Content Analysis of Iranian Ph.D. Theses on Urban Planning with Emphasis on the Relationship between Knowledge and Research

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Professor, School of Urban Planning, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 PhD, School of Urban Planning, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background: A Review of the criticisms made about Iran's urban planning indicates significant points regarding the quality of professional planning activities, research outputs and its knowledge production system. It is supposed that current knowledge, research and profession defections and shortcomings that each experience individually are the result of a general flaw in the relationship between all of them. Establishing PhD planning courses in various world universities have a significant history and its research outcomes have been trying to enrich planning knowledge base. Iranian PhD Urban Planning courses began in 1968 at the University of Tehran. Since 2009, Shahid Beheshti and Tarbiat Modarres universities, then other universities have joined this movement. However, the question is how the content of the knowledge-research relationship is defined in Iranian urban planning and to improve the knowledge of Iranian urban planning, what content should Ph.D. theses cover?
Objectives: This study aims to find out what effect the content of PhD Urban Planning theses in Iranian urban planning knowledge in these years and the role they should play in the coming years.
Methodology: This article is a fundamental research type and the research method is based on qualitative content analysis. Therefore, 461 English PhD Urban Planning theses, 20199 English articles, 5199 Persian articles and 123 Persian PhD Urban Planning Theses were analyzed as study samples.
Results: The study showed that the categories of philosophy and theories have been the first priority in both knowledge of urban planning and research of the world as well as in Iran.
Conclusion: Comparing the relationship between Iranian and global knowledge-research, indicates that the PhD researchers can determine three goals to choose the subject of their theses. These goals include: enriching Iranian urban planning knowledge, take a step in the direction of global urban planning knowledge or considering a combination of these two goals. Based on the selection of each of these goals, a list of thematic priorities is proposed for PhD researchers.

Highlights

The main priorities of Iranian urban planning theses so far have been philosophy and theories, social issues and growth and development.

Categories of philosophy and theories, education and research as well as profession are future research priorities of Iranian urban planning theses.

Keywords

References

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Urban Planning Knowledge
Volume 5, Issue 3
September 2021
Pages 1-20

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History

  • Receive Date: 07 November 2020
  • Revise Date: 17 December 2020
  • Accept Date: 15 March 2021

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