QUARTERLY EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Year:2012 | Volume:8 | Issue:23|Papers Count:10

ICT-based education is the application of information and communication technologies in the process of teaching and learning.Educational justice can be defined as providing equal educational opportunities for all demanders of higher education. Educational justice can be achieved by ICT-based education through; providing equal educational opportunities, increasing the access to higher education and improving the quality of education.The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of ICT-based education on educational justice development. Therefore, the ex postfacto research method was adopted, and the statistical population covered 250 and 110 students benefitting from ICT-based and classroom-based educations, respectively.104 ICT-based and 100 classroom-based students were also randomly selected as the sample volume. Data were collected through two researcher-made questionnaires whose content validity was approved by the supervisor and consulting advisor of the research. Their reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha coefficient as 0.89. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the collected data, and t-test was used to test the hypotheses and investigate the difference between the groups. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS software. The analysis of the data showed that all the hypotheses of the research were confirmed with a level of confidence of 95 per cent. Research findings also revealed that ICT-based education had the highest impact on increasing access to higher education by providing the opportunity of studying at home, expanding classroom borders and facilitating studying for jobholders. Its high expenses in Iran were, however, the most important obstacle for equal educational opportunities and increasing access to higher education.

The present research aims to study the emphasis laid by guidance-school social sciences curriculum on the critical approach. The survey research was used as the research method, and the statistical population included all 85 teachers teaching social sciences at the guidance schools of District One of Hamedan Educational Department in the school year 2008-2009 as well as social sciences textbooks of grades one to three. Random sampling and census methods were applied to the statistical population to produce a statistical sample of 71 teachers and an equal number of textbooks. Data were collected through researcher-made questionnaires whose content validity was assessed by content validity and their reliability by Cronbach's alpha coefficient which was calculated as 0.81.Descriptive statistical indices along with non-parametric X2 and parametric independent t-test were used to describe the collected data.Research findings showed that social sciences curriculum places low emphasis on flexibility and risk-taking and medium emphasis on resourcefulness, inclusiveness and curiosity. In addition, there appeared to be no difference between male and female teachers' views on social sciences curriculum's emphasis on critical approach components.

The aim of this study is to design and develop a conceptual and operational model to generate interest in research among the students of the Police University. The developed model was, in fact, a pilot pre/post test design. The statistical population included all male undergraduates of the Police University in the academic year 2007-2008. The statistical sample was randomly selected through the process of cluster sampling.Accordingly, the disciplinary major was randomly selected from different academic majors and two groups of 30 sophomores were selected to represent the experimental and control groups, respectively.The tool used to measure students' motivation and interest in research was a researcher-made questionnaire whose content validity was assessed by content validity and its reliability by Cronbach's alpha coefficient.The results indicated that the experimental group enjoyed a higher level of competence and satisfaction as they paid more attention to research activities than the control group. In sum, the model decreased their negative feelings about research and improved their attitude toward such activities.

This research intends to study the word ‘tarbiat’ (‘training’) in Islamic texts. Therefore, the Qur'an, Nahj al-Balagha, al-Sahifa al- Sajjadiya, books of prayers and Bihar al-Anwar collection were considered as the corpus of study as well as the sample in this study.After a complete review of this literature, the result showed that the word tarbiat is rooted in ‘rabawa’ and means ‘training’ or ‘upbringing’. It is not meant to be the common term ' training' as understood today, so it means the flourishing of individuals' talents and potentials.

Based on Wittrock’s generative learning theory (1974), generative model of learning emphasizes learners' active participation in the learning process by generating relationships and meanings. The present research addressed the question as to whether learners trained under generative model of learning had better performance in experimental sciences progress tests than the learners trained under conventional educational models. The hypothesis stated that learners trained under generative model of learning had better performance in experimental sciences progress tests than the learners trained under conventional educational models. The statistical population included all female guidance-school second-graders of Kelardasht. A statistical sample of two classrooms of 50 students was randomly selected through the process of cluster sampling, and 26 students were placed in the experimental group and 24 students in the control group. The results confirmed the research hypothesis.

One of the main educational goals teachers and parents expect the students to attain is the ability to solve problems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the causal relationship between achievement goals and self-regulation strategies with math problem-solving performance. To this aim, casual-correlational research method was adopted, and two questionnaires on achievement goals (Elliot & McGregor, 2001) and selfregulation strategies (Pintrich et. al, 1991) as well as a math test were used. The results indicated that only motivational strategies had a direct impact on problem-solving. Moreover, mastery-approach and performance-approach goals had a direct impact on cognitive, metacognitive, motivational and resource management strategies but an indirect impact on problem-solving performance. The findings are in line with some earlier studies but in contrast with some others. The important point is the low variance of problem-solving performance. One of the factors contributing to such a low variance might be the fact that cognitive, metacognitive and resource management strategies have had no impact on problem-solving variable.

Handedness is related to lateralization of behavioral skills and differences in structure and function in motor system. The aim of this research is to study the bilateral transfer of learning between the rightand left-handers during the process of transfer from the dominant to nondominant hand and vice versa. Participants were undergraduates of Payam-e Noor University of Andimeshk in the academic year 2009-2010.30 left-handers (13 females and 17 males) and 42 right-handers (17 females and 25 males) were randomly selected and placed in two conditions: the transfer from dominant to non-dominant hand and nondominant to dominant hand. Chapman's handedness questionnaire was used to identify the left- and right-handers. In addition, mirror drawing apparatus was used to measure the learning transfer. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance method. Results showed a meaningful difference in learning transfer between the two conditions.The average number of errors committed and the time spent by left- and right-handers in the process of transfer from dominant to non-dominant hand were less than the errors they committed and the time they spent in the second condition. In addition, learning transfer occurred at a faster rate in the first condition. The analysis also revealed that the left-handed and right-handed students showed no meaningful difference in learning transfer rate. In sum, skill learning is transferred from dominant organs to non-dominant ones.