JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL INNOVATIONS
Year:2014 | Volume:13 | Issue:49|Papers Count:8

The present research was carried out with the aim of examining and analyzing the human rights’ components in the primary school textbooks. The components were selected based on the mentioned lists in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with reference to the sources and literature in this field. The units of analysis were words, pictures, phrases, and activities and the content analysis was done using Shannon Entropy Method. The research population comprised all the primary school textbooks of 36 volumes in1389-1390 academic year in eight titles: Let’s read Persian, Let’s write Persian, science, divine gifts, divine gifts (workbook), Qur’an, mathematics and social studies textbooks. The research sample of this study included five titles: Let’s read Persian, Let’s write Persian, divine gifts, social studies, and Qur’an. The results indicated that in the Qur’an textbook, the highest importance is devoted to the elements of the right for education and freedom of religion. In the social studies textbook, the highest importance is attached to the element of the right for a job and fair payment. In the divine gifts textbook, the highest importance is devoted to freedom of religion, contemplation and conscience. In the let’s read Persian and let’s write Persian textbooks, the highest importance is attached to the elements of the right for a job and fair payment. The results have shown that although these components have been considered in the related textbooks, but they are not considered more or less equally in the mentioned textbooks.

The purpose of this research was to identify and validate the professional competences of effective teachers. For this purpose, a sample of 375 people among the teachers of Tehran elementary schools was selected using multistage sampling method. A researcher-made questionnaire has been used to collect the information. After factorial analysis of the test, 98 competences were identified in seven dimensions or main components of teacher’s prerequisites, teacher’s personal characteristics, planning and preparing, managing and organizing the classroom, instruction or teaching, monitoring students’ progress and capabilities and professional responsibilities. In teacher’s prerequisites dimension, having the verbal ability to transfer concepts to the students; in monitoring students’ progress and capabilities dimension, explaining the homework clearly; in professional responsibilities dimension, having respectful interaction and behavior with students’ parents; in planning and preparing dimension, expressing the result of the lesson clearly; in managing and organizing the classroom dimension, preparing educational materials in advance for using in the classroom; in teacher’s personal characteristics dimension, creating opportunities for all the students’ success, and in instruction or teaching dimension, utilizing the concepts and language appropriate with the age and records of the students are the most important identified competences which the effective teachers must have.

This paper reports the findings of a research on evaluating the pilot implementation of multimedia classrooms at Iran’s guidance schools. The research objectives were identifying the extent of implementation of the objectives of multimedia classrooms and providing the solutions for its revision and improvement. The research questions dealt with the differences between multimedia classrooms and traditional ones (non-multimedia classrooms) according to achievement and educational processes, their strong and weak points, and solutions for revision. It was a descriptive research and the data was collected using questionnaire, interview, observation and achievement tests. The research sample consisted of 8 male and female multimedia guidance schools that were selected randomly from among 62 multimedia schools. To be able to compare them with traditional schools, 8 traditional guidance schools– that had equal equipments and human resources with multimedia schools- were also selected. All in all, the research sample consisted of 1350 students, 350 teachers, 400 parents, 16 guidance schools’ principals and 25 educational experts who were selected through random cluster sampling method. Findings showed that multimedia schools have better performance, and they have been more successful in achieving their objectives, compared to traditional non-multimedia schools. Overall, this pilot project has been successful, despite numerous problems due to shortage of facilities. However, decision making about continuing the implementation of this project needs further evaluation.

The purpose of this research was identifying the effect of emotional intelligence (EI) instruction on the work–life conflict of the female high school teachers of 19th educational district of Tehran. In this Quasi-experimental study with pre and post-test design, 50 teachers were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups with the same number (25 teachers) in each group. The research instruments were demographic questionnaire, Karlson’s work–life conflict, as well as Bar-on emotional intelligence (EQ) questionnaires. Validity of the questionnaires was confirmed and internal consistency was calculated based on Cronbach Alfa (0.90 for work-life questionnaire and 0.95 for EQ). Both questionnaires were completed by both groups of teachers (intervention/control groups) at the beginning (pre-test) and the EI instruction was given just to the intervention group of teachers for 4 consecutive weeks. After one month, the same questionnaires were again completed by both groups (post-test). To analyze the data, both descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics including independent and dependent t-tests and co-variance were used. The results showed that EI instruction had a meaningful and positive effect on the reduction in work –life conflict of teachers under study.

