JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE STRATEGIES IN LEARNING
Year:2015 | Volume:2 | Issue:3|Papers Count:7

Objective: In current research, the effect of Fordyce happiness cognitive-behavioral training on self-efficacy beliefs and academic stress between the 2nd grade girl students of Tehran high schools have been studied.Method: The design of research was a quasi-experimental design with pretest and post-test together with control group. The samples included 26 subjects among 2nd grade girl students, studying at high school at District 10, in Tehran. Group members were evaluated before and after 10 group training sessions using Oxford happiness inventory (1989), Sherer, & Maddux (1982) self-efficacy scale and Lakaev (2009) academic stress response scale used for this purpose.Results: the data were analyzed by covariance analysis ANCOVA and paired-samples t test. The findings showed that Fordyce happiness cognitive-behavioral training could increase the average self-efficacy scores of the students of experimental group in comparison with control group and decrease the average of their scores in academic stress in comparison with the students of group control. Under the results of paired-samples t-test, there was no significant difference between self-efficacy and academic stress average scores of post-test and following-up of experimental group after passing 3 weeks of training.Conclusions: based on these findings, in addition to increasing the sense of happiness among students, Fordyce happiness training plan has meaningful effect on increasing the self-efficacy beliefs and decreasing the stress related to academic activities.

Introduction: Interactive effectiveness of Life Skills Training (LST) and Spiritual Intelligence (SI) on improving amount of university students knowledge of life skills were carried out in a randomized block designs study.Method: 166 male and female university students were randomly selected out of our statistical society of 11370 students at Islamic Azad University of Borujerd (IAU of Borujerd). Then life skills knowledge questionnaire (Ahadi, 1386), and Spiritual Intelligence (SI) questionnaire (Naseri, 1386) were filled out by the subjects as a pre-test. Then, on the basis of the results of the Spiritual Intelligence questionnaire (either higher or lower than the average), the subjects were divided into four groups: Two experimental groups and two control groups and in each of them one possessed a higher score on SI and the other a lower score on SI in the same situation. The experimental groups in two separate classes of students with higher and lower score on SI participated in 16 sessions of 3 hours of the LST course based on instructional pattern of WHO (1996,1999), in a time span of 8 weeks. At the end of the course and for the second time the subjects filled out LSK (Life Skill Knowledge) questionnaire as the post-test. Finally, after four months in order to figure out the stability or possible changes in the results, once more, in a follow-up study, the life skills knowledge questionnaire was administered.Results: The results of data analysis using the “t” statistical test indicated that LST have a significant effect on improving amount of university students knowledge of life skills, though in interaction with SI, there is no significant effect on it.Conclusion: It can be concluded that increasing students' awareness of life skills shapes the essential functions needed to prevents life problems and creates suitable confrontation with them and improves decision-making thereby helps to improve, maintain and promote mental health on their side.

Objective: This research aims were to investigate the effect of conventional and hybrid method of teaching on students' academic involvement.Method: The quasi-experimental has been used as research method. The statistical sample included all seventh grade female students of Hamedan, of whom 56 persons were selected randomly for the desired conditions. They were divided into two 28-member groups of test and control. Then, test group was exposed to hybrid method for one month in 8 sessions while the other studied the courses in conventional teaching method. To collect data, standard academic involvement of Tino (2009) was used, the validity and reliability of which were determined in terms of content and surface method as .96 of Cronbach alpha. To analyze data, descriptive and inferential statistics such as Kolmogorov-Smirnov and t-test for independent groups were used.Results: The results showed that the rate of academic involvement of students having been educated with hybrid method was greater than that of students having been taught by conventional method. Therefore, the effect of education in hybrid method on students' academic involvement is greater than that in conventional method.Conclusion: The research finding showed the effect of combination education among students was impressive and caused to increase the academic involvement.

