Journal of Theory & Practice in Curriculum

Research supervision styles in Iranian academia: from facilitation to exploitation!

Saeid Safaei Movahhed

number of postgraduate students has been growing exponentially in Iran in the last two decades. That is while the number of faculty has not increased proportionally to keep up with the fast growth. Hence, the student-faculty ratio has widened, turning thesis and dissertations into chaotic scene. Accordingly, this paper aims at uncovering how Iranian professors supervise postgraduate research projects in such a complex unprecedented context. The research participants are 45 postgraduate students who were selected purposively by criterion sampling strategy and interviewed by informal and in-depth techniques. Methodologically, the research may be deemed as grounded theory with emergent design (proposed by Charmaz). Thus, the data were analyzed at two levels, namely initial and focused (secondary) coding, and a quadripartite typology emerged consequently

Determination of Employability skills of Academic Graduates with Exploratory Mixed Method Approach

Abasalt Khorasani

This paper reports employability skills determination using exploratory blended method from the viewpoint of the experts of higher education, graduates, the workforce and experts in the field of employability .Sampling method in the qualitative section was purposeful and theoretical sampling. The qualitative data collection was carried out through in-depth interviews and constant comparison of the findings with the research literature and analyzed with Glaser model. The statistical population consisted of faculty members of Tehran universities (N= 335). . In this research, 66 components of employability were identified which were categorized into three main categories of general knowledge and skills, and knowledge and specialized skills of the field, knowledge and skills related to the work environment , personal attitudes . The teamwork and group work component was recognized as the most important component of employability.

Understanding Personal Practical Knowledge; From what teachers must know to what teachers already know

Mahmoud Mehrmohammadi

The purpose of this study is understanding the Personal Practical Knowledge (PPK) of teachers which has been done through qualitative method. Understanding PPK helps us to understand why teachers act in a specific way. In this regards, reflecting on their personal and professional narratives also help to improve their practice. This study was conducted along with 13 teachers in a non-profit primary school in Tehran. The results of the study indicate teachers’ rich knowledge of factors affecting success of the teaching profession. However, the data obtained from the observations show the difference between what the teacher describes as a successful teacher and effective teaching, and what happens in their practice. The dynamic and contextual nature of the teacher's knowledge and the different meanings and interpretations of similar experiences and events and absence of reflection are the factors that cause this differences.

Analyses of 10th mathematics textbook and teacher guide book based on context base Mathematics approach

Gholamali Ahmadi

Recently, the National curriculum of Islamic Republic of Iran has been developed by the Ministry of Education to provide educational policies. In this document, an implicit emphasis on so called context base aspect of the program can be seen in the mathematics curriculum framework section. In this paper, I first, introduce the different aspects of context base Mathematics Education, and then this educational approach has been traced in the newly written mathematics textbooks in Iran

Teaching status of girls puberty in the seventh grade textbooks

Fahimeh Shabani sani

Abstract
The current study aims to evaluate teaching puberty components to girls in the seventh grade of first stage high school textbooks. These components includes sexual, physical, emotional, psychological, mental (cognitive), social, religious, and civil puberty. Research method was qualitative content analysis, and the target population included all the seventh grade of first stage high school textbooks in the school year 1394 - 1395, and among them Thinking and Lifestyle (Mutual book for boys and girls, Thinking and Lifestyle Mutual book for boys and girls), Divine Messages, Social Studies and Experimental Science were chosen. As a result, 337 puberty components were found in the chosen books. In case of evaluation of puberty with 115 (34/ 2%) components was in the first place and Religious puberty with 115(12/32%) categories had the highest amount and putative puberty with 22 categories (52/6%) had the lowest amount.

Determining Teachers’ Professional Qualifications in “The Learning Approach to Knowing” and Presenting Executive Strategies for Realization of this Approach: A Mixed-Method Research

S.Ebrahim Jafari

The present study aims at determining teachers’ professional qualifications in “the learning approach to knowing” and presenting executive strategies for realization of this approach. The research employs an exploratory mixed-method research. The population in the qualitative part of the research consists of experts of education and in the quantitative part includes all high school teachers of Districts 2 and 3 of Isfahan. To select participants in both parts, the purposive sampling technique was used; in the qualitative part, 20 experts were employed using the chain purposive sampling method, and in the quantitative part, teachers with MA/MSc and PhD degrees of Isfahan City were selected. To collect data in the qualitative part, semi-structured interviewing technique, and in the quantitative part, a researcher-made questionnaire with 14 scales of professional qualifications for teachers were usedualitative findings were analyzed suing content analysis of interviews, and quantitative findings were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Faculty Members' Experiences of Professional Development Curriculum: A Conceptual Model

Marzieh Dehghani

This research is based on the experience of the faculty members of the College of Mathematics, Engineering, and Basic Sciences (STEM) at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 2017 in implementing professional development curricula. The data of this research were extracted from a qualitative and descriptive phenomenological method with semi-structured interviewing tool. Data is analyzed through coding and categorization. Sampling in this section was targeted through a criterion type and a total of 21 people participated. To credited, Delphi technique was agreed by the experts and experts on issues. Given the research structure and the four areas in the curriculum, researchers' perceptions of the themes and concepts related to each field were referred. A total of 37 categories and finally four general categories including design, implementation, field and evaluation in three areas of strengths, leading issues and desirability of curriculum. The results of this study showed that a great deal has been reported between the design and implementation of the programs, as well as a conceptual model based on the life experiences of the faculty members and, finally, suggestions were presented.

