School curricula are a reflection of society’s expectations

In a pioneering project, researchers studied the development of school curricula in Switzerland's three main language regions. This SNSF-funded project clearly showed that ever since the Swiss school system was created in 1830 the importance and content of every subject in the curriculum, whether language, history, handicraft or physical education, has been in flux. In primary schools, history lessons in the 19th century primarily consisted of story telling. Foreign languages - French or German, depending on the language region in which the school was located - were introduced as a school subject for economic reasons. The awareness of the importance of foreign languages in supporting national unity did not develop until many years later. German as the school subject we know today only came into being very gradually. Initially the focus was on teaching pupils the essentials of reading and writing, with grammar and literature only being added much later.