Qualitative Research in Curriculum

Abstract The present study aimed to develop the components of rational education based on Tafsir Tasnim and its application in the curriculum. This qualitative documentary research employed Strasberg's five-step thematic analysis method to examine interpretive propositions related to reason in Tafsir Tasnim. The research field included the entire Tafsir Tasnim and relevant verses, and no sampling was conducted due to the comprehensive nature of the study (the population equaled the sample). The analysis process consisted of five stages:data management, data engagement, data display, analysis development, and final typology. Trustworthiness was ensured through repeated code reviews, overlap corrections, and aligning each component with textual evidence from the interpretation. The findings were organized into three coding levels: open coding (189 themes), axial coding (44 recurring themes), and selective coding (5 main categories), resulting in five core components: Principles of Rational Thought, Obstacles to Reason, for Evaluating Reason, Rational Actions, and Signs of Rational Thought, each containing numerous sub-components. The results indicated that rationality in Tafsir Tasnim is an evolutionary, multi-layered process intertwined with monotheism, spirituality, and ethics. This framework, emphasizing Iran's philosophical-religious context and upstream documents such as the Fundamental Transformation Document and the National Curriculum Document—which identify reason as a central element—is applicable to curriculum elements and can serve as a comprehensive roadmap for the country's curriculum planning system.

Abstract Abstract
Religious and national identity are among the important dimensions of adolescent personality formation, and the school, alongside the family, social environment, and media, is considered one of the most important contexts for the formation and rethinking of identity during adolescence. Despite the importance of this issue, curricula often limit identity to a specific subject or educational activity and do not use the cross-curricular capacity of all subjects to strengthen it. The present study aimed to design and validate an identity-oriented curriculum model based on Wragg’s three-dimensional curriculum model and the religious and national identity-building components in upper secondary school students. The study was applied in purpose and qualitative and documentary-analytical in method. In the component identification stage, 60 articles and 20 specialized books were examined using deductive qualitative content analysis, and 11 fundamental components were extracted, which were then consolidated into eight cross-curricular axes. These components were then organized within the three dimensions of Wragg’s curriculum. For validation, the opinions of 10 faculty members holding PhDs in educational psychology, educational sciences, and sociology were used. The average CVR of the components was 0.86, the overall CVI was 0.79, and Cohen’s Kappa coefficient was 0.94. The final model indicates that identity issues are better pursued as a cross-curricular approach in all subjects and through appropriate teaching, learning, and assessment methods.
Keywords: Identity-oriented curriculum, Wragg’s curriculum, three-dimensional curriculum, religious identity, national identity, identity-building components.

Abstract In the contemporary century, innovative approaches to curriculum planning have been adopted to enhance the effectiveness of education in accordance with individual, social, and environmental conditions. In this regard, centralized approaches, which impose a uniform educational model on diverse groups of learners, have increasingly lost their appeal. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, given the overarching policy strategies and existing research, there are clear indications of broad support for this trend. Nevertheless, the endorsement of decentralization has largely remained at the theoretical level, with limited evidence of its practical implementation. the present study first seeks to determine the position of the decentralization model in curriculum planning within the desirable intellectual framework derived from the statements and educational thought of the late Imam Khamenei. It then identifies the existing problems that have prevented the realization of this desirable state through a review of previous studies and field investigation. Subsequently, the underlying causes of these problems are analyzed, and solutions are proposed at the levels of governance technology and social mechanisms to overcome the identified barriers. Accordingly, this study employs the “deep inquiry” approach to explain the factors and conditions responsible for the gap between the existing and desirable states, identify the barriers to realizing the proposed model, and develop appropriate solutions for addressing them. The principal innovation of the study lies in its methodological approach, as the use of deep inquiry enables a more in-depth analysis of the problem and facilitates a coherent explanation of its underlying causes and potential solutions.

Abstract How upper secondary education is organized shapes the duration of common learning, the point at which specialization begins, and students’ ability to combine or reconsider their choices. This study compares the curriculum structures of Iran, Finland, Germany, and England and identifies design principles for reorganizing Iran’s general upper secondary curriculum toward a comprehensive diploma. A qualitative comparative multiple-case design was used, drawing on Bereday’s four stages of description, interpretation, juxtaposition, and comparison, alongside document and framework analysis. The cases were selected purposively to represent contrasting arrangements of centralization, specialization, and student choice. The corpus included 23 current official curriculum, regulatory, assessment, and certification documents available up to July 2026. Four configurations emerged: a centralized fixed-stream structure in Iran, a modular-integrative structure in Finland, a domain-balanced course structure in Germany, and a qualification-selective structure in England. Key differences concerned the common curriculum, timing of specialization, pathway permeability, local authority, guidance, and the relationship between school learning and external certification. On this basis, a core-concentration-choice framework is proposed for Iran, combining a sustained common curriculum, gradual concentration, guided electives, bridge modules, continuous guidance, interdisciplinary work, and multi-source assessment. A comprehensive diploma, the comparison suggests, need not eliminate specialization; it should make common learning, focused study, and revisable choice work together more effectively.

Abstract The present study aimed to design a competency‑based curriculum model for the field of Educational Sciences in Iranian public universities, oriented toward alignment with the needs of the 2030 labor market. This qualitative study employed the systematic grounded theory method of Strauss and Corbin. Participants included curriculum experts, faculty members in Educational Sciences, higher‑education specialists, and experts in skills and employment, selected purposefully through theoretical sampling. Data were collected through 18 semi‑structured interviews and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. The analysis yielded 126 initial codes and 19 subcategories, organized within a paradigmatic model. The core category identified was “transition from knowledge transmission to competency construction.” Causal conditions included the mismatch between university education and labor‑market needs, the transformation of professional roles, and the dominance of memory‑based assessment. Contextual conditions consisted of the gap between policymaking and implementation, along with heterogeneous readiness levels among faculty members. Intervening conditions involved administrative bureaucracy, weak structural linkage with the field of practice, and motivational conflicts embedded in the academic promotion system. Key strategies included defining three‑layered competencies (foundational, contextual, and adaptive), designing authentic and problem‑based learning experiences, implementing performance‑based assessment, and ensuring active stakeholder participation in curriculum design and revision. Implementation of this model can enhance graduates’ employability, strengthen their professional identity, and improve the responsiveness of higher education to future labor‑market developments.

Keywords: Competency‑based curriculum, employability, labor market 2030, higher education, Educational Sciences

Abstract This study explored the experiences of elementary school teachers in Ardabil regarding the use of storytelling as a teaching method during the 2021–2022 academic year. The research employed a qualitative approach using Van Manen’s four‑stage phenomenological method. The study population consisted of elementary school teachers in Ardabil, and participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with selected teachers until saturation was reached and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that teachers’ experiences with teaching through storytelling were organized into 17 subthemes and 7 main themes. The main themes included challenges, benefits, standard storytelling patterns, experiential storytelling patterns, storytelling instruction, diversification and enhancement of storytelling, purposeful and standardized stories, and student-centered instruction. Trustworthiness was ensured using Guba and Lincoln’s criteria: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The findings indicate that storytelling is an effective method that fosters creative learning, deeper understanding, and active student participation.