CURRICULUM RESEARCH
Year:2012 | Volume:1 | Issue:2|Papers Count:7

The main purpose of this study was the identification and ranking of factors affecting the implementation of descriptive evaluation model in Iranian primary schools. In this study, descriptive-survey method was used. The research population consisted of Iranian primary schools teachers and principals from whom, 390 persons were selected through multistage sampling method. The data were collected using a 33 item research–made questionnaire. The face and content validity of the questionnaire was determined using the specialist's views and the reliability of the questionnaire was estimated 0.94 using Coronbach's Alpha method. The data thus collected were analyzed and four factors identified and ranked in terms of their impact on implementing descriptive evaluation model as follows: administrative factors, teacher related factors, psychophysical factors and factors promoting a friendly cooperative atmosphere. Based on these findings, suggestions can be made as how to improve the implementation of descriptive evaluation model at the Iranian primary schools.

The purpose of the study was to investigating the amount of academic freedom of faculty members of Shiraz University. For this purpose, a sample including 203 faculty members from Shiraz University colleges in the academic year 1389-90, were selected based on proportion classification sampling. They completed a researcher-made questionnaire on academic freedom. In this study, the effect of five factors, i.e., college, work experience, gender, academic rank, and awareness of university regulations on the amount of academic freedom in instructional, researching, institutional, thinking and moral-cultural dimensions were examined. The results of MANOVA showed that academic rank influenced the amount of academic freedom in four dimensions (instructional, researching, institutional and thinking), college in two dimensions (researching and institutional) and awareness of university regulations in all dimensions. Gender and work experience had no influence on the amount of academic freedom. The results of multiple regression revealed that academic rank and awareness of university regulations are significant predictors of the amount of the academic freedom. It suggests that faculty members with higher academic ranks enjoy a higher level of the academic freedom than the others. Furthermore, faculty members with more awareness of rules showed more academic freedom than the others.

This study aims to investigate the viewpoints of teachers and students about the principles and standards of organizing the contents of the book entitled "the History of Iran and World. This study is an applied research and the survey method is used. The population of this study consists of two groups. The first group ia composed od 30 high school history teachers and the second group consists of 2189 sophomores and juniors of high school in Humanities. To choose the sample from this population, all the teachers of history and 330 students are selected through cluster random sampling method. The data was collected through the researcher-made questionnaires for the two groups with the reliability coefficients of 0.89 and 0.81, respectively. Questionnaires were based on a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics from t-tests were used to analyze the findings. Analysis of the findings showed that there is a significant difference between the viewpoints of teachers and students about the fitness of the contents of the book to the predetermined purposes. There is also a significant difference regarding the observation of the principles of selecting and organizing the contents of the book and the learning experiences of the students. In addition, with regard to the correspondence between the content of the history course with real needs of society, there is no significant difference. Finally, there is no significant difference found between students 'views and teachers' views about the correspondence between the content of the history course and the students' abilities, needs, and interests.

This paper is concerned with the feasibility study of the implementation of school–based curriculum development in Kermanshah high schools. Four variables of knowledge, attitudes, skills and facilities of department administrators and teachers were assessed and evaluated. For measuring these training measures, components such as choice, change, completion and development were identified and the assessments of all four levels were included in the questions, while questions were also projected to measure the concentration. This study is descriptive and population of this study included all high school teachers and administrators in the city of Kermanshah in the academic year 1388-1389. The sample included 50 administrators and 300 teachers who were randomly selected. For data analysis the mean and standard deviation indices were used for descriptive purposes and for inferential purposes, tests such as Chi Square and Pearson and Spearman correlations were used to measure the relationship between the variables. In general, the results indicate that the studied group has adequate knowledge, average attitude and inadequate skills for running the school–based curriculum development in Kermanshah high schools and there aren't appropriate facilities for running such schools.

Today the curriculum of social science courses in Iran includes eight branches: social science research, social planning, cooperation and social welfare, social services, anthropology, social communications, public relations, and social work. But in advanced educational systems in the world, including America, Canada, Australia and most European countries, the social science has a broad category that typically includes sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and geography. In this study, an attempt was made to design an Interdisciplinary Curriculum Model to Undergraduate Social sciences by using the theoretical knowledge of Interdisciplinary Curriculum design, studying the current condition of social science curriculum in Iran and the world generally and interviewing social science experts. These interviews are done by the general interview guide approach. Mainly qualitative data analysis was used that included a three-step process (derived data, supply data and the interpretation and analysis). The results of the study include an interdisciplinary model that has been validated from the perspective of curriculum and social sciences specialists. In the validating process of model we used a qualitative method that recognized "focus groups research methods".

Designing curriculum, which is the conceptual map for manufacturers of the curriculum, governs the determination of sources, the identification of the constituent elements of the program and the decisions which are made with respect to each of these aspects. Considering the fact that the educational system of our country is centralized, one of definitely important facts in teaching social issues is the official curriculum and subsequently the books and the documents of the curriculum. So in this paper we decide to investigate the strengths and weaknesses, challenges and difficulties of social education curriculum using content analysis of the social science text book middle school and analysing of the general plan of education system. The themes include key concepts, patterns based on disciplined courses for students and society. Also features of curriculum elements (goals, content, methods of teaching and learning, and evaluation) are obtained by investigating specialized areas of the curriculum. Results of the analysis identified that, the basis of these sources represents the superiority of traditional approaches based on disciplines to student and community-based approach. Then, according to the prevalence of discipline pattern, injuries of social education curriculum designed for this type were investigated from the macro and micro requirements. Finally, in discussion and conclusion sections, the emphasis is on designing appropriate curricula approach and determining the appropriate value approach and the characteristics of each element which must be obtained from the source of cultural, intellectual, social and historical context and which is native to each country.

The main purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of Blended situated-based learning on students' school motivation, learning, test anxiety and teaching satisfaction. It was a quasi-experimental study and a total of 34 psychology juniors at Tehran Payame-Noor University, who had enrolled in the "psychopathology 1" course for the first time and volunteered to participate in the study were selected as the sample group. Classes were randomly divided into the intervention and control groups. Eighteen students participated in the blended situated-based learning program and sixteen students participated in the lecture-based program. Student's motivation was measured by the short form of Mc Inerney and Sinclaire school motivation questionnaire (1372) and test anxiety was determined by Ahvaz test anxiety questionnaire (1375). To determine academic achievement, a number of questions which were related to content were randomly selected from the content questions bank and were used in the pre- and post-tests. The same questions were used for both groups in pre-test and post-test stages. Teaching satisfaction was determined by direct multiple choice questions after instructional programs. Statistical analysis was done by Mannwithney test. It was shown that in comparison to lecture-based instruction, blended situated-based learning increased students' learning (p<0.001), school motivation (p<0. 001), teaching satisfaction (p<0.001) and decreased their test anxiety (p<0.001).