JOURNAL OF APPLIED ISSUES IN ISLAMIC EDUCATION
Year:2017 | Volume:2 | Issue:2 (3)|Papers Count:6

The purpose of this research was to formulate a theoretical model of intellectual education for the formal and public education system of the I.R. Iran based on the epistemological foundations of the Holy Qur'an. The research method was conceptual analysis as well as inference method (practical analogy). The statistical population of the study comprised all Quranic verses along with their interpretations, and databases related to the research topic which were first identified and then studied purposefully and profoundly. The results revealed that based on the epistemological foundations of the Holy Qur’an; 1. There is a possibility of gaining knowledge for human beings; 2. Sources of knowledge (ma’rifa) include: nature, wisdom, heart, history, revelation, and nature (human fitrah); 3.The forms of knowledge include the worldly knowledge, otherworldly knowledge, acquired knowledge (elm-e kasbi), divine knowledge, host and guest knowledge, sensory knowledge, intellectual knowledge, intuitive knowledge, revelation, and inspiration; 4.The basis of the truth of knowledge is its accordance with reality. Therefore, according to the mentioned epistemological foundations, the theoretical model of the intellectual education can be extracted in the form of educational goals, principles, and methods. Some of the intermediate goals of this model are: paying simultaneous attention to the intellectual and emotional dimensions of human character, training of thoughts, thinking, intellection, and recognition in learners. Some of the principles are the principle of the hierarchy of knowledge, concomitance of knowledge and piety, and the maintenance of the dignity of the leaned, and some of the methods are adherence to the best, being forward-looking and having an inquiring mind, as well as seeking knowledge. According to the model, some strategies have been presented to improve the formal education system of the country.

The present study was carried out to investigate the relationship between the use of social networks among youths in Shahr-e Kord and their participation in religious ceremonies. In this survey research the instrumentation comprised self-devised "Social Networking" as well as "Participation in Religious Ceremonies" Questionnaires. The content validity of the questionnaires was examined and approved by experts. Furthermore, Cronbach's alpha coefficients obtained for the reliability of "Social Networking" and "Participation in Religious Ceremonies" Questionnaires were 0.80 and 0.81, respectively. The statistical population of the study included male students of Shahr-e Kord University. The sample size was determined based on Cochran’s formula and 384 students were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling method. Based on Kolmogorov-Smirnov test results and on account of the fact that the p-value for the normality test was less than 0.05, nonparametric chi-square test was utilized for data analysis. Results showed that there was a significant, negative relationship between the use of social networks by youths (length of membership, time spent on social networks, involvement in social networking, and trust in social networks) and their participation in religious ceremonies (time spent on religious ceremonies, active participation in religious ceremonies, and belief in participation in religious ceremonies).More specifically, time spent on social networks, involvement in social networking, and trust in social networks were negatively associated with time spent on religious ceremonies, active participation in such ceremonies, and belief in participation in religious ceremonies.

This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between maternal parenting styles grounded in teachings of Islamic education and accountability of sixth grade boys. The research design was descriptive and correlational.The statistical population of the study included all boy sixth graders in Borujerd in academic year 2014-2015. From among them 300 students were selected using random cluster sampling method. The instruments consisted of 1) Revised Parenting Styles Questionnaire grounded in teachings of Islamic education (Esfandiyari, 1995) and 2) Accountability Questionnaire (Ne'mati, 2009). The content validity of both questionnaires was confirmed by specialists and Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the reliability of the measures were 0.77 and 0.92, respectively. The obtained data were analyzed through Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression. Results showed that there was a significant, positive relationship between authoritative parenting style and student accountability; however, a significant, negative association was observed between permissive and authoritarian parenting styles and student accountability. Furthermore, authoritative parenting style was positively correlated with self-management, lawfulness, integrity, conscientiousness, and being organized. Moreover, the results demonstrated that student accountability could not be predicted only by authoritarian parenting style. Hence, students with authoritative parents were more accountable than those with authoritarian and permissive parents.

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of life skills instruction (through integration of Islamic perspectives into psychology) on female students' psychological well-being. The current study was a quasi-experimental one with pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population of the study comprised all female students of Ghadir Higher Education Institute in Shiraz. The participants included two classes (N=62) who were randomly assigned to experimental (31 students) and control (31 students) groups. Ryff's Psychological Well-being Scale (1995) was administered to both groups as pretest and posttest. In order to determine the validity of the measure, correlation coefficients between individual item scores and total subscale scores were calculated. The obtained indices ranged from 0.46 to 0.74 and they were all significant (P<0.01). The internal consistency of the instrument measured with Cronbach's alpha was 0.79.The experimental group received life skills instruction (through integration of Islamic perspectives into psychology) for 12 weekly sessions; however, the control group received no intervention. Results of MANCOVA were indicative of a significant increase in mean scores of psychological wellbeing in the experimental group. Hence, it can be concluded that life skills instruction (through integration of Islamic perspectives into psychology) boosted the psychological well-being of female students.

This study aimed to compare the lifestyle of mothers who were memorizers of the Quran with that of those who had not committed the Quran to memory.This was a descriptive, correlational research. The population of the study comprised mothers who were memorizers of the Quran as well as those who had not committed the Quran to memory in Tehran. The sample consisted of two groups. In the first group, 92 mothers who had memorized at least 3 parts (Juz') of the Quran and attended Quran recitation and memorization classes at Quran learning centers in Tehran (Sahbay-e Malakout, Daroltahfiz-e Quran, Maktabol Quran and Mahammad-e Amin) were randomly selected. Moreover, 88 mothers who had not taken part in any Quran recitation and memorization classes were selected on a non-random basis. The second group was relatively similar to the first one in terms of demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status. The instruments included Lifestyle Questionnaire (La'li, Abedi & Kajbaf, 2012) and a self-devised Islamic Lifestyle Questionnaire.The content validity of the instruments was confirmed by experts and the measures had acceptable levels of reliability based on Cronbach's alpha coefficients. The obtained data were analyzed by using independent samples t-test. Result demonstrated that the two groups were different with regard to various components of lifestyle. Quran memorizers attained higher scores on subscales of spiritual health, social health, Islamic lifestyle, and abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Thus, it can be concluded that attending Quran recitation and memorization classes can be effective for lifestyle modification.

The purpose of the present study was to identify the coverage of the six educational domains of Fundamental Reform Document of Education in primary school social studies textbooks. The research method was descriptive and of content analysis type. The population of the study included primary school social studies textbooks in academic year 2015-2016 as well as Fundamental Reform Document of Education in the Islamic Republic of Iran (2011). Due to the nature of the research and the limited scope of the population, no sampling was undertaken and the entire population was examined. The instrument was comprised of a content analysis inventory whose validity was confirmed by specialist. The obtained data were analyzed through descriptive indices of Shannon entropy. Results showed that the six educational domains of Fundamental Reform Document of Education were presented 528 times in the social studies textbooks of primary school. More specifically, these domains were represented 138, 87, 136, and 167 times in social studies textbooks of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades, respectively. Among the studied domains, the scientific-technological one, with information load of 0.980 and significance coefficient of 0.178, received the most attention, whereas economic-vocational domain, with information load of 0.733 and significance coefficient of 0.133, received the least attention.