Thematic and Methodological Analysis of National and International Theses on Curriculum Implementation

Abstract

The current study aims to conduct a thematic and methodological analysis of national and international theses on curriculum implementation. The theses to be included in this study, which was designed as descriptive content analysis, were determined by criterion sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods. A total of 363 theses, 21 national and 342 international, were included in the study. Research data were collected with the "Thesis Evaluation Form" developed by the researchers. In the content analysis of the data, categorical analysis and frequency analysis were used. The results of the research showed that the implementation of the curriculum in national theses was mostly discussed under the theme of curriculum development and curriculum evaluation, while in international theses, the themes studied on the curriculum implementation were more diverse and specific to the implementation process of the curriculum. While mixed methods and quantitative research methods were preferred in national theses, qualitative research methods were mostly used in international theses. In accordance with the selected research method, mixed method research designs, maximum diversity and convenience sampling methods, use of interviews and scales, descriptive statistics and content analysis were utilized in national theses. On the other hand, in international theses, qualitative case study design, purposeful sampling method, data collection through interviews, observations and documents, and data analysis with coding technique were frequently employed. The sample group of both national and international theses is mostly teachers. It is thought that the findings obtained within the scope of this research will be useful in terms of understanding the studies on the implementation of the curricula and guiding future studies to be carried out in the field.