The present study was conducted to assess and compare creative thinking in monolingual and early equal bilingual children, while taking into account the gender differences. It was a research with causal-comparative design. The research sample consisted of 200 female and male students (100 Turk-Fars bilingual students and 100 Fars monolingual students) which were selected using convenience sampling method from elementary schools in 2nd educational district of the city of Qom. Early equal bilinguals were diagnosed with semi-structured interview consisting of demographic information in both languages, Turkish and Farsi. Also, the data was collected using Torrance Creative Thinking Test (figural version of form B) and the results were analyzed using independent samples t-test by SPSS software. The results showed that bilinguals and monolinguals and females and males have significant differences according to creative thinking. Among these groups, male bilinguals have performed better than female monolinguals. In addition to the total score of creativity, subscales of creative thinking were also significantly different between the groups, indicating a difference in how they think and act creatively. Superior performance of bilinguals can be mainly attributed to the type of bilingualism, i.e., early equal bilingualism. This finding is consistent with previous findings, showing that this type of bilinguals has greater level of mental flexibility in conducting cognitive tasks. The figural format of the test is the main reason for better performance of males compared to females.

The aim of this study was to compare the relationship between primary school 4th grade students’ self-esteem and educational achievement with regard to two models of descriptive-qualitative evaluation and traditional evaluation in Saravan (Sistan and Baloochestan province). The research sample consisted of 310 students who were selected through multistage cluster sampling method. Then, they were divided in two groups; one with descriptive-qualitative evaluation model and the other with traditional evaluation model (155 in each group). The research instruments were Cooper-Smith Self-Esteem questionnaire and educational achievement tests in mathematics, science, and Persian language. An independent samples t-test was also used to analyze the data. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the educational achievements of the two groups. It means that the students’ amount of learning and educational achievement in the group with descriptive-qualitative evaluation model was more than the other group. However, there was no significant difference between students’ self-esteem in the two groups with descriptive-qualitative and traditional evaluation models.

Conditional sentences entail causality and suspension of one over the implementation of the other. In these sentences, the verbs of “if clause” and “main clause” are the two essential elements. The other components of these sentences are the sixteen particles that come before two verbs of the present tense, of the past tense or one verb of the present and the other of the past tense and vice versa. Mostly, they make the second sentence the effect, cause and suspended to the implementation of the first sentence. In the discussion on the conditional sentences, it is very important to study the kinds of “main clause’s FA” that means emphasis and causation and also “fajaeeyat’s EZA” that conveys the meaning of suddenness and comes before the main clause. This paper tries to investigate the conditional sentences, conditional particles, conditional “FA” and “EZA” and the circumstances and meanings of these particles. These findings help the writers of Arabic textbooks and teachers to convey the important concept of conditional sentences to students.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between perfectionism and test anxiety of 2nd grade, private high school students in Tehran. The research sample consisted of 300 high school students who were selected using multi-stage random sampling method. The research instruments consisted of Frost’s multidimensional perfectionism questionnaire with 30 items in three dimensions of self-oriented, other-oriented, and community-based perfectionism, and Sarason’s text anxiety questionnaire with 25 items, each containing two options in two dimensions of anxiety and emotionality. It was a descriptive correlational research. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean), and multiple regression. The results showed that there is a positive and significant relationship among self-oriented, other-oriented, and community-based perfectionism and students’ test anxiety. Students’ test anxiety can be predicted by perfectionism scores. Findings showed that community based perfectionism could better predict the test anxiety of students than self-oriented and other-oriented perfectionism. Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that the dimensions of perfectionism affect students’ test anxiety and it has cumulative effect.