داوود طهماسب زاده شیخلار

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects and outcomes on primary education. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand teachers' experiences of the effects and outcomes of COVID-19 on the quality of education in elementary schools. Methodology: This qualitative study was phenomenological in nature. The research population consisted of elementary school teachers in Zanjan County, from which 24 were selected as samples through purposive sampling based on the principle of theoretical saturation. The samples were subjected to semi-structured interviews, the validity of which was confirmed through triangulation and the reliability was calculated as 0.88 using the intercoder agreement coefficient. Data analysis of the present study was conducted using thematic analysis in MAXQDA software. Findings: The results of this study indicated that understanding teachers' experiences of the effects and outcomes of COVID-19 on the quality of education in elementary schools consisted of 14 sub-themes under 2 main themes. The main theme of the virtualization of education included 9 sub-themes: deficiencies in facilities and infrastructure, lack of information and experience among teachers, decreased quality of learning, increased stress among families, behavioral and psychological problems of students, health and physical problems of students, economic problems, educational gaps, and the organization of psychological strengthening courses. The main theme of developing new policies and strategies in education and teaching included 5 sub-themes: a new approach to modern education, new policies in school development, new strategies in teacher training, new work procedures and goals, and the integration of technology in the workplace and life. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it was determined that COVID-19 opened a new window for the education system to adjust and change educational policies and develop the necessary infrastructure to improve the quality of education.

Purpose: Given the importance of proper implementation of the primary mathematics curriculum, this study aimed to identify the effective contextual and moderating components in the implementation of the primary mathematics curriculum. Methodology: This study was applied in purpose and qualitative in approach. The research population consisted of expert teachers in the field of primary mathematics curriculum in Tehran during the academic year 2020-2021, from whom 16 were selected based on theoretical saturation using purposive and snowball sampling methods. The research tool was a semi-structured interview, the face validity of which was confirmed by experts, and its reliability was obtained with a Cohen’s Kappa coefficient of 0.86. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis in MAXQDA-2020 software. Findings: The findings revealed that in the model of effective components in the implementation of the primary mathematics curriculum, for contextual components, 17 basic themes were identified under 4 organizing themes including social, cultural, economic, and structural, and for moderating components, 20 basic themes were identified under 3 organizing themes including advantages of learning mathematics, barriers to learning mathematics, and facilitators of learning mathematics. Ultimately, a model of effective contextual and moderating components in the implementation of the primary mathematics curriculum was illustrated. Conclusion: According to the results of this study and considering the effective contextual and moderating components in the implementation of the primary mathematics curriculum, it is necessary for specialists and curriculum planners to utilize strategies compatible with the identified components to improve the educational system.