From Policy to Practice – The Implementation Journey of K-12 Curriculum Reforms in Global South: Successes and Setbacks

While curriculum reform is extensively studied globally, this special issue offers a unique contribution by examining the implementation journey of curriculum reforms across the Global South, moving beyond the theoretical aspects to focus on real-world application challenges and successes. The topic of curriculum reform implementation, particularly the tension between centralized standards and localized adaptation, remains underexplored in many Global South contexts where resource constraints, diverse sociocultural environments, and varying institutional capacities create unique implementation dynamics.
Many Global South countries have embarked on ambitious curriculum reforms in recent decades, often transitioning from content-based to competency-based approaches, introducing greater autonomy at local levels, and promoting student-centered pedagogies. However, these reforms frequently encounter significant implementation challenges due to gaps in teacher preparation, inadequate infrastructure, and inconsistent support systems.
By showcasing empirical studies of implementation journeys that either encouter successes and setbacks, this special issue will provide actionable insights for policymakers, educators, and researchers committed to enhancing curriculum reform effectiveness in developing and emerging economies.

List of Topic Areas

This special issue aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of curriculum reform implementation journeys across the Global South, examining the translation of policy vision into classroom practice from multiple perspectives, including but not limited to:

• Provide empirical evidence and practical experiences related to the implementation of curriculum reforms in diverse Global South contexts, with particular attention to the balance between centralized standards and localized adaptation.
• Identify common challenges encountered by policymakers, educators, and school leaders across different socioeconomic and cultural settings when implementing educational reforms.
• Highlight successful strategies and best practices from various Global South countries that can serve as models for broader application while considering contextual differences.
• Examine how different countries navigate tensions between global educational trends and local cultural values and priorities in their curriculum implementation.
• Offer policy and institutional recommendations to address implementation challenges and enhance the efficacy of future reforms across diverse educational systems.

General themes: 

• Curriculum reform implementation: from policy to practice in Global South contexts
• Balancing global educational trends with local cultural values and needs
• Decentralization and localization in curriculum development and implementation
• Textbook and educational resource policies across diverse socioeconomic contexts
• Teacher and preservice teacher preparedness for curriculum reform across varied settings
• The transition from content-based to competency-based education in developing economies
• Systemic challenges in policy implementation across different educational infrastructures
  Innovations and contextual adaptations at school and classroom levels
• Multi-stakeholder collaboration models in curriculum reform implementation
• Resource mobilization strategies in resource-constrained environments

Specific themes: 

• Comparative studies of curriculum reform implementation across different Global South regions (Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, etc.)
• Educational autonomy and decision-making at national, regional, local, and school levels
• Adaptation to integrated and multidisciplinary curricula in diverse cultural contexts
• Challenges and strategies in developing and selecting appropriate educational resources
• Comparative analyses of competency-based vs. content-based approaches across different cultural and socioeconomic settings
• Leadership strategies for overcoming resource constraints and fostering innovation in varied contexts
• Educational equity and inclusion concerns in curriculum reform implementation
• Resource allocation and infrastructure development challenges in low-resource settings
• The role and impact of digital technologies in curriculum reform across varying levels of technological development
• Parental and community engagement across different cultural and socioeconomic contexts
• Frameworks for assessing curriculum reform implementation effectiveness across diverse settings
• Indigenous knowledge integration and cultural responsiveness in curriculum reforms
• Language policies and multilingual education in curriculum implementation
• The influence of international agencies and global educational movements on national curriculum reforms
• South-South cooperation and knowledge exchange in curriculum development and implementation

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aeds
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see here: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/aeds Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to ““Please select the issue you are submitting to”.
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key Deadlines

Opens: August 1st 2025
Closes: December 1st 2025

Guest Editors

Anh-Duc Hoang, RMIT University, Vietnam, duc.hoang8@rmit.edu.vn
Tien-Trung Nguyen, Vietnam Journal of Education, Vietnam, ntt.vje@gmail.com
Hiep-Hung Pham, Thanh Do University, Vietnam, hiep@thanhdouni.edu.vn

For more details refer here

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