The Content Analysis of PhD Theses Completed in the Field of Curriculum and Instruction (1974-2009)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the PhD theses completed in the field of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) with regard to various variables. For this, all 358 doctoral dissertations completed in Turkey in the field of C&I until 2009 are analyzed. By using the content analysis, PhD theses were analyzed according to some variables such as the subject of the theses, university, and the design of the studies. It was observed that the PhD studies in the field of C&I frequently include theses based on the effects of teaching and learning approaches, methods and techniques, teacher education and practices, and curriculum evaluation studies follow these. It was also found that there was an increase in the number of dissertations. Besides, the experimental and descriptive researches are almost equally preferred more frequently and the usage of mixed method was increased dramatically in the last ten years.