Identification, Comparison, and Analysis of the Dominant and Neglected Topical Orientations in the University Textbooks for " Curriculum Studies" in Iran and Other Countries of the World

This research uses a descriptive-analytic method in order to identify, compare and analyze topical orientations of university textbooks in “Curriculum Studies” in Iran and other countries of the world. Using purposive sampling, 28 English books and 28 Persian books were selected from among all books published domestically and internationally with the title “curriculum studies” and “curriculum”. Data collection was accomplished by using a checklist derived from the topics of an Iranian encyclopedia of curriculum. The findings showed that in Persian books, there was more emphasis on traditional topics of curriculum studies, such as curriculum theories, curriculum planning with especial focus on content selection and organization, as well as formative and final evaluations, while the relevant English books have a more extensive topical distribution and deal with topics such as modern views and discourses, future curriculum challenges, technology-oriented curriculum, policy-making for curriculum, teacher education, curriculum for content fields, curriculum planning for various education levels, and introduction of the famous figures in this field.