Determining Principles and Formulating General Policies of Supplementary and Extracurricular Activities in Iran's Schools and Universities

The aim of this study was to determine the principles and formulate general policies for supplementary and extracurricular programs in schools and universities in Iran. This mixed-methods research was carried out using quantitative and qualitative research methods. The data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire, a semi-structured interview, a checklist for analyzing the content of high-level documents and a checklist for analyzing the content of the documents and experience of selected countries. The principles of the four sources were determined analyzing the data coming from the questionnaires of teachers, managers and students, interviews with experts in the field of higher education and general education, the review of documents, and the comparative study of documents and experience of selected countries. First, the basics derived from the findings of questionnaires, interviews, documents’ analysis and experience of selected countries were extracted. Then these principles were refined and in the final stage, out of nineteen principles, the final principles of supplementary and extracurricular programs for Iranian schools and universities, along with general policies related to each principle were extracted. Regarding the principles and policies developed in this study, reviewing and revising the regulations and directives related to the extracurricular activities of schools and universities seemed necessary and it is suggested that policymakers in the field of higher education and education pay attention to the principles and policies proposed in this study in planning and implementing supplementary and extracurricular activities for schools and universities.