JOURNAL OF CURRICULUM STUDIES (J.C.S.)
Year:2007 | Volume:2 | Issue:6|Papers Count:7

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of social constructivism theory on the science course in the middle school curriculum. The subjects were randomly selected from girls and boys studying at Y3 (middle school) in Zahedan, Iran. They were randomly assigned to the four conditions of the experiment, based on Solomon four-group design. The instrument used was the TIMSS International Test. Analysis of data, using t-tests and ANOVA indicated that those who were taught using the constructionist approach(experimental groups) had a significantly higher performance compared to that of the students who were taught the ordinary course(control groups). Moreover, in the experimental groups the performance of boys was higher than that of girls.

The main purpose of this study is providing a national curriculum adaptation model for multi-grade classrooms. For this purpose, a large mass of related literature and some countries experiences on multi-grade education have been reviewed and analyzed. Furthermore, on the basis of the document analysis and conducting interviews with domestic and outsider experts the conceptual model of multi-grade curriculum model has developed. The designed model has been validated by 15 experts of curriculum and instruction experts (PhD faculty members). The first draft of introduced model to the experts has been modified on the basis of their comments. The validated model has 10 components that will be described in the article.

Each course including philosophy for children is based on theoretical foundations. These fundamentals can be traced in the theories and views of philosophers, given the objective of the course intended to teach philosophy to children and also the overall generality of philosophy itself. In this paper the views of Socrates, Plato, Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Nelson and Lipman were considered. Findings indicated that the views of Socrates, Plato, and Kant advocate a sense of philosophy upon which the curriculum for children is based, meanwhile the views of Socrates would support the curriculum in terms of methodology and the entirety of philosophy. Dependence of Plato's views on education and its philosophy provided an appropriate milieu for the development of a program as such.Emphasis placed on philosophizing and returning philosophy to its own position as well as the similarity of Descartes' methodology to that of course of philosophy for children could be considered as the theoretical foundations of this course. The major contribution of Hegel to the course is his emphasis on teaching logic. The contribution of Nelson is to provide a practical experience similar to the methodology of Socrates in consistence with the aims of the course. Lipman as the founder of philosophy for children made a crucial contribution to the development of the curriculum.A shift from two-side dialogue to group discussion, the use of written texts, Plato's disbelief in democracy and his tendency to enter to dialectic from the age of 18 upwards, opposition of Kant with premature engagement of students and children in philosophical debates, emphasis of Hegel on compliance with the government and the like are discrepancies of views of these philosophers with the curriculum in question.

Meticulous expert attention to the determination of the content and its explicit and implicit messages could facilitate a healthy and proper process of national identity development and enhancement among students. Therefore, the main issue addressed in this paper was the way the textbooks of social sciences, history, and Persian at middle schools dealt with national identity along with shortcomings involved. Research questions of this study were investigated using content analysis leading to eleven factors inducing religious dimension, political dimension, national values, national norms, cultural heritage, national legends, national symbols, geographical features, community subcultures, national pride, and international interactions. By and large, findings suggested that in certain textbooks some aspects of national identity were dealt with rather properly, in duding both religious and political dimensions. However, some other aspects of national identity were almost ignored, in duding national norms, national legends, community subcultures, national symbols, and international interactions. This study suggested revising the objectives and content of the courses at different levels with emphasis on the development of Islamic-Iranian identity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the curriculum at a virtual university and to identify the characteristics of its nine factors. To develop curriculum initially the influential factors and the way they would affect the curriculum should be recognized. ICT capabilities and learner-based theories of learning are two influential factors affecting the curriculum at a virtual university. Multi-media, Meta media, interaction facilities as well as time and space flexibility allow the learners to have access to various learning resources and to interact with their fellow students, lecturers, and advisors and participate in learning activities depending on their conditions. This all allow the learners to form their knowledge actively and according to the situation. Francis Kline identified nine factors in the curriculum development, including objectives, content, learning activities, learners grouping, learning materials and resources, space, time, teaching strategies and evaluation methods. In this study, the characteristics of the nine factors were explored with respect to the capabilities of ICT and implications of learner-based theories of learning. Findings indicate that consideration of the nine factors along with ICT potentials and implications of learner based theories of learning would facilitate the development of required skills in the age of information, including problem solving skills, critical thinking, communication skills, cooperation and self-management among students.