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Open research questions in Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies

671 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 7,099 Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • The challenge of conceptualising assessment-as-learning through epistemic visibility. The need to explore how AI-mediated activity can be a site of meaning-making, reflexive judgement, and pedagogical agency. The challenge of situating the study against prior work on competency-based or ethical frameworks for AI literacy.

    Enacted AI Literacy Towards Epistemic Visibility; Embedding Human-AI Design as Assessment-as-Learning in Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Lesson Redesign · 2026 · DOI

  • The study had a limited number of participants, - The study was conducted within a specific course context, - The task was embedded in a course taught by the researcher

    Enacted AI Literacy Towards Epistemic Visibility; Embedding Human-AI Design as Assessment-as-Learning in Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Lesson Redesign · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies challenges such as conceptual complexity, limited student engagement, and inconsistent curriculum structures. The study also highlights the challenge of accommodating diversity among learners and the lack of research interest among students. The paper notes the challenge of creating meaningful constructive alignment in curriculum design.

    A comparative analysis of research methodology curricula in two national contexts through a constructivist perspective · 2026 · DOI

  • The study only compares two national contexts, - The study only examines two institutions, - The study relies on collaborative autoethnography, - The study has a limited timeframe of five months

    A comparative analysis of research methodology curricula in two national contexts through a constructivist perspective · 2026 · DOI

  • TEs frequently initiated discussions of students and tended to emphasize students’ intelligence but rarely explored their knowledge or social identities.

    Imagining Students: The Discursive Creation of Students in Urban Teacher Education Methods Courses · 2026 · DOI

  • The emergent landscape addresses a gap in the literature on teacher education that shows how a theoretical perspective on inclusion is embedded in teacher education and surfaces important insights for teacher education and professional learning.

    Mapping the landscape of teacher education for inclusive education in Scotland · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies challenges in implementing a multicultural curriculum through AI, including the need for critical AI literacy and the complexity of institutional governance. The study highlights the challenge of developing AI-mediated education that promotes greater equity, inclusion, and cultural diversification. The study notes the challenge of ensuring that AI-mediated multicultural curriculum implementation is responsible, equitable, and educationally defensible.

    Feasibility of implementing a multicultural curriculum through artificial intelligence: perspectives of educational science experts · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should investigate the development of AI-mediated education that promotes greater equity, inclusion, and cultural diversification. Future research should examine the impact of AI-mediated multicultural curriculum implementation on student outcomes and institutional governance. Future research should explore the ethical, institutional, pedagogical, and governance conditions required to make AI-mediated multicultural curriculum implementation responsible, equitable, and educationally defensible.

    Feasibility of implementing a multicultural curriculum through artificial intelligence: perspectives of educational science experts · 2026 · DOI

  • Teachers faced challenges in terms of lack of sufficient skills, resources, and motivation to implement new curriculum innovations. Educational managers were unresponsive to the needs of teachers. Teachers did not have the opportunity to give their views on successful curriculum delivery.

    Teachers’ Understanding of Roles in the Implementation of the Geography Competency-Based Curriculum in Secondary Schools in Luweero District, Uganda · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the understanding of teachers' roles in the implementation of the Geography Competency-Based Curriculum. The study also identifies a gap in the support provided to teachers by educational managers.

    Teachers’ Understanding of Roles in the Implementation of the Geography Competency-Based Curriculum in Secondary Schools in Luweero District, Uganda · 2026 · DOI

