Recent Developments in Curriculum Research -- A Selected Bibliography.

The article reports on the recent developments in the curriculum research. The function of educational research is twofold: to help close this gap and to bring educational practice more nearly in line with sound educational theory. There seem to be at least three avenues through which research influences educational practice and, correspondingly, three levels of penetration by research in its attack upon curricular problems. Research at the first level is the fundamental or traditional type of research. It is characterized as independent experimental research studies which are aimed at the discovery of "truth" from which educational practice may profit; it is concerned primarily with gathering knowledge which will be beneficial to education. First-level research has operated under the assumption that its publication and integration with pre-existing knowledge eventually will bring about a change for the better in educational practice. Action research is advocated as a tool for bringing about curricular change. Although this permits research at a somewhat deeper level of penetration, the initiative in action research still remains with research personnel and not in the efforts of all concerned.