A study of elementary school teachers' challenges of encountering with Lesson Study

Azimehsadat Khakbaz

This research aimed to study the challenges which elementary teachers deal with lesson study. This research studied challenges in three stages, before, during and after lesson study. To achieve the aim of the research, a case study in a school was used. Participants of this research have been 20 elementary teacher of that school. Data collection tools have been semi-structured interviews with teachers and participatory observation. Coding and categorizing were used to analyzing data. Findings showed that teachers faced with three categories of challenges before lesson study: teachers' knowledge about lesson study, teachers’ motivation to participatet in lesson study, creating group and determination of the responsibilities of the group members. During lesson study teachers faced with three categories of challenges: selecting problem, implementing lesson and data collection, reviewing and criticizing the lesson. After lesson study teachers confronted with three categories of challenges: refereeing, publishing and the lesson study festival.

The Impact of Using Quick Response Codes on Educational Motivation

Zeinab Golzari

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of technology of Quick Response Codes in education. Accordingly, a case study was answer the question "Does using quick response codes effect students' academic motivation?" The statistical population consisted of students from Islamic Azad University in 2016-2017. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Experimental group using quick response codes technology based on two-dimensional bar code using fast access technology to mobile and smartphone or tablet. This barcode can provide educational content as text, image or educational video. Offer. The results of this study showed that the use of quick response codes in education has a positive effect on increasing students' academic motivation.

Analyzing Curriculum Theories Based on Miller's Taxonomy to Identify an Appropriate Theoretical Framework for Designing Crisis-based Curricula

Behrooz Mahram

The goal of this study was to identify and develop an appropriate theoretical framework for designing curricula in crises. In this regard, first, by document analysis and ampliative criticism methods, the consequences of crises on the society and the educational system were extracted and used as a basis for criticism and drawing a conclusion. Then, relevant taxonomies in curriculum theories were studied, and based on some criteria such as comprehensiveness and efficiency in answering the research questions, the taxonomy of Miller was selected and its expounded theories on crises were analyzed. Based on results, given the special psychological and social conditions of people who have been involved with crises, it was recognized that the guidelines of the social humanistic theory are more appropriate than the others for designing a curriculum which would help increase people's resilience and cause their faster return to normal conditions.

Changing the Role of Teacher according to Complexity Theory: From Representation to Facilitating Emergence

Saeid Zarghami-Hamrah

The present study seeks to rethink the role of the teacher in the teaching-learning process according to the complexity theory. First, the role of the teacher is explained in the traditional vision of Comenius and Dewey's critical insight and then the role of the teacher is discussed in the complexity theory. Then, the teacher’s image as an emergence facilitator is suggested instead of their image as a representer. In this way, the facilitator role, as recommended by the complexity theory, involves creating a context for participation along with engagement and attention, hermeneutic listening, using imagination and improvising, the emergence of different interpretations, and the non-linear, unpredictable, self-regulated, and common knowledge and awareness. From this viewpoint, facilitating and learning which are considered as simultaneous and continuous and are not limited to teacher or learners, could establish a context for the emergence of common knowledge at the classroom level.

Explaining Factors Affecting Quality of Teaching at Technical and Vocational University

Gholamreza Hajhosseinnezhad

This study aimed toexplain factors affecting qualityof teaching and determine their impact onteaching quality.The mixed research approach was used for collecting the data. The population (qualitative method) consisted of staff at central organization of university and researchers of university in 2011- 2016; they were selected using combined sampling method.The population (quantitative method)also consistedof educational assistants,headsof research andeducation department, and faculty members in2016.In qualitative study,the exploratory interviews andsemi-structured interviews wereused for collecting thedata.Inquantitative study,theidentified categories which were derived from encoding qualitative data were used to create paired comparison questionnaires; they included factors affecting quality of teaching.The resultswere analyzed using AHPmethod.Thefindings indicatedthat the contribution of teacher, educational environment, and students was estimated to be41,33, and 26 percent, respectively.Among teacher components,the professional skillsof teacher(weight326) was determined to be themost important component; among student components,theacademicrecords andexperiences(weight463)was determinedto bethe mostcomponent;andamong educational environment components,quality educational spaces and equipment(weight429)was determined to be the most important component.