Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Journal of social sciences
Year:2009 | Volume:6 | Issue:1|Papers Count:7

This study examines self-reported life satisfaction and its predicting factors among 450 university students (162 males and 288 females) at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Out of the 14 main independent variables, 8 ones were eventually considered in the study including satisfaction with friends, educational achievement, future job expectancy, health conditions, university satisfaction, optimism, self satisfaction and mental peace. Linear Regression has been used for data analysis. It was found that there are no significant statistical differences between males and female's life satisfaction in different faculties. Variables such as “self satisfaction” “satisfaction of university” & “optimism” have a significant effect on student’s life satisfaction in both males and females. “health conditions” and “future job expectancy” are more effective for females than males; while “educational achievement” is more effective for males than females. Finally, the results show that the main variables - in this study- explain 0.626 percent of the variances of the dependent variables.

Promotion of the quality of education and increasing students’ educational achievements are the most important goals of every university. Among many factors affecting students’ educational achievement, out-of-classroom informal interactions between students and faculty members have been studied by many researchers. Almost all of the researches in this area believe these interactions are beneficial both for the engaged actors and the university. In the present study, the differences between the student-faculty member interactions in two faculties (Humanities and Engineering) in a large State university in Iran are studied. The data was gathered from a survey on a representative sample including 300 students. The results show that in the faculty of humanities, there are more frequent student-faculty member interactions compared to the other faculty, while student-student interactions are more frequent in the faculty of engineering. The causal model for explaining students’ educational achievement are the same for both faculties and in both of them weak and strong ties with faculty members and also satisfaction with evaluation have positive effects on students’ educational achievements.

Michael Foucault is regarded as one of the interdisciplinary and even inter paradigmatic figures in the contemporary social theory who embraces a large variety of theoretical interests, issues and areas. Therefore, he could be located in several different approaches and paradigms including critical approaches, social interpretivism, postmodernism, and post-structuralism; although he is not tightly related to any of them. On one hand, Foucault’s theories and insights are based on theoretical eclecticism stemming from the contemporary philosophical traditions, and on the other hand, he contributed in constitution and expansion of a new theoretical enterprise.As a result, Foucault’s perspective is both a product of his criticism on dominant socio-philosophical perspectives and his undertaking to synthesize a new initiative approach. The Foucault’s new theoretical enterprise presents a new paradigmatic foundation containing ontology, philosophical anthropology, epistemology, and methodology. This paper aims to explore Foucault’s theoretical perspectives and insights, his theoretical eclecticism, and his paradigmatic stances. In this respect, a brief overview of his major works is presented. Then, his intellectual backgrounds and theoretical syntheses are discussed. The main part of the paper is devoted to Foucault’s philosophical anthropology, ontology, epistemology, methodology with a focus on genealogy and archeology. The paper ends with addressing some major criticisms which were leveled against Foucault’s perspective as well as a few final remarks.

Nowadays, one of the social problems that have occupied most social science researchers’ mind is insecurity in cities. The expansion of social insecurities, robberies, irresponsible and anti-social behaviors these days have converted to acute from and changed from a social phenomenon to a social problem. These factors not only endanger social security and well-being but also impose huge financial costs on tax payers and citizens of these cities. The main purpose of this article is to investigate the role of People Participation in reducing Urban Insecurity in Kermanshah.The method of the study is survey and the instrument is a questionnaire.384 participants were chosen through systematic randomization. Validity of the results was ensured using criterion and face validity, and its reliability was checked by the Alpha Cronbach and the Pearson coefficient. Based on the research findings the amount of cultural promotion (r=.17), having an urban origin (r=.74), subjective participation (r=.34) and objective participation (r=.39) have a positive and meaningful relationship with reducing insecurity in cities.According to regression coefficients having an urban origin (Beta=.47), objective participation (Beta=.37), subjective participation (Beta=.23), gender (Beta=.18) and the amount of cultural promotion (Beta=.21) entered to regression model and explained 55 percent of variance observed in the dependent variables (.55).

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between religion, government and political development in Iran and Turkey. The main research question is that “Is there any relationship between the conceptions of religion and government’s approach to political development? The method of research is comparative-historical. The results show that, given the current level of political development in these two countries, the conceptions of religion do not have any effect on the governments’ approach to political development in Iran and Turkey; it can even be argued that the non-secular conception of religion in Iran has relatively contributed to the growth and development of political indices; however, this process has had its own challenges and limitations. In Turkey, the secular conception of religion has also contributed to the expansion and improvement of political indices; however, the Turkish government had to face serious limiting challenges coming from non-democratic institutions and interfering militarists. Therefore the variable ‘conception of religion’ is not relevant and the research hypothesis is rejected.

The aim of this research is finding correct answers to investigative questions that are as follows: 1.What is modernism? 2. How is modernism of female students in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad? 3. Which factors and to what extent affect modernism of female students in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad? In the theoretical discussions, the ideas of Karl Marx, Karl Manheim, Jurgen Hambermas, Wilfred de Puerto, Rice man and Alfred Adler have been used. The method of research is survey and the sample includes 400 female students of all the colleges in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad studying in the year 1386. The method of sampling was systematic randomization. The most important statistical methods which have been used are as follows: comparing means, factor analysis, variance analysis, regression analysis, and path analysis. Based on the multi-variable causal analysis, simultaneity of relative deprivation and specially the disharmony of the base, have the most effect on modernism of female students. The second most important factor is the degree of the use of modern communication equipments and expansion in the communication scope, especially with industrial societies and their culture. The third most important factors are bachelorhood, and lacking a fixed base in the family of reproduction. Based on the two-variable analysis with independent qualitative variables, having connection whit industrial and ultra-industrial societies and their culture correlate with lack of confidence to the employing future of the educational field, have the most effects on the modernism of female student.From this viewpoint, settlement base in non-civil places and bachelorhood are in lower levels of importance respectively. All of the predicting factors of modernism can be categorized in four major groups: 1. Relative deprivation and specially disharmony of the base; 2. Expansion of the communication scope and having relation with industrial and ultra-industrial societies and their culture and its manifestations; 3. Inconvenient conditions for marriage and severe economical condition; 4. Lack of confidence about the future of marriage or economical situation.

The sample for the survey included 245 subjects which were chosen out of the all 630 teachers in Fareeman using Cookran Formula. The data was collected through a questionnaire and then it was analyzed by SPSS software. Data analysis was carried out in the form of "single-variable, two-variable and multivariable" analysis and finally by means of path analysis. The two-variable analysis showed that many of the variables do have a significant effect on teachers’ critical thinking level; however, this was less observed in the result of multi-variable analysis. The results show that the two variables "attendance in academic field and attendance in political field" have a significant effect on teachers’ critical thinking level. It can be argued that the studying more, getting involved in academic matters more frequently, participating in political domains, and expressing uninhibited criticisms can enhance teachers’ critical thinking.