INNOVATION IN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION (JOURNAL OF MODERN THOUGHTS IN EDUCATION)
Year:2009 | Volume:4 | Issue:4 (16)|Papers Count:13

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether different reflective teaching tools obtained the same kind of data. If not, which tool provided the reflective teachers with more reliable data? In order to investigate the research question, a researcher-made questionnaire related to the teachers’ decision making was designed. The population of the study consisted of all the Teachers (i.e., around 60 teachers) and students (i.e., around 2500 students) in the English Department of Islamic Azad University, Roudehen Branch in the academic year of 2006-2007. The method of selecting the research sample was simple random sampling. The research sample was comprised of 10 teachers and 251 students. The design of the study was descriptive (non-experimental correlational). The statistical analysis of data included the application of ANOVA and Pearson Coefficient of Correlation. The ANOVA test showed that the F observed (8.12) was significant at the 0.05 level; therefore, there were significant differences among the kind of data that different reflective tools obtained. Moreover, further analysis emphasized that some reflective teaching tools provided the teachers with more reliable data.

After fifteen consecutive issues of publishing in Farsi, the Journal of Modern Thoughts in Education (JMTE) has published a special issue in English. This issue, like the preceding ones, generally aims at disseminating the results of academic research projects for the scholars, researchers, and students, exploring the new horizons in the field of education, boosting the sense of cooperation and curiosity among researchers in pursuing their research projects, and offering the scientific solutions for the betterment of the education. This special issue in English particularly aims at focusing on the field of English language teaching and its concerns, familiarizing Iranian scholars, especially younger researchers with reading and writing papers in English, and encouraging them to make contributions to the renowned international journals in English.

The present study aims at evaluating the M.A. English Translation Program. Although this is somehow a new established program, nothing has been done about evaluation of it. Program evaluations need to be carried out within a well constructed framework. A review of more than 30 evaluation models and checklists led to the decision that Stufflebeam's CIPP Model (2002) would best fit this evaluation study. This model has four parts (Context, Input, Process, and Product) and the research questions were written based on these parts. Then, all the universities having this program (at the time of this study) were chosen (except Islamic Azad University, Chabahar Branch). The first step in doing this study was conducting a comprehensive needs analysis to clarify the needs and objectives of students, presenting their language problems and their inabilities in relation to translation. This was done through class observations, interviews, and questionnaires. According to the obtained data it became clear that the first and most important aim of establishing this program- "training the expert translators skilled in the fields of Human and Social Sciences, etc." to the great extent is ignored. 

The vitality of teacher response to students' writing is not only undeniable (Ferris, Pezone, Tade & Tini, 1997) but also as Coffin et al. (2003) believe, is a central pedagogic practice. Despite the existence of studies in the area of written teacher commentary (Bowen, Madsen, & Hilferty, 1985; Cohen, 1987; Doff, 1990; Fathman & Whalley, 1985; Ferris, 2002; Frodesen, 2001; Rieken, 1991; Zamel, 1985), there are still doubts about the most effective types of teacher feedback. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of three most prevalent error treatment techniques directive (explicit), partial (researchers’ terminology), and general feedback. To accomplish the expected goal, three groups of female students with intermediate level of proficiency were selected and the written errors of each group were treated according to one of the feedback techniques during the course of study. The analysis of the students' scores revealed that students receiving the directive feedback, improved significantly in comparison with those in the other two groups.

In the present study, the relationship between ESL advanced students’ beliefs, metacognition and their strategic reading performance was examined. The study was divided into two phases. In the first phase of the study, three questionnaires were used to investigate the relationship between metacognitive awareness and learners’ beliefs. In the second phase, learners’ strategic reading behavior was explored through think-aloud protocol analysis, retrospective questions and interviews. Through correlational analyses conducted with the entire sample, it was clear that significant positive correlations exist between BALLI and BAR (r =.393). The oneway Anova analyses indicated that the belief variables (BALLI and BAR) accounted for a greater portion of total MQ variance (mean square =.141). The result of the second phase of the study indicated that though the metacognitive knowledge was shown to play no significant role in the strategic reading behavior of the subjects, it proved useful in facilitating the reading performance of the readers. In short, the findings of the study suggest an interaction between beliefs, metacognitive knowledge and strategic reading behavior o f learners. This may mean that in reading instruction, a consideration of these variables can lead to better reading performances.

