The Evaluation of Present Status of Charity Education in Elementary Schools based on Phenomenological Method

The present study aimed to evaluate the present situation of charity education in schools. To this aim, a phenomenological method was used using semi-structured interview. The sample included the principals and teachers from 12 public, private and Quranic elementary schools for both girls and boys in Tabriz, Iran. First, the type and amount of educational activities in the schools were emphasized. Then, the posteriori content analysis method was used to analyze the interviews. Based on the results, the use of the charity fund and the distribution of the money envelope were more frequent among the principals’ responses, while composition was more frequent among the teachers' response. According to the majority of principals, the time that was often held at the celebration of charity and the deputy of the school and the training tutor, along with a group of student, were more responsible for its implementation. According to the majority of teachers, the concept of charity from the second grade of elementary school was more understandable for the students, and the role of practical activities and the content of the textbooks could play a significant and complementary role. Finally, the barriers for training this type of content were elaborated according to interviewees. After collecting and classifying the data, four themes including overt, hidden, absurd, and extracurricular curriculum were extracted.