Identification and ranking of effective factors in the absurdity of elementary school curriculum

Abstract

The general objective in the current study was to identify and prioritize the factors effective in the absurdity of the curriculum of elementary schools (case study: education department of Maragheh, Iran). This study was applied in terms of nature and descriptive-survey in terms of method. To perform the study, the factors effective in the absurdity of the curriculum of elementary schools were identified as 26 factors through studying books, papers, and previous investigations. The statistical population of the study accounted for the teachers of the elementary schools of the education department of Maragheh city with a size of 1000 individuals, among whom the study population was calculated to be 278 individuals using Cochran's formula and selected using the stratified random sampling method. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire on the identification of the effective factors in the absurdity of the curriculum of elementary schools using factor analysis technique, which was provided to the statistical sample after measuring its validity and reliability. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the statistical data. In the inferential level, in order to identify the effective factors in the absurdity of the curriculum of elementary schools, the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) technics were exploited, and the Friedman test in the SPSS and LISREL software was used to prioritize the effective factors in the absurdity of the curriculum. Based on the results, of the 26 initial factors, all factors were identified using the factor analysis technique in 3 groups of: factors related to the system governing the society, the student-based factors, and the school-based factors. Among the factors related to the system governing the society, the student-based factors, and the school-based factors, the factors of the arbitrary behavior of the authors of the textbooks, the disability of the teachers in the presentation and convey of some of the materials presented in the textbook to the students, and the student stress factor has respectively the greatest impact on the absurdity of the curriculum. Finally, among the three categories of factors, the factors associated with the governing system was accompanied by the highest impact on the absurdity of the curriculum of the elementary schools.