Establishment of Education Sciences as a Discipline in Iran: Social Demands and Western Influences
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14516/ete.480Keywords:
academic discipline, education sciences, historical context, IranAbstract
«Education Sciences» was established as an academic field of study in Iran in September 1932 by the Iranian graduates who came back to the country from Europe. Here, the main question is whether they merely reproduced what they had learned in the West or they established the discipline taking into consideration the historical factors and according to domestic necessities. To answer this question, this study used a historical method. The results revealed that education sciences was established in Iran based on the historical and socio-cultural developments, which were categorized into three main factors: a) The establishment of Dār ul-Funun (The first modern institution of higher education in Iran) and its major role in prompting the statesmen to establish a modern Western-style educational system, b) Socio-cultural developments occurring between the establishment of Dār ul-Funun and the establishment of constitutionalism in Iran (e.g. widespread perceptions about inefficiency of the traditional system of education and the need to establish a new Western-style educational system), and c) Constitutionalism, which promoted the idea that education paves the way for establishment of new civic institutions and thus it must be reconsidered. It is discussed that all these factors prompted some Iranian graduates of Western universities to establish education science as a discipline in Iran through using the Western-style contents and curriculum for training teachers and providing the manpower needed for new schools.
References
Aghazadeh, A., & Armand, M. (2017). History of Iranian education in Iran with a focus on the contemporary education developments. Tehran: Samt. [Persian]
Akhundzadeh, M. F. (1978). New alphabet and writing (edited by Hamid Mohammadzadeh and Hamid Arasteh). Tabriz: Ehya. [Persian]
Alaaam, M., & Biseda, B. (2015). An investigation into the reasons of establishing the Dar-Ol-Fonun, its development and its effects on the Iranian society in the Qajar era. Journal of Educational Sciences, 21(2), 253-274. [Persian]
Allavi, S. M. (2013). Translation and modernisation: the case of Iran during the 19th century. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 31(4), 451-468. DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2013.864442.
Asil, H. (2009). Treatises of Mirza Malkam Khan. Tehran: Ney. [Persian]
Azizi, M. (2018). Higher Education in Iran: evolution and challenges. In Lukens-Bull, R. & Woodward, M. (Ed.), Handbook of contemporary Islam and Muslim Lives (pp.395-417). Berlin: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-73653-2_92-1.
Bagheri, K. (2019). Review the «Education and the Making of Modern Iran». The Biannual of the Philosophy of Education Society of Iran, Philosophy of Education, 1(4), 161-168. [Persian]Charter of Dar ul-Mo’allemin (1923). Retrieved from Iranian Legal Reference. (extracted from www.solh.ir/regulation/7/6709). Access date: 7-11-2020.
Ekhtiar, M. (2001). Nasir al-Din Shah and the Dar al-Funin: The evolution of an Institution. Iranian Studies, 34, 1-4.
Fereshteh, H. (1994). Development of modern Persian higher education: The western style. Washington: Eric clearinghouse.
Ghasemipouya, E. (2009). Seyyed Jamāl al-Dīn and Islamic Awareness Movement. Tehran: The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought. [Persian]
Hazeri, A. M. (1993). Trend of dispatching students from Iran. SAMT: Tehran. [Persian]
Hofstetter, R., & Schneuwly, B. (2002). Institutionalization of Educational Sciences and the Dynamics of Their Development. European Educational Research Journal, 1(1), 3-26. DOI: 10.2304/eerj.2002.1.1.9
Houshyar, M. B. (1956). Education principle. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. [Persian]
Kashani, M. T. K. (2019). Education; a letter about education principle along with Lord Burley’s advices (edited by Esfandiar Motemedi). Tehran: School Publisher. [Persian]
Kestere, I., & Ozola, I. (2011). Pedagogy: a discipline under diverse appellations. Baltic Journal of European Studies, 1(19), 306-321.
Khorram-Roee, S. (2012). The appearance and formation of modern education in Iranian constitutional (Mashrutiyyat) era (the beginning of combination of training and progress. Hamedan: Bu-Ali Sina University Press. [Persian]
Khoshraftar Somee Sofla, E. (2015). History of education in Iran. Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(1), 45-49. DOI: 10.5958/2321-5828.2015.00008.X.
