JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL INNOVATIONS
Year:2004 | Volume:2 | Issue:6|Papers Count:9

Behaviors that involve violence at school have impact on the process of education and result in negative consequences. With respect to the importance of the issue, this research was conducted in order to investigate the type, quantity, and reasons for physical violence in Tehran middle schools and male and female students' point of view about the response made by the school staff against violence. In this research understanding the three-way relationship or co-act of gender, class, and physical violence tools were also put under investigation. The research sample was consisted of 471 students of grade 6 and grade 8 (227 female and 244 male). To collect information, a research-made questionnaire was used that included 45 closed-answer questions. The research findings showed that physically violent acts at school are done by students, teachers, and sometimes by even staff members who are not part of the education team. However, the amount of physical violence was reported much higher in boys schools by the students and teachers compared to girls schools. As well, male students suggest more physical violence with a significance level compared to the female students. With regards to the school response to teachers' physically violent acts against students, students have this viewpoint that the administrators give the green light to the teachers or don't care and ignore the issue, or punish the complaining student himself. Based on the research findings, suggestions for reducing physical violence at schools such as interference at school level, training of school teachers and administrators, and defense against violence in the class level and individual level was offered.

The family's behavioral style and parents' relationship method with children are important elements in children's mental condition and attitude toward life and social relationships (such as their attitude toward human-relationships in school). This research, which was conducted on a sample of 1522 middle school, high school, and pre-university level students in the province of Tehran, has tried to answer the question of how each of the families five parenting styles (in integrated, authoritative & responsive, indifferent, authoritarian, and chaotic families) impact the mental condition and attitude of adolescents and youths of middle schools and high school levels toward the school staffs type of behavior with students. In order to measure the mental health factor, the individuals' normal condition from the respect of lack of anxiety, depression, aggressiveness, antisocial attitudes, and wrong-doing mentality are set as the judging standards. As well, five variables meaning the students' age, gender, education level, economical status, and cultural condition were investigated as the background variables. The statistical methods used in this research, apart from descriptive stats have included "comparison of means" and "multivariate regression analysis" for the purpose of predicting the effective elements on the students' mental condition and their attitude toward human-relationships at schools. The research results showed that integrated, authoritative & responsive families have a positive impact and indifferent, authoritarian, and chaotic families have a negative impact on the students' mental health and their attitude toward the human relationships at schools.

The purpose of this research is investigation into the difference of linguistic-cognitive skills in bi-lingual students, who have difference economical-social backgrounds. Two viewpoints have been in mind while conducting this research: First, Vigotsky's theory about general cognitive development, which is applicable in learning language. Second, Bernstein's theory of social class and the differences of speech quality. In this research suitable theoretical explanations being suggested so that the various effects of cognitive behaviors are clarified in learning the second language. Moreover, learning of the second language is being discussed in its social framework. The subjects of this research include 205 grade one students of public schools in the city of Orumieh. The age of these kids is between six and a half years to eight and a half years. These kids native language is either Turkish or Kurdish and are taught their lessons in Farsi language. They are selected from various social and economical levels. The test for ability in Farsi language (the test for ability in writing words) is used for the bi-lingual kids. The results of this research shows clear signs that social class is in relationship with the linguistic-cognitive development and states that the kids' primary experiences in family and social group channels can impact the structure of their cognitive and linguistic development. At the meantime, the research findings did not provide any clear sign with regards to the relationship between culture and linguistic-cognitive development, meaning that although there is cultural differences between Kurdish-speaking and Turkish-speaking kids in the region, the level of gaining Farsi knowledge of the two groups has had no significant statistical difference. The most important outcome of this research stresses the question that the amount of educational resource at hand can to what extent impact the education development in the second language for bi-lingual kids. Kids who have had the opportunity to pass pre-primary school classes have had far more ability in learning Farsi knowledge compared to the kids who have not had such an opportunity.

The aim of this research is evaluating science and math teachers' professional skills (both common and specialized skills) in middle school level and investigation into their success level in teaching in order to realize the existing lacks. The aim is also to offer suggestions for quality improvement of teachers' skills. In addition to this, the relationship between some impacting factors with teachers' common skills and specialized skills, and also the effective factors on their success or lack of success in using teaching skills have been assessed. The statistical population of the study is consisted of Tehran middle school teachers in year 2003-2004 (1381-1382 Hijri Shamsi). The statistical sample includes 448 middle school teachers who answered the self-evaluation questionnaire, 92 middle-school principals who have answered the "science and math teachers' skills evaluation questionnaire", and also the 48 science and math teachers in their classes who were closely observed and were assessed. The research findings showed that there are shortages in some of the teaching methods, such as teaching methods for improving practical-skills of the students, and that constant education for teachers needed in order to enable them to coordinate with teaching goals, teaching methods, and math and science books. As well, the research findings showed that firstly, the teachers being put under investigation connect the lesson contents only to a low amount to the students' real life, and secondly, the teachers are not guides for the students and, rather than providing the student with hypothesis-making and scientific thinking and problem-solving, they offer the program content to students' minds in inactive ways. On the other hand in teacher-training programs and in-service trainings, there is no tight relationship and co-ordination with modern teaching learning theories and methods. Therefore, these programs require revision and significant modifications.

Lack of interest for following discipline in schools brings with it many different negative consequences for students in fields of education, society, and family. Such a lack of interest toward self-regulation sets the ground for staying away from law, lack of self-esteem, and more wrong-doings even in students who do not have serious and abnormal problems. Teachers who are in a state to possess more knowledge and ability in recognizing and creating positive relationships with students are considered to be one of the most important causes in structuring the developing personality of the students. The current research tries to explain the importance of this role in creating self-regulative behaviors in students. This research has put the following theories under examination: 1- There is significant positive correlation between the teachers' friendly relationship and students' care for discipline. 2- There is a positive significant relationship between teachers amount of respect for students and students' organization. 3- There is positive significant relationship between teachers' effort in fully explaining educational material to students and students' self-regulation. 4- There is significant relationship between the teachers' self-regulation model and students' acceptance of discipline. In order to test the research hypothesizes 200 grade 10 female students were selected randomly from high schools of district 15 in Tehran and were asked to answer the researcher-made questionnaire. The results of the research showed that friendly and sincere relationship between teachers and students, the superiority of teachers' self-regulative model for students, teachers' acceptable effort in order to clarify educational material, respect students, as well as students' family success cause the increase of the students' self-regulative behavior.

In this research, with a sample of 277 teachers from Kerman schools, a set of teaching methods were studied to answer the question that whether students' activity who have been taught with these methods have a better activity level compared to the students who were taught according to the traditional method. These teaching methods included mastery, combined, and cooperative teaching. To find the answer to the study question, the sample was divided into three groups: first group: 96 teachers applied combined (mastery and cooperative) teaching method; second group: 86 teachers used mastery learning method; and the third group, 95 teachers applied traditional teaching method. The first two groups were the experimental groups and the third group was the control group of the study. The research showed that mastery learning, and combined (mastery & cooperative) teaching methods resulted in positive outcomes and will increase students' learning in comparison with the traditional method. As well, the research findings show that the friendly relationships, sincerity, and self-esteem might be seen more in students of classes who have taught by combined method. In addition to this, students who are in a wealthier economical level do not work as much in groups compared to other students. At the same time, students who are in a moderate to low economical status have more interest toward work with others.