حسین فکوری

Purpose: The curriculum is a central element in any educational activity, and the present study aimed to design and validate an environmental education curriculum model for higher education based on the "Aker" approach. Methodology: This study used a mixed-methods approach, where the qualitative sample consisted of academic and organizational experts familiar with the research field, and the quantitative sample included curriculum specialists, textbook authors of the Ministry of Education, and environmental experts. The qualitative and quantitative research samples comprised 22 and 191 individuals, respectively, selected according to the principle of theoretical saturation through purposive non-random sampling and Cochran's formula with convenience non-random sampling. The research tools were semi-structured interviews and researcher-made questionnaires in the qualitative and quantitative sections, respectively, whose psychometric indices were confirmed. Data were analyzed using coding in Nvivo software and exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling in SPSS and Smart PLS software. Findings: The qualitative findings indicated that the environmental education curriculum model for higher education based on the "Aker" approach contained 87 concepts across 10 elements; namely, 13 concepts for program logic, 15 for program objectives, 13 for educational content, 7 for teaching and learning activities, 9 for instructor characteristics, 7 for educational materials and resources, 5 for educational space and setting, 8 for grouping, 4 for instructional time, and 6 for assessment. Additionally, the quantitative findings showed that the factor loadings, average variance extracted, and composite reliability of the elements were respectively higher than 0.40, 0.50, and 0.70. The fit of the environmental education curriculum model for higher education based on the "Aker" approach was appropriate, with all path coefficients being higher than 0.50 and significant at the 0.001 level. Conclusion: According to the environmental education curriculum model for higher education based on the "Aker" approach and its concepts, planning for the design and application of an environmental education curriculum is essential.

Purpose: The current research was conducted with the aim of designing a curriculum model for adult literacy. Methodology: In terms of purpose, this research is fundamental-applied, and regarding data type, it is qualitative. The population in the study included experts from the organization (literacy movement managers, deputy ministers of curriculum education) and academia (university faculty members), as well as 30 relevant scientific documents and records. In this research, purposive sampling was used to determine the samples, considering 20 individuals based on the saturation principle as the sample size. Semi-structured interviews were utilized in the qualitative part of the current study. To ensure the validity of the tool in the qualitative section of the research and to ensure the accuracy of the findings from the researcher's perspective, opinions from professors familiar with this field and academic experts who were knowledgeable and skilled in this area were sought. In the current study, test-retest reliability and intra-subject consensus method were used to calculate the reliability of the interviews conducted. The data analysis method in the qualitative section was theoretical coding. Therefore, the analysis of data obtained from interviews and documents was carried out in three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, and based on this, the concepts and categories of the research were classified. Findings: The results of the research showed that the objectives of the adult literacy curriculum include adaptability to the environment and strategic competencies. Also, the content of the adult literacy curriculum includes content selection and content organization. Teaching and learning methods in this research include the transmission method and the activity-based method. Finally, the results showed that the evaluation method of the adult literacy curriculum includes goal-based evaluation, method-based evaluation, and content-based evaluation. Conclusion: Each theme and its subthemes underscore the comprehensive approach required to design an effective adult literacy curriculum. The curriculum must be adaptive, strategically competent, well-organized in content, employ effective teaching and learning methods, and incorporate multifaceted evaluation strategies to meet adult learners' diverse needs and promote sustainable literacy education.