Journal of Research in Educational Systems

Abstract Objective: This study was conducted with the aim of providing an integrated model of Philosophy for Children (P4C) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in primary education. Method: In terms of purpose, this study is applied, and in terms of approach, it is qualitative and of the thematic analysis type. The statistical population consisted of experts and specialists in the fields of philosophy, pedagogical content knowledge, and curriculum planning in the years 2024-2025. Using purposive sampling and the snowball technique, 18 individuals (15 professors and 3 curriculum planners) were selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis with inter-coder agreement (reliability coefficient of 0.78). Results: Data analysis led to the extraction of 33 basic themes, 11 organizing themes, and ultimately 6 overarching themes as the main dimensions of the model. The identified organizing themes were: basic cognitive skills, mental readiness, content comprehension, content design skills, communication skills, interaction skills, analysis and judgment, problem-solving, concept linking, self-regulation, and knowledge of educational tools. These components were organized within a comprehensive integrated model. Conclusion: The findings showed that the purposeful integration of the two approaches, P4C and PCK, can provide an effective conceptual framework for designing primary education curricula. This model, by simultaneously enhancing philosophical thinking skills (such as analysis and judgment) and content-focused teaching competencies (such as understanding and designing content), provides an effective framework for designing primary education curricula.



This study adopts a qualitative and applied research design employing the Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology. Data were collected through document analysis, theoretical framework review, and semi-structured interviews with 10 experts in the field of education. Thematic analysis was used to examine the collected data.



Based on the findings, an integrative model was designed comprising six core components: objectives, content, teaching strategies, teacher’s role, learner’s role, and assessment methods. The proposed model was validated by experts and demonstrated the potential to effectively combine content-based instruction with the cultivation of students’ thinking skills.



Furthermore, the model promotes dialogue-centered classrooms, enhances meaningful learning, and fosters active student participation. Given its flexibility, the model is adaptable to localized contexts and can be widely implemented in concept-oriented subjects in primary education. It can also serve as a practical guide for teachers, curriculum designers, and teacher training programs seeking to integrate philosophical inquiry with pedagogical content knowledge in the classroom.

Abstract The present study tried to investigate the effect of philosophy for children program on the reasoning skills of fifth grade male students. The research method applied here was quantitative, with a quasi-experimental design, while pretest and posttests were used with a control group. Population included all male students of fifth grade in Tehran in the academic year of 2017- 2018. A school named Fajr-e- Danesh, in Tehran/ district 5, was selected based on the Multi-stage sampling method (two-stage cluster sampling and random sampling). The school had 4 fifth-grade classes. Two classes were selected randomly. Then, from those two, a class was chosen again randomly as experimental and the other as control group. The New Jersey reasoning test in both control and experimental groups was performed by the researcher. The main teaching task in control group was the classroom teacher's responsibility. But to teach the experimental group, the P4C program was performed by the researcher. New Jersey reasoning test (pre-test, post-test) was carried out. The test consists of 50 multi-choice questions in logical analogies, representing 22 skills in the field of reasoning. Findings of the study showed that the post-New Jersey argument test was performed by the researcher on each student.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the P4C content approach on the meta-cognitive beliefs and critical thinking of students and experimental method with pre-test, post-test design. The statistical population consisted of all sixth grade elementary school students in Torbat-e Heidariye city who studied in the academic year of 2016-2017, of whom through cluster sampling and after screening, 50 students   randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. Measurement tools included the Children's meta-cognition questionnaire (MCQ_C) (Bekaw et al., 2009, Modified by Qaderi et al., 2012) and the Sasu critical thinking Scale (2013). At first, both groups were tested. Then, for the experimental group, 10 sessions of 1 hour content approach of P4C was provided, and the control group did not receive any special training during this period. At the end, again from both groups received a post-test, Data were analyzed by SPSS software using multivariate covariance test and variance analysis, and the results showed that using content approach of P4C  with 95% probability with metacognitive and critical thinking  of students has a significant relationship, So that the average scores of meta cognitive beliefs in the experimental group after the practice of teaching philosophy have been significantly decreased, so average scores of critical thinking increased, if there is no significant change in the control group. Finally, the research hypothesis that the content approach of P4C has a significant effect on the meta-cognitive and critical thinking of male students in the sixth grade of elementary school students has been confirmed.