NEW THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION
Year:2008 | Volume:4 | Issue:3|Papers Count:9

To study the impact of value engineering as a managerial method on mathematics achievement, a group of 54 female 7th graders were selected using a cluster sampling method. The achievement test was the major instrument used in this research. Results show that the value engineering method of managing students can lead to their better mathematics achievement. Results are indicative of a significant impact of the method on math achievement. The improvement in achievement was from 8.11 and 8.33 in two groups to 12.48 and 10.07 respectively. The findings can be of use to administrators, curriculum planners, and teachers alike.

To try a research-based approach to teaching creativity, a sample of 115junior high school students was selected and then went through a program initially designed by Mathew Lippman of the Institute for Teaching Philosophy to Children.Findings show that teaching with scenario writing approach help with the improvement of creative skills in adolescents. Furthermore, when coupled with research, this teaching method was even more effective in improving the creative skills of the students.

A sample of 42 female eight graders in Behbehaan, selected and assigned randomly to two groups, was given Steinberger’s test anxiety questionnaire as both pre and post test with one group being treated in between using the systematic desensitization method. The students 'GPA's in two semesters was also used as a measure of academic performance. The data analysis showed that the treated group's anxiety was reduced while its school performance was improved significantly.

The Global Education Program with the stated objective of synchronizing education with the new developments and realities of the global scene is considered an educational innovation and an example of how global concepts are injected into the curriculum. This program, co-sponsored by UNICEF and the MOE, has been experimentally implemented in four provinces since 2001. A comparison of the philosophical underpinnings of this program extracted from the available sources with those of the educational system in Iran yielded some inconsistencies in certain areas such as the essence of the universe, the beginning and end of life, relativity of knowledge, the very sources of value, and the status of man in the world. Considering that this program's designers have admitted that the era of humanism is over, it is an opportunity to inject the philosophical principles of Islam into the curriculum. Furthermore, it is necessary that the philosophical foundations of the educational system in Iran be strengthened.

Quantitative and qualitative comparisons of the scientific publications by different departments at universities can be a very useful approach to the evaluation of these departments' scientific production based on their facilities, and the opportunities that may be available to them. To this end, and with the goal of improving the quality of university research, 64 Iranian universities with minimum 25 scientific products during the ten year period of 1997- 2006, in 3 groups of affiliation (Ministry of Science, Ministry of Health, and independents), were selected and their scientific production was compared. The comparison was in terms of the number of publications, the extent of impact, and percentage of citations. Although the results show no significant difference between the three groups of universities in terms of both the quantitative and qualitative indices, those affiliated with the Ministry of Science are superior to those affiliated with the Ministry of Health in both the impact factor and the number of citations. The ranking of the universities indicates that the top four universities, superior in all indices, are Shiraz University, Technology University of Isfahan, and University of Tabreez, all of which are affiliated with the Ministry of Science. The differences observed calls for attention to both quality and quantity of scientific publications in Iranian universities. 

One factor determining the effectiveness of educational media is the use of design principles in their design and production. Emphasis is one such principle and in the study reported herein, its use in the illustrations of 2nd and 5th grades textbooks is explored. The data sources used in the study were Science, Math, and Farsee textbooks in these two grades. The textbooks were content analyzed in tens of the use of the said principle. Results show that in a high percentage of the illustrations in the reviewed textbooks emphasis is not used. Where this principle is used, the extent of its application is independent of the subject matter and grade level.

The critical theory was the intellectual product of a group of German social theorists who worked at the Frankfort's Institution for Social Research. They coined the term "culture industry" to express the idea of culture being industrialized. As such it seems to have immensely influenced the critical perspective on pedagogy as "criticism", "change", "discourse", and "emancipation" are among its major concepts. The introduction of the said theory and perspective can be complimented by a critical discussion of the educational views of Freire and Giroux. For Freire, critical pedagogy is closely related to the development of critical awareness, while Giroux claims that schools strengthen their educational dominance through the hidden curriculum.