  • Drawing from the study’s findings, four key recommendations are proposed to strengthen the preparation of Foundation Phase PSTs to teach science effectively and coherently: • Curriculum innovation: Teacher education programmes should embed supervised microteaching, iterative feedback loops, and practicum experiences that deliberately integrate inquiry-based and inclusive science pedagogy into core coursework. This approach would better support PSTs in translating theoretical knowledge into sustained classroom practice. • Structured mentorship: Formalised mentorship systems linking university lecturers, school- based mentor teachers, and PSTs should be established to ensure consistent, science-focused guidance during practicum placements. • Collaborative learning communities: Professional learning networks should be intentionally developed to support peer collaboration, resource sharing, and reflective dialogue centred on science pedagogy, rather than relying on informal or ad hoc interactions. • Reflective and longitudinal development: Teaching portfolios should be introduced to document PSTs’ professional growth over time, alongside longitudinal research that tracks their progression into early career teaching. These recommendations aim to strengthen coherence between coursework, practicum, and professional support structures, thereby addressing the continued marginalisation of science within the Foundation Phase. CONCLUSION This study explored how the B.Ed. curriculum, practicum experiences, and professional learning networks shape PSTs’ preparedness, confidence, and emerging identities as FP science educators in South Africa. The findings revealed a persistent gap between the curriculum’s emphasis on inclusive and inquiry-based science learning and the realities of school placements, mentorship opportunities, and professional collaboration. Although science concepts were introduced theoretically, PSTs reported limited opportunities to teach science meaningfully during practicum, minimal feedback from mentor teachers, and inconsistently structured peer learning communities. The IPNS framework presented in this study offers a theoretically grounded and contextually responsive lens for addressing these Journal of Education and Learning Technology (JELT) 482 Ruswa, N. & Nhase, Z. / Journal of Education and Learning Technology / Vol.7 No.4 (2026) pp 470 - 486 challenges. By synthesising PCK, SNT, and SoTL principles, the framework conceptualises teacher preparation as a deliberately networked, science-focused, and practice-rich process through which PSTs develop pedagogical competence, professional confidence, and emerging identities as FP science educators. These insights contribute to ongoing discussions on early science teacher education by offering a coherent approach to bridging the theory–practice divide and supporting PSTs to teach science in inclusive, inquiry-oriented, and responsive ways in the FP.

    Teaching Science anew in the Foundation Phase: Reimagining pre-service teacher learning for Inclusive Early Pedagogy · 2026 · DOI

  • This study was carried out at a single South African university with a relatively small sample size, which limits the generalisability of the findings. Data were drawn from focus group interviews and group reflections, without classroom observations or multiple institutional comparisons, which could have provided richer triangulation. Future research should therefore include larger, multi-institutional studies, integrate classroom-based data, and assess the longitudinal impact of the IPNS Framework on PSTs’ professional identities and science teaching competence. BIBLIOGRAPHY Abukari, Moses Abdullai, Jonas Bayuo, Alaric Awingura Alagbela, and Christopher Saaha Bornaa. “Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Science Tutors and Its Influence on Their Trainees.” Contemporary Mathematics and Science Education 3, no. 1 (March 3, 2022): ep22008. https://doi.org/10.30935/conmaths/11830. Al-Eisawi, Dalia. “A Design Framework for Novice Using Grounded Theory Methodology and Coding in Qualitative Research: Organisational Absorptive Capacity and Knowledge Management.” International Journal of Qualitative Methods 21 (April 20, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221113551. Almeida, Ines G. De, and Jan P. Weber. “Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences of Online Microteaching in South Africa.” African Journal of Teacher Education and Development 4, no. 1 (2025): 90. Alrajeh, Tahani Salman. “Project-Based Learning to Enhance Pre-Service Teachers’ Teaching Skills in Science Education.” Universal Journal of Educational Research 9, no. 2 (2021): 271–79. Arasomwan, Deborah A., and Nontokozo Mashiya. “Foundation Phase Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences of Teaching Life Skills during Teaching Practice.” South African Journal of Childhood Education 11, no. 1 (March 11, 2021). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v11i1.700. Azam, Saiqa. “Locating Personal Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Science Teachers within Stories of Teaching Force and Motion.” Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 16, no. 12 (October 21, 2020): em1907. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8941. Bans-Akutey, Anita, and Benjamin Makimilua Tiimub. “Triangulation in Research.” Academia Letters 2, no. 3392 (2021): 1–7. Carrier, Sarah J, Aimee B Fraulo, Kathryn T Stevenson, M Nils Peterson, and Laura M Romeo. “Teachers as Learners: Outdoor Elementary Science.” The Electronic Journal for Research in Science & Mathematics Education 27, no. 2 (2023): 1–24. Chauhan, Apurv, and Surbhi Sehgal. “Interrogating Paradigmatic Commitments of Focus Group Methodology: An Invitation to Context-Sensitive Qualitative Research Methods.” Qualitative Psychology 9, no. 2 (June 2022): 127–39. https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000227. Co, Annalene Grace E., Charmaine Ruth G. Abella, and Fhrizz S. De Jesus. “Teaching Outside Specialization from the Perspective of Science Teachers.” OALib 08, no. 08 (2021): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1107725.