The main purpose of the present research was to study the predictive value of the Islamic Azad University’s Entrance Examination (IAUEE) in Iran administered to those applied for English Language courses. It, furthermore, attempted to investigate probable correlation between English Language students’ academic achievement regarding their Grade point Average (GPA) and their entrance admission test results and their sex, field of study, or age. To conduct the research, senior undergraduate students who were admitted to study in all English language fields in Islamic Azad University, Roudehen Branch were randomly selected. Data were collected regarding their performances in Entrance Examination and their GPA during the first three years of their study. Data analysis indicated that students’ total score in IAUEE had a better predictive value than the English subtest score. Out of three English majors under study, admission exam for ELT students had a much more recognized predictive value than for students in other courses. Moreover, while boys’ English proficiency subtest was a better predictor of their academic achievement, girls’ total score proved so.

This investigation was conducted with the intention of possibly recognizing error competence as a new variable related to advanced learners’ structural weakness. Error competence as one of the psychological levels of error orientation is the active knowledge to recover from errors immediately and reduce the error consequences. And error orientation shows how learners cope with and react to their own mistakes and errors. The purpose of the study has been to determine the existence of any meaningful relationship between the error competence and the structural competence of the EFL students. The target population of the research included the English students at Islamic Azad University, Roudehen Branch. A sample of 200 EFL senior students was selected based on the multistage random sampling. They were administered the two instruments of the research: The Structural Error Competence Questionnaire (SECQ) and the structure section of a standard TOEFL test. The research has been conducted based on a descriptive correlational study in Iran and resulted in the existence of significant correlation between the two variables. The correlation coefficient amounted to 0.228 which was significant and positive at the 0.01 level. In conclusion, this investigation has paved the way to support the idea of having error competence as a strategy which needs training and management.

The purpose of the present research is to investigate the relationship between organizational climate and the productivity of managers to present a suitable management pattern for productivity based on organizational climate. Out of the population of the research, 1208 managers were randomly selected consisting of managers who work in high schools (N=245), Municipality (N=52), National Company Petrochemical Industries (N=349), Islamic Azad University, Zone 8 (N=200), Tax offices (N=208), and Charity organizations (N=154) in Tehran Province. The research instruments were the questionnaires of organizational climate (Litwin & Stringer, 1968) and productivity (Smith, McCall, & Stoll, 1998). To this end, questionnaires were given to three clerks under each manager’s supervision. The results of applying the analysis of multi-variation regression indicated that: 1) there was a relationship between the organizational climate and the productivity of the managers and 2) the math pattern for the productivity of the managers in educational, public services, industrial, higher education, tax, and charity organizations based on organizational climate were as follows:1) Productivity = 0.64 × organizational climate + (-22.62)2) Productivity = 0.73 × organizational climate + (-15.825)3) Productivity = 0.65 × organizational climate + (-29.19)4) Productivity = 0.85 × organizational climate + (-11.219)5) Productivity = 0.66 × organizational climate + (-10.04)6) Productivity = 0.63 × organizational climate + (-15.74)

The present paper was the result of a set of studies aiming at recognizing the problems and difficulties of Tourism industry in Iran. In this research, sampling was done in cross-sectional method from tourist hotels in Isfahan, i.e. 200 tourists from eight nationalities and 50 experts from Tourism industry were examined. In the theoretical framework of the research some theories such as the theory of exchange and the theory of sustainable tourism development were also considered. This research tried to answer the following questions: what are the effective factors in attraction and repulsion of Iran’s Tourism industry? How satisfied are the foreign tourists traveling to Iran (Isfahan)? And what factors are involved in this satisfaction? Data analysis indicated that the following factors would affect the tourists' satisfaction and the boom in Iran’s tourism industry: Improving tourist welfare facilities, providing more period of stay, establishing security, having more publicity campaign, decreasing religious restrictions, planning private investment in tourism industry, developing stable transportation, lifting commercial limitation, upgrading educational quality in tourist areas, expanding Iran’s cultural relations with other countries, etc.