Methodological Considerations of Research in Curriculum in Iran and the United States

The aim of the present study is to identify the research approaches to curriculum in Iran and United States. In order to do so, two Iranian and American curriculum research journals were selected via criterion-based sampling. Among the printed papers, 100 internal and external papers regarding curriculum were selected and studied using criterion oriented sampling in terms of study method, instrument, the method of sampling and the statistical analysis. The results showed that a quantitative approach was dominant in internal research of curriculum, while external research were mostly dominant by qualitative approach. In addition, the study of the development of approaches to research in Iran during the five years (2009-2014) and the approaches to the researches in the United States during the same period showed that the process of Iranian and American curriculum researches has gradually moved from quantitative to qualitative and a combination of the two, while this process has been more outstanding in the United States.