Sociological Study of Developmental Literacy Education with Emphasis on Virtual Education and Reference to Iran

Abstract

This paper goes through the potentials of information and communication technology, and specifically computer-based education, in equipping students with developmental literacy (social, cultural, scientific, and environmental) which is instrumental in the realisation of national development. One of the main goals of the education system, everywhere, is to teach students the life skills and equip them with the ability to live and play an effective role in the society's reconstruction and maintenance; therefore a development-based education should provide skills along with knowledge to this aim. In this paper capacities of a computer-based education will be reviewed and some lights will be shed on its role in removing the present educational barriers in training development-oriented citizens—especially in the developing countries. After some theoretical arguments in support of this assertion, the paper will demonstrate some practical evidence concerning the educational system in Iran. For this purpose, the educational goals prescribed in educational policy documents are extracted, compared, and contrasted with the concrete situation and the present functioning of educational programs there. After scrutinising on the education policy texts and documents, this has been done through an in-depth interviewing with headmasters and teachers of "smart" schools in Tehran. To overcome this discrepancy between "theory" and "practice", the paper ends up with suggesting the implementation of developmental literacy measures in education programs via computer-based education— to break  the traditional and obsolete structures of education and reform the educational processes,  aiming at creating critical thinking and changing attitudes and methods of students assessment, initiating new learning techniques around student-centered learning, increasing the education quality and accountability , and promoting and diversifying communication and other life skills.