Final answer:
The electric field in an electric circuit is directed from positive to negative, as is the direction of conventional electric current. Electron flow, which constitutes the actual current in metals, goes from negative to positive, opposite to the conventional current direction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The direction of an electric field in an electric circuit is conventionally from the positive to the negative. This is because electric fields are defined to point away from positive charges and toward negative charges. However, the direction of electric current is defined as the direction in which positive charges would flow, even though in metal wires, it is actually electrons (which are negative charges) that move. Therefore, while the electric field in a circuit goes from positive to negative, electrons move from the negative end to the positive end.
Despite this, the conventional current direction is still considered to be from positive to negative. This historical convention was established by Benjamin Franklin before the discovery that electrons are the carriers of current in most conductive materials. So, in summary, the electric field direction and the conventional current direction are the same: from positive to negative.