مژگان محمدی نایینی

Purpose: This study aims to examine the moral curriculum in Iranian schools in Dubai, assesses its alignment with the National Curriculum Document of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and proposes strategies for optimization. Methodology: A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative methodologies. Content analysis was conducted on moral education textbooks from grades one to nine used in Iranian schools in Dubai and the National Curriculum Document of Iran. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 teachers and 5 curriculum planners to gain insights into teaching methods and evaluation practices. Colaizzi’s phenomenological method was used to analyze interview data, and thematic analysis was performed using qualitative data analysis software. Findings: The content analysis revealed that the moral curriculum in Iranian schools in Dubai follows a Western framework compatible with Islamic principles, emphasizing cultural studies, individual and social development, character-moral education, and civic studies. However, significant discrepancies were found when compared to the National Curriculum Document, which emphasizes virtues such as patience, courage, respect, empathy, chastity, trustworthiness, justice, and honesty. The Dubai curriculum focuses more on secular ethics and civic responsibilities. Proposed strategies for optimization include incorporating content aligned with the National Curriculum, enhancing cultural and recreational activities, organizing book reading competitions, and providing professional development for teachers. Conclusion: The study underscores the complexity of delivering moral education in a transnational context, where curricula must balance national values with the multicultural environment of the host country. The findings highlight the need for a more integrated approach that incorporates Islamic values while addressing the diverse backgrounds of students. By adopting the proposed strategies, Iranian schools in Dubai can enhance the moral and ethical development of their students, aligning more closely with national educational goals and effectively promoting Islamic ethical principles alongside necessary civic and social competencies.

Purpose: Media literacy plays an important role in teaching and learning curriculum. Therefore, the purpose of the present research was to design and validate the media literacy education model in secondary school. Methodology: This was an applied study in terms of purpose and qualitative in terms of implementation method. The study population for designing the media literacy education model was the specialized council of the thinking and media literacy book department of the country (n=18 people) who were selected by census sampling method. Also, the study population for the validation of the media literacy education model was professors and researchers in the field of communication, Education Department experts and experienced teachers in the field of media literacy, 20 of whom were selected as a sample using the purposeful sampling method. The data collection tool was in-depth interviews in the model design section and calculation the agreement rate in the model validation section. Data analysis was carried out by coding method in MAXQDA ver.10. Findings: The results showed that the model of media literacy education in secondary school consisted of 40 components in 7 categories of media message creation techniques, media unknowns, audience studies, media and lifestyle, media consumption regime, harm of media literacy education and opportunity of media literacy. Also, the model of media literacy education in secondary school had an acceptable validity after calculating content validity ratio (CVR) (0.88) and content validity index (CVI) (0.91) based on the opinion of professors and researchers in the field of communication, Education Department experts and experienced teachers in the field of media literacy. Conclusion: Based on the results of the current research, it seems necessary to plan for the inclusion of media literacy education in secondary school curriculum through the identified components and categories.