The components of Intercultural Philosophy in Iranian Elementary-School Social Studies Textbooks

The present study aimed to explore the components of intercultural philosophy in elementary-school Social Studies textbooks in Iran via inductive qualitative content analysis. The statistical population comprised all the Social Studies textbooks of grades 3 through 6 in the academic year 2019-2020. A sample equal to this statistical population was selected through purposive sampling. The unit of analysis was all the sentences and images in these textbooks. Upstream documents such as the theoretical foundations of the fundamental reform document of education, the Fundamental Reform Document of Education, the national curriculum, and the Constitution of Iran were also examined via document mining. Peer check was sought to ensure validity, and a two-stage revision of the codes was adopted to guarantee reliability. The content analysis of the books demonstrated four components of understanding and paying attention to others, pluralism, peace, and the independence of cultural identity. Overall, the findings revealed that little attention has been paid to all four components.