Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The purpose of the current research is to identify the components of national Solidarity for use in the content of textbooks. The research paradigm is interpretive, the approach is qualitative, the research strategy is qualitative content analysis (induction), and the field of study includes teachers of ethnicities and experts. A semi-structured interview was used to collect data. The sampling method was purposeful and continued until the theoretical saturation stage, and interviews were conducted with 14 experts and 18 teachers. The data format was based on audio and for data analysis two steps of open and axial coding were used. In the first step of coding, 451 initial codes, and 87 subcategories were obtained. In the second stage of coding, 16 main categories were obtained after categorization. The extracted categories are language homogeneity, diversity in introducing celebrities, territorial symbols, legitimizing cultural pluralism, rethinking and writing women's texts, strengthening trust, distributive justice, merit-based, strengthening national identity, paying attention to the multicultural economy, introducing ancient artifacts, consolidation of political legitimacy, redefining educational policy, strengthening National-transnational compatibility, creating social security, and reforming media policy. Based on the findings, the necessity of a review and a more comprehensive look at the components of national cohesion is felt.
Keywords: National Cohesion, National Solidarity, Education, Textbooks, Teachers, Ethnicities.
Introduction
National cohesion is not formed in a vacuum. It is a constructive category, and the type of programs, actions, and strategies that governments take can be the source or destroyer of national cohesion. Considering the heterogeneity of population composition in Iran and the existence of different cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious backgrounds, it is necessary to take a new look at the category of national cohesion and its components. Therefore, the research question is raised as follows: what are the components of national cohesion from the perspective of experts and teachers of Iranian ethnic groups for use in the content of textbooks?
Literature Review
The review of the research done in the country shows that some research regarding national solidarity; the place of the national identity in the education system; and the role of textbooks in the formation of national identity have been conducted and the findings of these studies point to the lack of textbooks and the neglect of textbook designers and authors towards national identity and national solidarity. In 2022, a piece of research was carried out regarding the place of national cohesion in Iran's primary education textbooks by Havas Beigi and Sajjadi, and the findings of this research showed that in the textbooks, the only component on which national cohesion revolves is the component of religion and other components of national cohesion have received less and less attention. If it is necessary to pay attention to the various components of national unity, a state of balance and equilibrium should be established so that the ground of national harmony and national unity in Iran is provided more than before.
But regarding the components of national cohesion, it can be said that experts have proposed components in the literature of sociology and political science, and in some cases, common components can be extracted between their opinions, which are from literature, poetry; cultural heritage; religion; flag and anthem; common land; language; customs; common history; National and religious holidays; music and art; and heroes and national pride. These cases are actually presented in a theoretical form from the point of view of experts, but still, considering the role and importance of education in national cohesion and maintaining solidarity, a comprehensive study on identifying the components of national cohesion to be included in textbooks from the point of view of experts and teachers of Iranian ethnic groups has not been done.
Materials and Methods
This research is placed in the category of constructive and interpretative paradigms, and accordingly, a qualitative approach has been used for inductive reasoning in order to solve the problem. The research strategy is qualitative content analysis (inductive), and the field of study includes ethnic teachers and experts in the fields of social sciences, political sciences, and education. The researcher has considered variables such as gender, ethnicity, and work experience for the group of teachers, ethnic groups, gender, specialized field, and academic rank for the group of experts. In this research, since national cohesion is one of the most important constructs of social sciences and political sciences, and on the other hand, it is one of the sources of determining needs and formulating goals in curricula, the opinions of experts and experts are related to that phenomenon, along with teachers. Different ethnicities, opinions, and views of experts in the fields of sociology, political science, and education were used in this research. The data collection tool is the semi-structured interview and the sampling method is purposeful. Sampling continued until the theoretical saturation stage and 14 experts and 18 teachers were interviewed. The data format of the research was audio-based. Two stages of open coding and axial coding were used for data analysis. To check the validity of the data obtained from the analysis of the interviews, the acceptability criteria including the review of external observers (at least 4 observers), long-term involvement, and continuous observation were used.
Results
In the first step, the coding of 451 initial codes and 87 subcategories were obtained. In the second stage of coding, 16 main categories were obtained after categorization. The extracted categories are language homogeneity, diversity in introducing celebrities, territorial symbols, legitimizing cultural pluralism, rethinking and writing women's texts, strengthening trust, distributive justice, merit-based, strengthening national identity, paying attention to the multicultural economy, introducing ancient artifacts, political legitimacy, redefining educational policy, strengthening National-transnational compatibility, creating social security, and reforming media policy.
Conclusion
The necessity of a review and a more comprehensive look at the components of national cohesion is felt because national cohesion is one of the most important issues of the countries of the past and present in the world, a very important and vital issue that has a very deep connection with the education system of each country and the preservation of the territorial integrity of the country. Moreover, the process of socialization of students depends on how the educational system reproduces and republishes the components of national identity and national cohesion. The educational system, as a carrier of cultural, religious, national, social, political, gender, ethnic values, etc., can play the most important role in this regard. Sixteen components that were discovered based on the opinions of ethnic teachers and experts in sociology, political science, and education can be used in the compilation of content related to the category of national cohesion in textbooks used by educational designers and planners. The results of the current research, if applied correctly, rationally and scientifically, both at the macro level and at the micro level (educational system), can provide the means to realize national cohesion as much as possible.
Acknowledgments
Here, it is necessary to thank and appreciate Dr. Seyed Mahdi Sajjadi, professor of the Department of Philosophy of Education, Tarbiat Modares University, Dr. Yar Mohammad Ghasemi, professor of the Department of Sociology and Cultural Studies, Ilam University, and Dr. Abdolrahim Navehebrahim, professor of the Department of Educational Management, Kharazmi University, who helped me in conducting this research. I am also very grateful for the financial support of the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF).
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