Two favourite classics of ed. research. First, the initial study, as far as I can determine, on curriculum drift:
McKinney, W. L., Westbury, I. (1973) Theory and phenomenon in curriculum research: the curriculum as a social system. Paper presented at American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting (58th, New Orleans, Louisiana, Feb 26 – March 1.
Second, a study where the med. ed. researchers wanted to determine the effect of good lecture presentation on students. So they got an actor, gave him a lecture script full of medical buzz words, unrelated phrases culled from relevant medical textbooks, etc, ie rubbish, and told him to perform as Dr Fox, charismatic guest lecturer. He did, with panache. Students loved it. Thought content was great. With a name like Dr Fox it reads like a fairy tale, and like the best tales it has as many morals to it as there are readers.
Naftulin, D.H., Ware, J.E. Donnelly, F.A. (1973) The Doctor Fox lecture: a paradigm of
educational seduction. Journal of Medical Education, 48, 630-35