ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates how a geography curriculum for senior school geography students was initiated and evolved over the period 1964-84 in Western Australia. There are a number of forces at work in any curriculum development activity and this case study is no exception. It outlines major factors that are considered within a decision-making model. Occurrences over the period 1964-1984 are then examined in some detail, in terms of two phases of development are West Australian Education System and the External Examination. The Catholic Education system provides secondary schools for 14% of the school population, and independent private schools account for the remaining 16%. Schools are provided in urban and rural centres, often widely dispersed, over the one million square miles comprising the state of Western Australia. Many teachers may prefer teaching toward an external examination because they can gain definite ideas about the level of content and range of topics to be covered.
