PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Year:2001 | Volume:6 | Issue:1-2|Papers Count:12

The research has been conducted with the purpose of development and validation of Achievement Motivation Test (AMT) on a group of 1073 (560 female, 513 male) selected subjects by multistage sampling method. A modified form of Herman's achievement motiovation test was administered. Reliability was measured by Cronbach's alpha (reliability coefficient= 0.803). The principal components analysis (PC) for validation showed that all of the items overall related to one factor. Quartimax rotation method showed that theortical structure of the test included seven factors having factor loading greater than 0.30 (perseverence, self-confidence, dynamic perception of time, hadworking, considering criteria in selecting friends, high ambition, futurism, and chance seeking). Statistical tests indicated that motivation for achievement for all grades of high school education were higher in female students. Subjects who majored in mathematics-physics, experimental, and general science exhibited higher achievement motivation scores as compared to subjects majoring in humanities and technical-vocaonal tract.

The purpose of this research is to study the relationship between quality of friendship in five factors: reciprocity, proximity, self-disclosure, satisfaction, trust and coping with stress in children and adolescents. Subjects were 107 students (girls) from middle childhood, early adolescence, and late adolescence, who were randomly selected from Tehran schools. The quality of friendship was measured using a questionnaire (14 items) and sociometric data and coping with stress was measured using a structured interview (10 hypothetical situations). The results indicated that in middle childhood, there is significant relationship between the quality of friendship in two factors: proximity (positively), self-disclosure (negatively) and coping with stress in two levels: problem-focused, and emotion-focused. Also there is significant relationship between reciprocity with coping in early adolescence and between proximity and reciprocity (positively) and self-dis-closure (negativeely) with coping in late adolescence.

This article describes symbols & signs of hope of youth in Tehran. A total of 1002 youth (508 boys, 496 girls) ages 12 to 16 years from middle & high schools participated in the study. Subjects completed a questionnair that requested them to provide a list of concepts and definitions of hope and to describe symbols of hope and their relations with physical places, individuals, time (day and night), colors, geometric figures and sounds.Results of analysis revealed specific development of symbols and signs in each category. Family members, green color, night time, circle, light, pleasant sounds, were highly related to hope.

A questionnaire survey was used to investigate the prevalence, sources, and consequences of stress among Iranian primary school teachers. Ten schools from district 4 of Tehran were randomly selected from the Iranian Ministry of Education Public School list, and from each one of these schools, 8 teachers were chosen, leaving a final sample of 80 full-time, primary school teachers. Data was collected via researcher- built questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first section requested individual demographic information regarding sex, age, education status and teaching experience and a series of other variables which have been considered to be an issue of concern in the teaching profession. Section two corresponded to assessment of occupational stress. Section three evaluated correlated of occupational stress.The main purposes of this study were to: 1) specify the prevalance of stress among iranian primary school teachers at work, 2) determine the sources of work pressure perceived as most stressful by primary school teachers, and 3) pinpoint the correlated of work stress as an introductory validation procedure towards the development of a new inventory to assess Iranian teachers' stress.The results of this study revealed high levels of work stress prevalent among elementary school teachers. Significant findigs were found regarding few demographic variables. The most significant sources of work stress involved a variety of aspects of the teaching profession. Factor analysis supported the multidimentional rather than unidimentional nature of teachers' work stress. Finally, the most important consequences included "dissatisfaction from job", "boredom", "occupational self-devaluation", and "apathy towards job".

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between attributional style, trait anxiety, and academic performance of 9-12 year-old children of English-speaking and non- English-speaking background. This study included students enrolled in primary public schools in New South Wales, Australia (N = 554 students; 277 boys and 277 girls). The results of the study showed significant differences between low and high trait anxious children on their composite attributional style for negative events. In addition, there were significant cultural differences between non-English and English-speaking children regarding their anxiety and academic performance. In particular, non- English speaking children were more anxious than their English-speaking peers, and had lower academic performance scores.Significant differences were also found between boys and girls on attributional style, trait anxiety, and academic performance. It was concluded that experiences of anxiety and negative attributional style among children from non-English-speaking backgrounds might be closely associated with the process of acculturation.

The purpose of this research was to identity a set normative social behaviors in respect to the sex and school grade of students in middle schools. This set of social behaviors could be used to increase social response of students with emotional- behavioral disorders lacking social skills. A total of one hundred and twenty students (60 males and 60 females) who attended the grade schools in the province of Rafsanjan in the academic year 1996-97 were selected randomnly to participate in the study.Template-matching procedure developed by Bem and Lord (1979) was used to collect data. In addition, multivariate analysis of variance was then applied. The results indicated statistically significant difference between girls and boys in their selection of social behaviors. Girls selected behaviors that showed recognition from others. Boys, on the other hand, indicated preference for friendship with those who can be more helpful. In addition, grade level was found to be a significant factor in determining normative social behaviors for boys and girls. Finally, limitations and suggestions for future research are presented.