This international handbook offers an in-depth study of the development of primary Technology (or Design and Technology) education worldwide. It is unique in that it focuses on the way in which the building blocks for this subject have been established- providing much needed research and information for those involved with secondary education and beyond to draw on. The inclusion of Technology education into primary curricula has gathered momentum for the last two decades as its importance and relevance to children's lives has been realised by educators. This handbook offers a detailed insight into the many and varied ways in which countries have incorporated the subject into children's primary school experiences, and issues that have arisen during its implementation. The authors all work in the field of primary technology education and have been actively involved in curriculum development and research in their own countries.The first part of the book is devoted to the introduction, the development and implementation of Technology education into the primary curricula of countries worldwide. Reasons for this movement, successes and barriers to development are discussed and speculation about the future of Technology education is reflected upon.The second part of the book relates to issues that have arisen as the subject has grown over the last twenty years, and consideration needs to be given to these if future successes are to be achieved. Classroom practice including designing and ICT, teacher education, enterprise, sustainability and indigenous technology are all reflected upon and support the notion of technology as a valued and valuable part of the primary curriculumThis book should be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students, practitioners, researchers, curriculum developers, policy makers and professional development providers who are involved with, and have an interest in, primary technology education worldwide.

Preface; Part A: Country Studies; 1. Twenty Years of Primary Design and Technology in England: Winners and Losers; 2. Primary Technological Education for All in France: A Study of the Role of Technology in the Primary School System and Teacher Training over the last Twenty Years; 3. Technology in the Primary Sector in New Zealand: The Journey this Far and Where to Next; 4. Technology in the Scottish Primary School: A Twenty-Year Retrospective Study; 5. Technology in Malaysian Primary Schools; 6. Caught in the Currents - the Shaping of Primary Technology Education in Australia; 7. The Growth of Primary Design and Technology Teacher Education in South Australia: More Head, Less Hands, Always with Heart; 8. Primary Technology Education in New Zealand: A Scenic Twenty Year Journey; 9. Technology Education in Finnish Comprehensive Schools; 10. The Implementation of Primary Technology Education in South Africa; Part B: Issues within Design and Technology Education; 11. Nuffield Primary Design & Technology - A Brief History; 12. Designerly Thinking in the Foundation Stage; 13. Technological Education: The Issue of Information Retrieval Via the Internet; 14. In Search of a Pedagogy for Primary Design and Technology; 15. The Rise of Technological Literacy in Primary Education; 16. Autophotography: A Means of Stimulated Recall for Investigating Technology Education; 17. Exciting Electrics - the Starting Point Approach to Design and Technology in Action; 18. Taking Ideas on a Journey: Researching Designing in a Kent Primary School; 19. Primary Design and Technology Education and Ethical Technological Literacy; 20. Research into Primary-Aged Children's Designing: A Review of the CRIPT Conference Papers 1997-2009; 21. Technology Education and Education for Enterprise (E4E); 22. Embedding Education for Sustainable Development in Primary Design and Technology Education: Reflections on a Journey;Perceptions of Primary Design and Technology: Initial Teacher EducationStudents' Experiences; 24. Indigenous Technology and Culture; List of Authors.