An Evaluation of the Curricula for In-Service Training of Primary School Teachers to Assess the Fulfillment of Curricular Objectives

This research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the curricula for in-service training of primary school teachers in I.R. Iran to assess the fulfillment of curricular objectives. In this evaluative research, various methods including library research, comparative-qualitative content analysis, and descriptive survey method were utilized. The statistical population of the study comprised the National Curriculum, Document of Theoretical Foundations of Fundamental Reform in Education, sources related to curriculum planning and educational evaluation, primary schools teachers in Rafsanjan who had passed about ninety percent of teacher's in-service training courses (321 individuals), as well as trainers of teacher training courses (N= 21). Total population sampling was used for the documents, teachers as well as trainers and convenience sampling was used for specialized sources. Data collection tools included note-taking cards, a researcher-devised check-list, a semi-structured interview and two researcher-devised questionnaires whose validity and reliability were approved. Klein’s nine elements of curriculum (1991) served as the evaluation criteria for the in-service curricula and 106 indicators were extracted from the documents. Expert's opinions were regarded as the criteria for the desirability of the indicators and the criteria. Results of the evaluation were indicative of the relative desirability of the programs in the fulfillment of curricular objectives.