    Teaching Science anew in the Foundation Phase: Reimagining pre-service teacher learning for Inclusive Early Pedagogy · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research can focus on the development of new methodologies for analyzing the evolution of research topics and author relationships. Future research can explore the applications of the findings in educational practices.

    Visualizing the knowledge mapping of mindsets into education trends: development and impacts with knowledge graph · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap in understanding the evolution of research topics and author relationships in the field of mindsets. The early mindset may have topics that may not directly relate to education.

    Visualizing the knowledge mapping of mindsets into education trends: development and impacts with knowledge graph · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies the persistence of colonial epistemological hierarchies as a major challenge in Nigerian curriculum design. The review highlights the need for structural reform in curriculum design, rather than symbolic or superficial changes. The study argues that epistemological justice must be addressed in curriculum reform.

    Philosophical Appraisal of Curriculum Design as Nigeria’s Educational Social Contract: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

  • The study suggests that future research should focus on developing a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between curriculum design and the educational social contract. The review highlights the need for further research on epistemological justice and its implications for curriculum reform.

    Philosophical Appraisal of Curriculum Design as Nigeria’s Educational Social Contract: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

  • The study does not aim to provide exhaustive coverage or a formal coding of documents. The analysis is limited to the Czech context. Persistent implementation frictions are identified, including fragmented early-career learning and mismatched expectations between graduates and employers.

    From Transmission to Constructivism in Initial Teacher Education · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the understanding of the reframing of the teacher's role in initial teacher education. The analysis highlights the need for further research on the promotion of constructivist orientations in the Czech Republic.

    From Transmission to Constructivism in Initial Teacher Education · 2026 · DOI

  • Further development of the proposed pedagogical strategy - Application of the strategy in different educational contexts - Investigation of the effectiveness of the strategy in promoting student learning

    A Pedagogical Question: Which Foundational Principles Structure the Big History Narrative? · 2026 · DOI

  • The curriculum-making process is political and contentious. The new curriculum may lead to deprofessionalization of teachers and a lack of autonomy in teaching. The new curriculum neglects the unique cultural and linguistic context of Aotearoa New Zealand.

    “More like a Manifesto than a Curriculum”: A Collaborative, Critical Discussion on English Curriculum-Making · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper does not provide a comprehensive analysis of the curriculum-making process. The paper is based on a limited number of discussions and may not be representative of the broader education community. The paper does not provide a detailed analysis of the implications of the new curriculum on student learning outcomes.

    “More like a Manifesto than a Curriculum”: A Collaborative, Critical Discussion on English Curriculum-Making · 2026 · DOI

  • The complexity of the curriculum reform. The lack of support for teachers during curriculum change. The emotional demands of implementing a new knowledge system/mātauranga Māori.

    Teachers’ Experiences of Curriculum Reform in Aotearoa New Zealand · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of the experiences of teachers implementing curriculum changes. There is a need for greater awareness of teacher requirements during curriculum change.

    Teachers’ Experiences of Curriculum Reform in Aotearoa New Zealand · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research may investigate the implications of the new curriculum for English classrooms. Future research may analyze the similarities and differences between English curriculum developments in New Zealand and elsewhere.

    Versions and Visions: A (New) National English Curriculum for Aotearoa New Zealand · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in understanding the challenges of changing English in New Zealand. The paper notes the need for analysis of the curriculum change process from an outside perspective.

    Versions and Visions: A (New) National English Curriculum for Aotearoa New Zealand · 2026 · DOI

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671 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 7,099 Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies papers in our 4.5M-paper local library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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