TAFAKKOR VA KUDAK (THINKING AND CHILDREN)
Year:2013 | Volume:4 | Issue:1 (7)|Papers Count:6

The present study examines critical thinking skills in novels for young adults, published in 2000s. The corpus of the study consisted of twelve novels for young adults, which were selected purposefully and as advised by 26 experts in children’s literature. The research used qualitative-inductive content analysis. The novels were analyzed based on Facione’s critical thinking skills, namely interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self-regulation. The acts and dialogues of characters were examined using the six critical thinking parameters described by Facione. The characters in the novel “the Persians and I: The Fortress of the Dragon 1” had applied critical thinking skills more than those in other novels. Moreover, in all the examined novels, interpretation skill was used more than other skills of critical thinking. Next were analysis and explanation, respectively. Self-regulation and inference were both in the fourth rank with regard to their frequency. The skill of evaluation had the least frequency in the novels. The results of the study revealed that ordinary stories, when of proper literary quality, can be used for educational purposes.

This study mainly focuses on the effect of violent and mental computer games on information processing (time and accuracy of reaction) in young adults. It also seeks to identify the possible differences between automatic and controlled information processing. With a semi-experimental design, this research worked with a population of 90 male junior high school students in second grade; the students were randomly classified into an experimental and a control group and were studied for two months.In the experimental group, the students were in the category of either violent or mental games. The students in the control group were not familiar with computer games at all.The instrument for measuring computational test was Stroop Effect which would record the exact time and the precision of the response of all students for both automatic and controlled information processing in the pre-test and the post-test. The data were then analyzed using dependent -test. The results of the study revealed that computer games of mental type have a significant relationship with reaction time in automatic (p=0.04) and controlled (p=0.01) processing as well as the precision of reaction in automatic (p=0.0) and controlled (p=0.0) processing. The results concerning violent computer games showed that this type of games have a significant impact on the reaction time in automatic (p=0.001) and controlled (p=0.002) information processing as well as on the precision of reaction in automatic (p=0.00).The result of precision of reaction in controlled processing (p=0.08), however, was not significant. The analysis of the results of the control group in both the pre-test and the post-test proved to be insignificant with regard to both reaction time and precision of reaction, in both automatic and controlled processing. All in all, this study showed a better processing of information, both automatic and controlled, in games of mental type. In violent games, the performance was impaired.

Since the paradox of "authority and freedom" is one of the most significant challenges in the philosophy of children's literature, the present paper attempts to identify and investigate the techniques of representing "authority and freedom" in Iranian picture-story books. Using analytic method, this study examines six Persian picture-stories to answer the following questions: What techniques are used to represent authority and freedom in Persian picture-stories? Are there any differences between the techniques used in the corpus of the study? Which of the identified techniques improve children’s creativity and power of thinking? The results indicate that implicit theme, open plot, objective or per formative point of view, polyphony in texts and images, indirect, dynamic and sophisticated characterization, and dominance of images are among the techniques that enhance the thinking ability, decision making, creativity and choices of children.

The present study aims at investigating the effect of strategic teaching of thinking on questioning abilities of fifth graders. It is an experimental research using pre-test, posttest and control group.80 fifth graders (40 male and 40 female) from primary schools in Sanandaj were selected through random cluster sampling and formed the population of the research. The male and female students were randomly placed in either the control or the experimental group. The students in the experimental group were taught thinking for fifteen sessions of one hour each. The questioning abilities of students in both control and experimental groups were examined and compared with a pre-test and a post-test, using Beck and Jessup’s Multi-dimensional Quest Orientation Scale (MQOS) questionnaire. The data were analyzed by ANCOVA. The results indicate that teaching thinking has a significant effect on the improvement of questioning.Questioning can be enhanced through direct teaching of thinking in the classroom.Students should be encouraged to participate in discussions and class activities in order to learn how to manage challenging situations.

The present paper seeks to study the place of thinking as well as the impact of modern technology on promotion of thinking at schools. It first briefly reviews a number of well-known theories about modern technology and its effects on people’s lives and attitudes. Then the components of educational technology are briefly discussed and the mentioned theories of modern technology are applied to educational technology to see how educational technology affects different aspects of students’ lives, particularly their process of learning thinking at school. The place and importance of thinking and its promotion at the schools are also discussed. The paper concludes that educational technology does not contribute to the development of thinking abilities and does not pay attention to the students’ thinking when dealing with important issues of their lives. Therefore, it is necessary to rethink current educational technology and this adds to the significance of programs like ‘philosophy for children.

The present paper aims at examining the effect of philosophical mentality on solving math problems in third grade male and female students of Hamedan junior high schools. The research adopts a causal-comparative methodology.8229 students from junior high schools in Hamedan, in 2011-2012, formed the population of the study.From among these, 367 students were selected through classified sampling with proper allocation. The instruments for data collection included two questionnaires for the evaluation of philosophical mentality and the ability to solve math problems. The Cronbach's Alpha Reliability scores obtained for the said questionnaires were 0.864% and 0.730% respectively. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20, in two sections of descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Spearman Correlation Coefficient, two-way ANOVA – between subjects design, Bonferonni Test and Multivariate Regression). The findings of the research confirmed that philosophical mentality does affect students’ ability of solving math problems and showed this effect to be of great magnitude. The results also indicated that greater philosophical mentality leads to greater ability of solving math problems. However, there was no significant relationship between gender and the ability to solve math problems. The contrastive effect of philosophical mentality and gender on the ability to solve math problems did not prove significant either.Moreover, penetration, compared to comprehensiveness and flexibility, had a significantly more impact on the ability to solve math problems.