The Curriculum Decision
Mrs. Vandelaar, an elementary-school principal, felt frustrated when her teachers tried to teach their students about being good citizens. The school and school board lacked appropriate curriculum and materials to assist them with this task. She was aware that there were many programs available that addressed these issues, and she hoped to be able to purchase one for implementation at her school. She worried, however, that the school board might not see the value of such a citizenship program and would refuse to support its purchase or implementation. Mrs. Vandelaar believed that she and her teachers would be called upon to demonstrate the need for such a program, as well as the benefits associated with implementing it.
Some teachers didn’t agree with Mrs. Vandelaar’s perspective. One believed that it was futile to attempt to change student behaviour because they couldn’t change parent behaviour: “After all, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Another teacher wanted a “ready-to-use” program that could be applied to all students across Grades 1 to 8. He had read an article in a popular magazine endorsing this program. Yet another teacher wanted to purchase a new version of an old program that she had used when she was a student. Mrs. Vandelaar knew that she had one school year to review existing programs and make a convincing case to the school board for funding.

1		How would you carry out the background research necessary to make a sound decision about program selection?
2		What issues would need to be considered? Why?
3		What type(s) of research would be appropriate? Why?
4		What design would you use? Why? Could you use an experimental design? Why or why not?