Selection of subject matter or content of the curriculum

2. Introduction
• There are seven criteria that commonly applied in the
selection of subject-matter/content, subjects needed
for the curricular programme or course of a curriculum.
They are:
(i)Self-sufficiency of Learners,
ii)Significance of Domains of Learning,
(iii)Validity of the Subject matter,
(iv)Interest of the Learners,
(v)Utility of the Subject-matter,
(vi)Learnability of the Students, and
(vii)Feasibility of Completion.

3. (1) Self-sufficiency of Learners
• ‘Economy of learning’ refers to less teaching effort
and less use of educational resources, but students
gain more results.
• They are able to cope up with the learning
outcomes effectively. This means that students
should be given chance to experiment, observe,
and do field study. This allows them to learn
independently

4. (2) Significance of Domains of
Learning
• The subject-matter should respond to the need and
interest of the learners.
• It is significant, if it is selected and organized for the
development of learning activities, skills, processes,
and attitude.
• It also develops the three domains of learning - the
cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills; and
considers the cultural aspects of the learners.
Particularly, if students come from different cultural
backgrounds and races, the subject-matter must be
culture-sensitive.
• In short, selection of content or subject-matter is to be
done to achieve the overall aim of the curriculum.

5. (3) Validity of the Subject-
matter
• Validity refers to the authenticity of the subject-matter
or content that we select.
• For example, inclusion of content on Computer or
Information Technology is more useful than inclusion
of typewriting as a skill to be learned by college
students. There is a need to check regularly the
subject-matter or content of the curriculum, and
replace it according to the emerging trends and
demands of the learners.
• The content should also be changed and updated
according to the changing need of the society and the
individual’s growth.

6. (4) Interest of the Learners
• Teacher must consider the interest of the learners,
their developmental stages, cultural, and ethnic
background. That is, the subject-matter should be
learner-centered curriculum.
• Students’ learn best if the subject-matter is
meaningful to them. It becomes meaningful, if
students’ are interested in it. But, if the curriculum
is subject-centered, teachers have no choice but to
finish the pacing schedule and teach only what is in
the book. This causes uninterest in students and
fails in the subjects.

7. (5)Utility of the Subject-matter
• Another criterion of selection of content is the
usefulness of the content or subject-matter.
Students’ think that a subject-matter or some
subjects are not important to them.
• They view it useless and as a result, they don’t
study. So that selection of subject-matter need to
be done in such a way that students’ must value
the subject-matter or content as useful to them.

8. (6) Learnability of the Students
• The subject-matter or content must be within the
schema of the learners. It should be within their
experiences. Teachers should apply theories on
psychology of learning in order to know how
subjects are presented, sequenced, and organized
to maximize the learning capacity of the students.

9. (7) Feasibility of Completion
• Feasibility of completion means that the subject-
matter can be fully implemented within the
prescribed time schedule.
• Content should be selected by considering the real
situation of the educational institutions, the
government, and the society in general.
• Students’ must learn within the allowable time and
the use of resources available to them. And also,
the essential content can be covered in the amount
of time available for instruction.

10. Cont.,
• For example, when teachers have only one week to finish
the unit but then, the activities may take a month for the
students’ to complete it. This is not feasible. Likewise, we
should not offer a computer subject, if there is no provision
of electricity in the area, or there are no computers
available to the students, or no teachers who are experts in
that field.
• Similarly, for example, do not offer English for Business
Communication, if there is no teacher to teach the subject,
English. And also, there is a need to consider the nature of
the learners. The organization and design of the subject-
matter or content must be appropriate to the nature of
the students.

12. Thank You