JOURNAL OF EDUCATION
Year:2006 | Volume:21 | Issue:4 (84)|Papers Count:8

The relationship between school achievement on the one hand and motivation and learning strategies on the other, seems natural, but the relationship between gender and achievement is perhaps more controversial. Nevertheless, what is of more significance is the relative contribution of these factors to the academic achievement.In the research reported here, 261 eighth graders from western Azarbayejan were randomly selected and their test anxiety, self efficacy, achievement goals, and cognitive and meta-cognitive learning strategies were assessed using appropriate measures.Students' cumulative point average was also used as the dependent measure. Multiple regression analysis of the data revealed that the, meatcogmotive strategy of monitoring and control is the strongest predictor of academic achievement. Self efficacy, external goal orientation, gender, and test anxiety ranked there after. Together these factors account for 43% of the variance in academic achievement. The findings corroborate those reported by other researchers.

Theoretically, the inquiry method of instruction helps students with the problem solving skills and makes them more rational. To show this premise in practice, the research reported here was undertaken wherein 256 fourth graders in different districts of Esfahan who were learning science with the traditional method, were compared with two groups of students who learned the same subject with the inquiry method in a semi-experimental setting. An achievement test in science, with the reliability of 0.082, was used to gather the data. Mann-Whitney and Chi squared tests revealed that the traditional method did not help with the minimal achievement of the cognitive objectives, whereas the inquiry method did so satisfactorily.  

Student Councils are to perform four functions: planning, recruitment and organization, guidance and executive administration, and evaluation.However the extent of performing these functions depends on the cooperation of both the school administrators and the students. In the research reported here the contents of all documents related to 30 school councils were analyzed, and the opinions of 30 principal representatives and 300 students were sought in order to evaluate the set-up mechanisms and performance outcomes of these councils. Results show that these councils are set-up in almost all schools and all principals are cooperating with them. Girls are cooperating more than the boys, and in the district 3 this cooperation is more than the other however, district 3 has out-performed other districts in terms of planning and recruitment, while the first graders exceeded other grades in these functions. In terms of the other two functions girls students and the district 3 were significantly better than the boys and other districts.

In the research reported herein, the teacher training programs in Iran, Germany, and Japan were compared and contrasted. In this report, initially the developmental path of the current program in Iran is critically reviewed, the policies and initiatives taken during the past three decades are explained, and the major problems that the teacher training centers are currently facing are delineated.Then, the status of teacher training programs in Germany and Japan are outlined in such a way that comparing and contrasting them with the Iranian program would be possible. Finally, based on the results of the comparison applicable strategies are suggested in order to remedy the current problems in Iranian teacher training program. It is hoped that the findings are utilized by the educational planners as establishment of a good teacher training program. It is hoped that the findings are utilized by the program plays a pivotal role in any reform in the educational system of the country.

Diagnosing learning disabilities requires special instruments and clear standards. The general purpose of this study has been construction and standardization of a test to measure the writing disabilities in order to identify and remediate such disabilities among students in early stages. The constructed test measures five categories of abilities: word and sentence writing, Farsi grammar, sentence coherence, and story writing. The test consists of two forms each including both multiple choice and open questions. To measure the psychometric characteristics of the constructed test, a sample of 1000 fourth and fifth garders was selected from among a population of 48501 such students in Mardazi Province using a systematic random sampling method. Statistical procedures used in the process included Pearson's correlation and Kendal's agreement coefficients (r & tau), Cronbach's coefficient of internal consistency, factor analysis, and the t-test for independent groups. The statistical analyses resulted in elimination of a number of items from both forms of the test, yielding a highly valid and reliable test (reliability ranging from 0.76 to 0.91). With such characteristics, teachers can use this test and its standardized norms to diagnose students' writing disabilities.