Reforms in science curricula in last six decades: Special reference to physics

This review paper discusses the reforms in science curricula particularly those related to physics curricula which took place after the launch of the Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957. These reforms have started at national level as well as international level by establishing curriculum facilities around the end of 1960s. This review informs science educators about previous research in science curricular reforms, the struggles of global physics instruction transformation starting from United State of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK), and current science/physics education researches. Recent advances in physics curriculum development, as well as some important science reform programmes that have been done in Africa, are also discussed. The paper also highlights the Competence Based Curriculum developed by the Ministry of Education - Rwanda Education Board. The paper updates science/physics educators on the evaluation of the effectiveness of various instructional methods used in the past facilitating the identification of potential reform approaches to be successful in the future. Some practical recommendations that can be used for effective teaching and learning of science, especially for physics are also outlined