A Comparative Study of Art Curriculum in Early Childhood Education of Australia, Canada, Finland, New Zealand and Iran

The aim of research was to compare the art curriculum in early childhood education of Australia, Canada, Finland, New Zealand and Iran. The strategy of countries’ selection was "different social systems, similar educational outputs". The data collection method was documentary and validity of data was determined through combination of concepts, researchers’ self-review and consideration of comparative experts’ opinions. The method of analyzing the data and presenting the results is the four-step Bereday method. The similarities are mostly in the educational ideals and evaluation methods and the differences are mainly in the curriculum content and strategies. All selected countries have their own cultural, native, local and national background, which is reflected in the art curriculum. In addition, selected countries are similar in goals such as development of aesthetic sense, identification of self-identity, learning & communication with other cultures, development of creative thinking & imagination, development of personality and creation of joy & pleasure. In the content component, teaching music and dance has little attention in Iran. In the strategy component, inviting artists to teach art is not very common in Iran, while it is popular as a practical solution in Finland and Australia. In the assessment component, although all countries pay attention to the process of learning and observing the child, documentation and holding art exhibitions are more prominent in Australia, Canada and Finland. According to the findings, it is recommended to Iran educational planners to pay more attention to the curriculum elements of the selected countries in order to be effective in the formation of a codified and practical program for early childhood art