Introduction: Teaching and learning are closely interrelated and important factors, assisting teachers to pave the way for effective learning and considering the students’ learning styles, because instructing without paying attention to individuals’ differences can lead to waste the talents, forces, facilities and hence, the attempts fail to gain the goal.Objective: The aim of study was to predict and clarify students’ achievement motivation. The investigative community included all high school of 2nd district of education studying in Tehran city in 1392-93 academic years. Sampling population involved 300 subjects and Multiphasic random sampling method has been chosen. To determine the students’ learning styles, Kolb’s checklist (ISI), and to assess their achievement motivation, Hermanz’s inquiry for achievement motivation (ANQ) has been chosen. The descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and for inferential statistics (analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Sefee pursuit test) have been used in order to analyse the collected data.Findings: The findings showed that learning styles including “divergent, convergent, assimilator and accommodator” affected the amount of the students’ achievement motivation and the academic performance. Comparison of average scores emphasized the rate of students’ achievement motivation and the academic performance. The convergent learning style was meaningfully more than that of the students with divergent, assimilator and accommodator.Conclusion: The results signify the application for students’ impressive teaching and learning which will be discussed in present article.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine factor structure, reliability and validity of interpersonal cognitive distortions scale (ICDS) among students of Tabriz university.Method: The present study is a type of psychometric and validation studies. The population included all students of Tabriz University that 368 students of whom were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method, and they were asked to complete interpersonal cognitive distortions scale (ICDS), borderline personality scale (STB), and defense style questionnaire (DSQ-40). The reliability coefficients of ICDS were calculated through cronbach's alpha and split-half method. In order to assess the structure validity and to determine the multifactorial structure of ICDS, the principal factor analysis with varimax rotation were used and in order to confirm the extracted factors, confirmatory factor analysis was used.Results: Factor analysis of ICDS, using principal components analysis with varimax rotation extracted three factors consisting the unrealistic relationship expectations, interpersonal rejection, and interpersonal misperception. The other indexes of validity (concurrent validity with STB and DSQ, and scale-subscales correlations), and reliability (internal consistency and split-half coefficients) have also been reported. All of them confirmed reliability and validity of ICSD.Conclusions: Results showed that the interpersonal cognitive distortions scale (ICSD) had sufficient validity and reliability in iranian community, and can be used in psychological and psychiatric studies.

Objective: This study examined the mediating effect of achievement emotions on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and deep and surface learning approaches among female students.Method: On a sample consisting of 300 university students were administrated the achievement emotions questionnaire- learning-related emotions (Pekrun, Goetz & Perry, 2005), the academic self-efficacy beliefs questionnaire (Zajacova, Lynch & Espenshade, 2005) and the Revised two-factor Study Process Questionnaire (Biggs, Kember & Leung, 2001). Structural equation modeling was used to assess the mediating effects model of achievement emotions on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and learning approaches among female students.Results: The results of structural equation modeling revealed that the mediating model of achievement emotions on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and learning approaches had a good fit to the data. All of the regression weights in both models were statistically significant and in the mediating model of positive emotions, model' predictors accounted for 48% and 19% of the variance in deep and surface learning approaches respectively and in the mediating model of negative emotions, model' predictors accounted for 19% and 24% of the variance in deep and surface learning approaches.Conclusion: These findings show that among students when encountering to demands of academic life, difference in scores of deep and surface learning approaches among them, accounted for by difference in degree of positive and negative achievement emotions.

Introduction: Academic achievement is affected by several variables. Some of the most important variables are cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies, self-efficacy, creativity and emotional intelligence.Objective: This research aimed to investigate the relationship cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies, self-efficacy, creativity and emotional intelligence with academic achievement.Methods: This is a descriptive analytical study of correlation type. The statistical population of this research was all third grade students of high school in Shahre-Ray city. For this research, 200 students were selected by using stratified random sampling method. All participants completed questionnaires of motivational strategies for learning, self-efficacy, creativity and emotional intelligence.Results: The findings indicate that there are significantly positive relationship between elaboration, organization, critical thinking, metacognitive self-regulation, creativity and emotional intelligence with academic achievement. Self-efficacy, metacognitive self-regulation, creativity and emotional intelligence predict 49 percent of variance of academic achievement. The share of self-efficacy in prediction academic achievement was more than other variables.Conclusion: The research result demonstrated that using self-efficacy, metacognitive self-regulation, creativity and emotional intelligence make increase academic achievement.