Abstract
Objectives: educational systems need to evolve continually to meet global needs and competencies. the curriculum in this process plays a key role in the change. one of the types of curriculum design is empty curriculum that refers to deleted content. this omission may occur at the policy- making level due to the lack of content with learners needs, at the implementation level due to the neglect of existing curricula or at learning level due to the lack of interest in educational discussions. studying the reasons for eliminating the content in different stages of design, implementation and experience of curriculum in this field according to its educational outcomes is necessary. This review is particularly important in higher education and in influential institutions such as Farhangian University, as its student-teachers, in turn, impact the broader school education system. therefore, the aim of the present study is student-teachers' attitudes to the null curriculum levels and prevention strategies for it.
Materials and Methods: Phenomenology is a key qualitative method used to understand events through participants' own perceptions and to explore differences in those experiences. This study employed semi-structured interviews, each lasting 20-25 minutes, to gather data. the participants were 18 male students from the university of gender segregation allameh tabatabai university from the educational fields of geography, history education , literature education, primary education, counseling and educational trainers and from the second to the eighth semester. in order to analyze the data, thematic analysis was used in three forms of inclusive, organizing and basic themes.
Discussion and Conclusion: The findings were presented in two sections: causes and solutions at the three levels intended, implemented and experienced, encompassing 6 overarching themes and 15 organizing themes. The overarching themes include: the gap in approach between policymakers and the target community, the divergence of educational system expectations among professors, the curriculum, and students, the disconnection between affective and cognitive domains in the students' learning process, participatory planning for engaging and practical education, dynamic educational strategies based on students differences and capacities and personalizing education through dynamic strategies. The final model presented in the research for validation was examined using the CVR method, with a calculated coefficient of 0.86, was evaluated and confirmed. The results indicated that the null curriculum represents a gap between policymakers' objectives and students' needs. An emphasis on theoretical topics, as opposed to the need for practical skills from instructors, coupled with the student-teachers' own lack of interest, leads to confusion, a sense of meaninglessness in learning, and a decline in educational quality. To strengthen the connection between education and the real needs of students, utilizing participatory planning and designing engaging, application-oriented courses can attract the active involvement of both instructors and students in the process of designing and implementing curricula. This approach will lead to deeper, more lasting, and more purposeful learning for students. On the other hand, empowering instructors with modern teaching approaches, such as the use of educational technology and interactive methods, helps them create more dynamic and engaging classrooms. Furthermore, personalizing education according to individual learners' characteristics meaning identifying each person's strengths and weaknesses and designing dynamic strategies to improve learning drives the curriculum toward greater effectiveness and efficiency. Based on the points discussed, it is recommended that, first, through meticulous needs assessment, a wide range of diverse data based on the opinions of stakeholders in the higher education system be collected. Subsequently, after review and careful deliberation, the final curriculum should be adjusted, formulated, and implemented by experts. Regular and continuous curriculum evaluation should be conducted to monitor objectives and the degree of their achievement at all levels of the higher education system at Farhangian University. This should be done through defined mechanisms based on a specified quality assurance system that enables necessary monitoring over a standard 3 to 5 year cycle, continuous monitoring and evaluation. The necessary infrastructure and resources should be provided to allow greater educational flexibility, enhance student engagement with content, and offer professional support and backing for instructors. Furthermore, low cost training workshops, counseling, and coaching sessions for instructors should be established to facilitate their effective development, potentially on a seasonal or even monthly basis. Regarding students, while adhering to the principle of learner individuality and content adaptation within this framework, content that encourages participation and collaborative activities which have often been overlooked in Iranian higher education should be developed.