s) - progressivism , curriculum , ideology , period (music) , decentralization , democracy , competition (biology) , public administration , sociology , progressive education , political science , pedagogy , political economy , law , politics , ecology , physics , acoustics , biology
The post‐war period in the Scandinavian countries has been characterized by successive school reforms administered by social democratic governments following a moderate form of progressivism. A central idea is of equality and of an equal right to quality education. The public schools dominate and the management is top‐down. For a long period of time there have been central national curricula. In recent years the System of public schools has been questioned, as has the ideological basis of the curriculum. Proponents of a new liberal ideology demand more private schools, decentralization and efficiency. New conservative ideas at the same time argue for the restoration of basic forms of knowledge, competition and moral qualities to be mirrored in the new national curricula.