Kiaee Jamali, S. M., Fathi Vajargah, K., Moosapoor, N., Khorasani, A. (2018). The evaluation of curriculum in Iran’s higher education system. Quarterly Journal of New Thoughts on Education, 14(2), 41-76. Doi: 10.22051/JONTOE.2018.20054.2191 [Persian]
Mahboobi Ardekani, H. (1971). The History of Tehran University and other institutions of higher education in Iran during the Pahlavi period. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. [Persian]
Mahboobi Ardekani, H. (1975). History of new institutions in Iran (volume 3). Tehran: University of Tehran Press. [Persian]
Menashri, D. (1992). Education and the Making of Modern Iran. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.
Ministry of Sciences, Endowments and Fine Crafts Annual. (1933). Tehran: Ministry of Sciences, Endowments and Fine Crafts Press. [Persian]
Navaee, A. H., & Malekzadeh, E. (2003). Iranian students in Euro from 1928 to 1934. Tehran: National Library and Archives of I. R. Iran. [Persian]
Nazem al-Islam Kermani, M. (1998). History of the Iranian Awakening. Tehran: Amir Kabir. [Persian]
Parqoo, M. A., & Matanaq, G. A. (2016). Political and social applications of European physicians in Nasseri period Qajar court. Tarih Incelemeleri Dergisi, 31(2), 507-522. Doi: 10.18513/egetid.282834
Ringer, M. M. (2001). Education, religion, and the discourse of cultural reform in Gajar Iran (second edition). Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publisher.
Sedigh, I. (1956). New methods in education. Tehran: Book Publishing Company. [Persian]
Sedigh, I. (1966). Memorial of life (volume 2). Tehran: Dehkhoda Publishing. [Persian]
Sedigh, I. (1975). Memorial of life (volume 1). Tehran: Dehkhoda Publishing. [Persian]
Siassi, A. A. (1938). Elm O al-Nafs or psychology from education perspective. Tehran: Khodkar Press. [Persian]
Shabani Varaki, B., Sadeqzadeh Qamsari, A., Sefidkhosh, M., Sajjadi, S. M., Mohammadi Chaboki, R., Javidi Kalatehjafarabadi, T., Saffarheidari, H., Mohammadamini, M., Karimzadeh, O., Barkhordari, R., Zarghami-Hamrah, S., Peters, M. A., & Tesar, M. (2021). Philosophy of education in a new key: Reflection on higher education in Iran. Educational Philosophy and Theory, DOI:10.1080/00131857.2021.1905517.
Shamekhi, Y. (2020). Higher Education in Iran. In Miriam, E. D., & Amey, M. J. (Ed.), The SAGE Encyclopaedia of Higher Education (pp.880-881). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781529714395.n324.
The Statute of Dār al-Mo’allemin-e Āli (1926). Extracted from https://www.solh.ir/regulation/6/110. [Persian]
The Statute of Dar al-Moallemin-e Markazi (1924). Extracted from https://www.solh.ir/regulation/7/6709. [Persian]
Towfigh, E., Yousefi, S. M., & Heydari, A. (2020). The issue of science and humanities at the Dār ul-Funun. Tehran: Institute for Social and Cultural Studies. [Persian]
University of Tehran (1936). University of Tehran Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies Guide. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. [Persian]
University of Tehran (1935). University of Tehran Guide. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. [Persian]
University of Tehran (1938). University of Tehran Guide. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. [Persian]
University of Tehran (1965). University of Tehran Guide. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. [Persian]
University of Tehran (1966). University of Tehran Guide. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. [Persian]
University of Tehran (1971). University of Tehran Guide. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. [Persian]
Yazdani, M. (1999). The higher education institution for female students. Ganjineh, 4(9), 47-81. [Persian, www.ganjineh.nlai.ir/article_1967.html]
Yazdani, S., & Boochani, E. (2012). Research about educational thoughts of Talibov Tabrizi. Historical Studies, 3(1), 135-150. [Persian]
Zargarinejad, G. H., Sefatgol, M., & Vosoughi, M. B. (2018). The history of University of Tehran (volume 1). Tehran: University of Tehran Press. [Persian]