The approaches used by university professors to participate in the process of curriculum development

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the approaches used by university professors to participate in the process of curriculum development. Qualitative research methodology is used and its approach is grounded theory. The population consists of all Bu-Ali-Sina university professors and their graduate students in second semester of 2012-2013 academic year. Using purposeful sampling (critical case sampling method),11 university professors of the faculties of literature and humanities, economics and social sciences and the graduate students of the same professors were selected as research participants. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with professors, classroom observation and focus group interviews with students. The research data were analyzed based on grounded theory approach and open coding, axial coding and selective coding were used. That is, data were conceptualized and categorized and finally analyzed. The findings showed that the approaches used by professors to participate in the process of curriculum development have varied from fidelity to curriculum implementation to limited curriculum planning. The professors’ approaches include: fidelity to curriculum implementation, transferring curriculum with the least changes, developing curriculum with minimum adaptation, developing curriculum with maximum changes and planning curriculum in a limited level. The dominant approach among these professors was curriculum development with limited adaptation.