The Identification and Exploration of the Culture of Elementary School Teachers in Lorestan Province

In centralized systems of education, the incongruence between the national and local cultures can be problematic. Hence, the identification of the local culture and exploration of its congruency with that governing the national curriculum is a must. To this end, a group of 18 elementary school teachers in the province of Lorestan was both observed and interviewed. The findings are indicative of both positive and negative cultural characteristics in general and in the areas of cooperation and communication in particular. Among the positive characteristics hard working, patience, and good manners stand out, while lacking a sense of cooperation in educational discussions, being low in occupational consciousness, and addiction are among the negative ones. There was a difference between older and younger teachers in terms of cultural concerns on clothing and choice of place of work. Cultures of communication and cooperation varied among teachers depending on their level of education and parental expectations. The findings can be used in making the case for decentralized educational planning.