https://tpdevelopment.cfu.ac.ir/ Teacher Professional Development en daily 1 Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://tpdevelopment.cfu.ac.ir/article_5129.html Background and Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the professional commitments of student teachers and identify their various dimensions within teacher education.. Methods: Using an exploratory mixed-methods approach, qualitative data were extracted from 15 portfolios of final-year student teachers at Farhangian University of Kerman until theoretical saturation. Quantitatively, a validated researcher-made questionnaire was distributed among 150 student teachers via stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and multiple regression. Findings: Three components emerged: scientific-educational, ethical-professional ,and social-communicative commitments .University programs significantly improved the first two, but had no significant effect on the third. Furthermore, significant differences existed among academic groups regarding scientific and ethical dimensions. Conclusion: While successful in enhancing scientific and ethical commitments, current programs need revision regarding the social-communicative dimension. Farhangian University planners should revise educational syllabi to foster a balanced development of student teachers’ professional commitments. https://tpdevelopment.cfu.ac.ir/article_5143.html Background and Objectives: Faculty developmental experiences, as a key component of professional development (PD) and the enhancement of higher education quality, play a crucial role in improving university performance. Given its central mission in teacher education, Farhangian University provides an appropriate context for exploring this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to explore and interpret the essence and dimensions of PD experiences of Farhangian University faculty members from their own perspectives, emphasizing a deep understanding of the meaning and nature of these experiences within the context of higher education during the academic years 2022-2023. Methods: This qualitative study employed a phenomenological approach. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 16 purposively selected faculty members of Farhangian University. Interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were analyzed using Smith’s (1995) interpretative phenomenological analysis method. To enhance data credibility, member checking and peer debriefing were applied. Findings: Data analysis revealed five main themes: (1) faculty lived experiences of educational development, (2) influencing factors and components of developmental experiences, (3) the impact of developmental experiences on teaching and research, (4) challenges and barriers to fostering developmental experiences, and (5) recommendations for promoting faculty development. These themes provide a comprehensive picture of faculty members’ lived experiences. Conclusion: Developmental experiences help shape professional identity and strengthen faculty alignment with institutional goals. Accordingly, designing and implementing structured and supportive programs to foster faculty development at Farhangian University is essential for achieving sustainable PD and improving educational quality https://tpdevelopment.cfu.ac.ir/article_5146.html Background and Objectives: Over the past five decades, various instructional design theories and models have been developed. However, a systematic effort has not been made to synthesize the strategic components of these instructional design theories and models. The purpose of this research was to systematically examine instructional design theories and models to develop a meta-synthetic representation of the key components of effective instruction. Methods: The study employed a qualitative research approach and used a research synthesis technique. The study corpus comprised all the instructional theories and instructional design models developed over the last five decades. These theories and models were categorized and analyzed through content analysis, and a sample of 21 theories and models was purposefully selected, coded, and classified; then their key components were deduced. Findings: the key components of effective instruction were extracted, classified, and synthesized into five basic strategic components: (a) Learning facilitation with six sub-components, (b) Learning consolidation with seven sub-components, (c) Learning elaboration with nine sub-components, (e) Learning adaptation with five sub-components, (d) Learning acceleration with six sub-components. Conclusion: This framework and integrated model, which synthesizes and summarizes instructional design theories and models, can serve as a guide for designing and evaluating effective instruction https://tpdevelopment.cfu.ac.ir/article_5167.html Background and Objectives: Multi-grade classes, while necessary in deprived and underprivileged areas, present unique challenges for teachers. The present study aimed to conduct an in-depth exploration of the lived experiences of primary school teachers in multi-grade classes in Sanandaj and to identify their educational and pedagogical challenges as well as their coping strategies. Methods: This research was conducted using a qualitative approach and a narrative inquiry method based on the three-dimensional model of Clandinin and Connelly. The participants consisted of experienced multi-grade teachers in Sanandaj, and through purposive sampling, 12 experienced teachers (at least 10 years) were selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a narrative orientation. They were analyzed using narrative analysis methods, including immersion in the data, identifying the plot and story structure, narrative coding (aimed at identifying semantic patterns in the narratives), and story reconstruction (recreating two main plots). To ensure validity, member checking, triangulation, and expert review were utilized. Findings: From the analysis of teachers' narratives, two main categories, six subcategories, and seventeen main concepts (components) were extracted. The narratives included two main plots: (1) the plot of confronting structural and educational challenges (including time shortage, high content volume, lack of equipment, and specialized training) and (2) the plot of managing educational and cultural challenges (including students' bilingualism, managing mixed-age groups, and limited parental participation). In response, the teachers recounted creative coping strategies in their narratives, such as differentiated instruction, student cooperation, flexible grouping, content integration, and parental involvement. Conclusion: The teachers' narratives demonstrated their high agency and resilience in the face of systemic shortcomings. Understanding these experiences may assist policymakers in designing targeted professional development programs and revising the curriculum to suit multi-grade classes. https://tpdevelopment.cfu.ac.ir/article_5173.html Background and Objectives: The present study aimed to explore and compare the perceptions of teachers and second-cycle primary school students regarding the characteristics of a desirable teacher. Methods:Given the limited empirical research on this topic, particularly in Iran and at the primary education level this research employed a qualitative approach using a descriptive phenomenological design to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived perspectives of both groups. Purposive and criterion-based sampling were employed to recruit 29 teachers and 40 students from public elementary schools in Alborz County, Qazvin Province. The obtained data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step phenomenological method.Findings: The findings revealed three overarching categories of desirable teacher characteristics: individual characteristics, encompassing appearance and personality­ traits; specialized characteristics, including scientific, educational, and classroom leadership traits; and professional characteristics, comprising behavioral, emotional, nurturing, and interactive traits. Conclusion: Although teachers and students shared a broadly similar conceptual structure regarding the characteristics of a desirable teacher, differences emerged in their interpretations of the sub-themes. Students tended to conceptualize desirable teacher characteristics through concrete, everyday classroom experiences, whereas teachers predominantly framed them within professional and pedagogical considerations. This difference was particularly evident in the sub-theme of interactive characteristics, revealing that teachers had known their students but had not heard them; they had sometimes overlooked students' present moments and viewed the classroom more as an educational environment than as a living environment. Taken together, these patterns point to a threefold form of neglect, of students’ voices, their present moments, and their life, which may constrain the effectiveness of educational interactions and practices. https://tpdevelopment.cfu.ac.ir/article_5177.html Background and Objectives: One of the effective measures in the education of children with special needs is the design and development of textbooks that are both based on coherent philosophical foundations and tailored to the diverse needs of these children, aiming to empower them across various dimensions. Accordingly, the main objective of the present study is to examine the epistemological foundations of the curriculum for students with intellectual disabilities in the first stage of elementary education and to explore its challenges from the perspective of teachers.Methods: To address the first research question—examining the epistemological foundations of relevant textbooks—the study employed a qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. To answer the second research question analyzing the epistemological challenges of these textbooks based on teachers’ perspectives a thematic analysis method was utilized. In the first phase, the statistical population comprised all 23 textbooks used in grades one to three of the elementary curriculum for students with intellectual disabilities. All of these textbooks were selected as the research sample. In the second phase, the population consisted of all teachers working in exceptional schools across Iran. Sampling was conducted purposively, targeting teachers with university degrees in special education and direct teaching experience with intellectually disabled children. Participant selection and interviews continued until theoretical data saturation was achieved. Findings: The results of the analysis of textbooks for the first cycle of elementary school students with intellectual disabilities indicated that the content of the books was presented in three dimensions: sensory, cognitive, and creative. Additionally, regarding the identification of epistemological challenges of the curriculum, five main categories (content, learning, teaching, equipment, and administrators) and 30 subcategories were identified and classified. Conclusion: The curriculum and educational textbooks for children with intellectual disabilities should be purposefully designed with a focus on developing practical skills, strengthening social capabilities, and fostering creativity. Continuous content revision and the use of innovative teaching methods tailored to individual needs and capacities provide a scientific and effective foundation for the growth and learning of this group of children.