Farhangian University Instructors’ Lived Experiences of Teaching Methods, Familiarity with the Language of art, Familiarity with Technology, and familiarity with the Learning Behavior Analysis of Learners in the Implemented Curriculum of Elementary Education: A Phenomenological Study

One of the key factors in the development of each country is the ongoing training of human resources. In this regard, the education system and teachers, as the major pillars of education, have a huge responsibility. Adaptation of curriculum to the needs of learners and society, the time allocated to the training and implementation of the curriculum, and the space, facilities, and equipment necessary for the implementation of the curriculum, or, to put it more clearly, an understanding of the inputs necessary for the implementation of the curriculum are all vital to the success of the curriculum. It is not possible to ignore the process of curriculum implementation and assume that the curriculum will be implemented in practice as intended. For various reasons, the curriculum may undergo several changes during the process of its implementation. Therefore, according to the objectives set forth in the elementary education curriculum, the question that arises is whether the proposed curriculum is being implemented based on the intended curriculum at the university level.

Research Questions: 

The general question of the study was as follows: What are the teachers’ lived experiences of teaching methods, familiarity with the language of art, familiarity with technology, and familiarity with the analysis of the learning behavior of learners in the implemented curriculum of elementary education at Farhangian University? The main questions of the study were as follows: 1) What are the instructors’ lived experiences in relation to the opportunities created to familiarize students with teaching methods in elementary school? 2) What are the instructors’ lived experiences in relation to the opportunities created using the language of art to familiarize students with the development of cognitive abilities such as imagination, creativity, and thinking in learners? 3) What are the instructors’ lived experiences in relation to the opportunities created to familiarize students with the use of information and communication technology to create educational opportunities and develop their professional abilities? 4) What are the instructors’ lived experiences in relation to the opportunities created to familiarize students with keeping records, collecting evidence, providing feedback, and analyzing their educational behavior? Research Method This applied qualitative research adopted Husserl’s descriptive phenomenological method. In this method, an attempt is made to understand and discover the meanings created by and attributed to different phenomena, and its findings are used for optimal decision-making and action (Gul, 2011). Accordingly, in the present research, the three stages of Husserl’s phenomenology were implemented. These steps included the following: 1- a phenomenological study of the curriculum implemented for undergraduate students of elementary education at Farhangian University, 2- An analysis of interviewees’ ideas about the experienced phenomena, i.e., the implementation of the curriculum, 3- A description of the qualitative data collected from the interviews. The research participants were teachers of educational sciences teaching in Arak Farhangian University. In some cases, each participant teacher was interviewed several times. The inclusion criterion for selecting participants was their teaching experience in the field of elementary education at Farhangian University. Initially, a semi-structured interview was conducted with the selected participants, and their lived experiences concerning the above-mentioned topics were collected. The interview questions were designed based on the objectives of the curriculum used in the undergraduate elementary education program at Farhangian University. In the curriculum approved and communicated for the elementary education program at Farhangian University (AsadiGarmaroodi & Sharifzadeh, 2013), 10 goals are assumed for teacher training in the field of elementary education. Important keywords taken from these 10 macro goals were used to design the interview .

The findings regarding the instructors’ lived experiences in relation to the opportunities created to familiarize students with teaching methods in the subject areas of elementary school were classified into four main categories as follows: 1- knowledge of teaching strategies, 2- the experience of thematic teaching, 3- the experience of implementing the exploratory teaching method, and 4- the experience of implementing the active teaching method. The findings pertinent to the instructors’ lived experiences in relation to the opportunities created by the language of art to familiarize students with the development of cognitive abilities such as imagination, creativity, and thinking in learners can be divided into the six following main categories: 1- familiarity with the language of art, 2- inclusion of the language of art in any of the materials to strengthen students’ abilities, 3- teaching and training, 4- classroom training, 5- controlling students’ emotions, and 6- professional development. As regardsthe instructors’ lived experiences in relation to the opportunities created to familiarize students with the use of information and communication technology to create or enrich educational opportunities and develop their professional abilities, the findings were placed into the following four main categories: 1- enrichment of education, 2- professional development, 3- education and teaching, and 4- the creation of learning opportunities. Findings related to the instructors’ lived experiences in relation to the opportunities created to familiarize students with keeping records, collecting evidence, providing feedback, and analyzing students’ educational behavior were organized into four main categories as follows: 1- optimum use of opportunities and situations associated with students’ educational behavior, 2- the ability to analyze educational behavior, 3- the ability to collect students’ academic evidence, 4- the ability to provide appropriate feedback on students’ academic status.

Farhangian University instructors’ lived experiences of teaching methods in both theoretical and practical dimensions were found to be consistent with the intended goals of the curriculum. This was reflected in the designing and implementation of a variety of activities and experiences in their teaching. However, their unsuccessful lived experiences concerned the many instances in which although they had the cognitive and theoretical knowledge germane to the best teaching methods they could not utilize those teaching methods in their teaching due to the lack of necessary facilities and equipment, which, in turn, suggested that their teaching was not effective. This is despite the fact that the practical implementation of teaching methods is considered as one of the most important aspects of the curriculum of Farhangian University. To sum up, the use of the language of art, information and communication technologies, and analytical skills to enhance students’ abilities can create favorable learning opportunities in the curriculum of the undergraduate elementary education program at Farhangian University