JOURNAL OF EDUCATION
Year:2008 | Volume:24 | Issue:1 (93)|Papers Count:10

To examine the relationship between moral meta-cognition, reasoning, and behavior, a sample of 140 8th graders were randomly selected from among all such students attending middle school in Tehran. The three aforementioned constructs were measured using measures with acceptable levels of validity and reliability. Results not only confirmed the research hypotheses on the relationship between the three, but are also compatible with the findings of other researchers. Furthermore, step-wise regression analysis of the data revealed that from among different levels of moral meta-cognition, the "person" level is the best predictor of moral reasoning and behavior.

It is because of the importance of philosophy and its role in professional training of teachers that UNESCO has recommended the inclusion of a course in educational philosophy in every teacher training program. However, not all trainees recognize the importance of this subject and question its relevance to teaching. To explain the importance of philosophy in teaching and to highlight the need for teachers having a philosophical insight, this paper initially presents a descriptive multi-layer model of a good teacher, and then explores the possible contributions of educational philosophy to each and every one of these layers. Based on these possible contributions, guidelines are given as to how to improve teachers' behavior, competencies, beliefs, professional identity, and mission.

Considering the importance of including the necessary life skills in the curricula, the research reported herein has undertaken the task of identifying and ranking such skills through a survey of both international literature and the domestic populations involved. A broad range of life skills were identified and then categorized into six basic categories of personal, family, work related, interpersonal, cognitive, and citizenship skills. With the help of 28 educational experts, 45 high school curriculum planners, and 365 adult students in Tehran, the identified skills were ranked in terms of their relevance to the Iranian adult. Results show that while all six categories were identified as needed for adult life by the cooperating samples, the personal and citizenship skills were ranked the highest.

Classroom management plays a significant role in bringing about the desirable learning atmosphere. That is why the inclusion of managerial skills in teacher training programs has become an unavoidable necessity. To do so requires knowing the factors that affect teachers' classroom management styles. Wolfgang & Glickman (1996) have introduced three such styles and in the research reported herein the relationship between these styles and teacher characteristics is explored. Using a questionnaire, the required data were collected from a sample of 5th grade teachers in Mashhad's 6th district. Results show that teachers with higher levels of education use the interactive style, while those with lower levels employ the intrusive style of classroom management. Furthermore, teachers with schooling in education seem to prefer the interactive style while those with non-education degrees implement the intrusive style. There were no differences in style among male and female teachers on the one hand, and the novice and experienced teachers, on the other.

According to the Kant's view there are two types of wisdom: theoretical and practical. It is the practical wisdom that issues moral commands. Because of his wisdom, man senses a moral obligation to engage in moral behaviors. That is to say that Kant believed morality as being rooted in practical wisdom which is equipped with will, and hence, his morality is wisdom based. On the other hand, Foucault is opposed to Kant's idea and considers dialogue with its social and linguistic structure, as the source of morality. Foucault's morality is aesthetically based and as such is not only practical but truly liberating as well, because the individual freely rules his own life. Based on these points of views, it can be said that any Kantian approach to moral training would be rational in nature with a focus on universal principles aiming at the development of a free person. However, approaches based on Foucault's philosophy focus on a morality that is local, special, and void of universality that leads to internal experiences of freedom.

T assess the extent to which student councils have been successful in reaching their goals, the views of 426 students and 60 teachers and principals were surveyed and documents, such as meeting records, were analyzed. The students were randomly selected from among 3794 members of the 349 councils across the province. The measures used were three questionnaires and a check list, all which were valid and reliable with reliability coefficients ranging from 0.89 to 0.93. Results are indicative of the councils' success in all areas such as strengthening students' religious values, valuing students' personality and views on schooling, and elevating their socio-cultural and political awareness. Furthermore, the councils include committees and associations in many areas such as culture, politics, sports, sciences, cooperatives, and health.

To determine the extent to which the development of communication skills are covered in the middle school Social Studies textbooks, a total of 278 pages of these books were content analyzed using a categorization system of these skills. Results show that the most covered of all skills is the skill of "establishing communication with others", while doing the same with "the opposite sex" was the least covered skill. In different categories certain skills are more covered than the others, indicating an uneven approach. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that the texts are very rich in terms of covering ways of establishing social relationships and preparing the grounds for students' communication development. It is suggested that through in-service training and community meetings the contents be discussed with both teachers and parents in order to help the students better in this area.