Beyond Reconceptualization: Recontextualization/ Multicontextualization of Curriculum Studies in Iran (Toward New Curriculum Ecosystems)

Abstract

The field of curriculum studies could be described as a young and emerging field that has revived around the world mainly with the attempts of the Curriculum Internationalization Movement. In this article, the researcher intends to describe the process of curriculum studies in Iran, with the aim of illustrating the challenges faced by the field. This article, starting with an overview of the status of curriculum studies in Iran, discusses several issues and problems, such as unemployment crisis of graduates in curriculum studies, the resistance of curriculum decision makers to the findings of the curriculum field, lack of serious movement for theorizing, translation and imitation mostly from American curriculum literature, and reproduction of the international curriculum discourses which are far from the real needs of Iranian educational community. Finally, the possible recommendations, which are to expand the field towards new curriculum ecosystems will be discussed. Such a perspective could be an experience and perhaps a solution from Iran for curriculum studies in other countries. This movement toward new curriculum ecosystems (such as the workplace curriculum, higher education curriculum, informal curriculum, and generally curriculum studies in non-public education) could be elaborated as a disciplinary immigration and moving beyond the reconceptualization which will shape the future of curriculum studies.