e-Uluslararası Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi

Öz

The most practical and appropriate way to define delineate a specific field of study is to examine the studies conducted in that field. The fact that the field of Curriculum and Instruction (CI) is intertwined with multiple disciplines and lacks a clear boundary is one of the most important reasons that necessitates this study. The aim of this research is to analyze the scope of the CI field by synthesizing studies that examine approved graduate theses in the CI field from the past to the present. The research utilized a meta-synthesis method that enables researchers to critically evaluate their work and potentially remap the field. A total of 9 qualitative studies examining 1142 doctoral theses and 1194 master's theses approved in the CI field between 1974 and 2021 were included in the research. The data obtained from these studies were analyzed using content analysis. The research identified 16 themes and 12 sub-themes related to these themes. The findings of the study showed that the top five most studied topics in the past half-century were "program evaluation," "teacher," "teaching-learning approaches/models/methods and techniques," "education and information technologies," and "teaching-learning strategies/styles and instruction." Furthermore, it was concluded that the increasing number of theses prepared in this field was influenced by the growing interest in the field, the increase in the number of academics employed in this field, and consequently, the increase in the number of universities offering graduate programs in this field. In light of the findings, several recommendations have been developed regarding the need for more research in less focused areas such as program development and considerations for studies examining graduate theses in the field.