Comparative Analysis of Knowledge Economy Theories in University Curricula: Comparison between Theory-Based and Skill-Based Approaches in Humanities

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Master of Science in Clinical Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan Branch, Iran.

10.22098/j9032.2026.19853.1060

Abstract

This study aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of humanities curricula from the perspective of knowledge economy theories and to compare theory-based and skill-based approaches. The research method was qualitative-comparative and data were collected by analyzing the content of the curricula of the top 5 universities in Iran in fields such as social sciences, philosophy, and management, and were examined using thematic analysis and qualitative inferential methods (such as logistic regression). The findings showed that 70% of the programs have an excessive focus on theoretical education and only 15% of the courses are dedicated to practical skills. Inferential analysis using a binomial test confirmed that 85% of programs have a significant mismatch with the requirements of the knowledge economy (p<0.05). Qualitative logistic regression also identified an excessive focus on theory (β=0.82) and a lack of industry-related applied courses (β=0.76) as the strongest predictors of this mismatch. The conclusion suggests that the current humanities curricula in Iran, despite their theoretical richness, lack a balance between theory and the skills required by the knowledge economy, and a need for a fundamental revision is felt by reducing the share of purely theoretical courses, adding skills-based courses (such as big data analysis and digital entrepreneurship), and creating mechanisms for university-industry-government interaction.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics