A Comparative Study of Reflective Experiences of Primary School Specialist Teachers in Iran and Iraq to Explain and Identify Reflective Topics

Abstract

< p>The purpose of this study is to investigate reflective experiences of primary school specialist teachers in two Kurdish cities of Paveh (Iran) and Sulaymaniyah (Iraq) in order to identify and explain reflective topics. The research method is qualitative comparative using narrative approach, the level of analysis is “district “and the level of observation is “individual". The strategy of "similar systems, similar outputs" was used to select countries under study and sampling method was convenience sampling. Data collection tool was in-depth interview and data analysis method is thematic analysis. This article is divided into several sections: In the Introduction section, past and current situation of the Iranian educational system, the importance of lived experiences and narratives of teachers, and the reasons for the comparison of the lived experiences of the teachers in these two cities are discussed. In the second part, the research method is explained. The third part refers to the research results. The findings of the research showed that the themes that are the main organizers of teachers'' narratives in both societies are largely influenced by the active role of social systems. Also, five universal themes (Cognition, learning, teaching, evaluation, and classroom management) were identified in the deeper narratives of teachers. From a comparative perspective, the research findings showed that the similarities of teachers'' lived experiences are high in both communities and minor differences can be ignored.