Kamran Ganji; Abolghasem Yaqoubi; Reza Lotfali
Volume 9, Issue 27 , April 2013, Pages 2-26
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of teaching questioning skills to teachers on critical thinking of male high school students. The design of the research was quasi-experimental, involving pretest-posttest and control group. The population consisted of all male high school students ...
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The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of teaching questioning skills to teachers on critical thinking of male high school students. The design of the research was quasi-experimental, involving pretest-posttest and control group. The population consisted of all male high school students and teachers of Malayer, out of which 219 2nd and 3rd year students of humanities and electronics were randomly selected and analyzed in two groups (113 in control group and 106 in experimental group) and 8 classes. The experimental group consisting of 4 teachers (philosophy, logic, religious studies, and applied electronics) attended the questioning skills course, while the control group did not take part in the course. Form B of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (Facione and Facione, 1997) was used for data collection. The collected data were analyzed using analysis of covariance and t tests. The findings and pretest scores showed that the students of both groups were equal with regards to age, course averages, IQ, critical thinking ability, and its subscales. The analysis of covariance showed that teaching questioning skills to the teachers increased the students’ critical thinking ability by 12%. Moreover, the five subscales of critical thinking ability increased as the following: analysis 9%, evaluation 12%, inference 4%, deductive reasoning 6%, and inductive reasoning 5%. The differences between the mean scores of critical thinking skills and its five subscales among students of humanities and electronics were not significant.
Alireza Kakavand; Zahra Lebadi; Shokraneh Zare’i
Volume 9, Issue 27 , April 2013, Pages 29-49
Abstract
The aim of the research was to examine the relationship between perfectionism and multiple cognitive styles including constructive thinking, emotional coping, behavioral coping, superstitious thinking, categorical thinking, esoteric thinking, and naive optimism. In this study, 330 female high school ...
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The aim of the research was to examine the relationship between perfectionism and multiple cognitive styles including constructive thinking, emotional coping, behavioral coping, superstitious thinking, categorical thinking, esoteric thinking, and naive optimism. In this study, 330 female high school students in Karaj were selected using multistage cluster sampling. Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale (Terry-Short, 1995) and Constructive Thinking Inventory (Epstein and Meier, 1989) were used. The collected data were analyzed using simultaneous multiple regression procedure. Results showed a positive significant relationship between positive perfectionism and cognitive styles and a negative significant relationship between negative perfectionism and cognitive styles. In positive perfectionists, there were positive significant relationships among emotional coping with problems, behavioral coping with problems, and optimism. There was also a negative significant relationship between esoteric thinking and categorical thinking. Moreover, the relationship between constructive thinking and superstitious thinking was not significant. Negative perfectionism had negative relationships with constructive thinking and all its sub-categories. It had no significant relationship with optimism. The research findings indicated that positive perfectionists have positive thinking, are actively involved in solving their problems using behavioral and emotional methods, and have high levels of optimism and low levels of bipolar (categorical) negative thinking, superstitious thinking and esoteric thinking. On the contrary, negative perfectionists do not have positive thinking and do not use behavioral and emotional methods to overcome their problems. They have low levels of optimism; however, they keep themselves away from destructive thinking. In general, the obtained results revealed inconsistencies in the process of overcoming problems and thought patterns in negative perfectionists, whereas it revealed the use of appropriate methods in overcoming the problems in positive perfectionists.
Nahid Mohammadi Darvish Baqal; Hamidreza Hatami; Hassan Asadzadeh; Hassan Ahadi
Volume 9, Issue 27 , April 2013, Pages 50-64
Abstract
The present study aims to promote the students’ motivational beliefs with an emphasis on the role of self-regulation strategies. The type of research was quasi-experimental. 56 subjects were selected from among the female first-grade high school students in Islamshahr and were randomly assigned ...
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The present study aims to promote the students’ motivational beliefs with an emphasis on the role of self-regulation strategies. The type of research was quasi-experimental. 56 subjects were selected from among the female first-grade high school students in Islamshahr and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Both groups completed questionnaires of self-efficiency, test anxiety, and educational motivation. Then, the experimental group was given ten sessions of teaching self-regulation strategies, but the control group was not. At the end, post-tests were administrated to both groups. The results showed that teaching self-regulation strategies led to increase in internal motivation and self-efficacy as well as decrease in test anxiety.
Bahram Jowkar; Mehdi Rahimi
Volume 9, Issue 27 , April 2013, Pages 68-96
Abstract
The present study aims to investigate the mechanism of decision making process from the hot cognition perspective. The effect of anger, as an emotion (with cognitive profile),as well as cognitive styles (need for cognition, structure, and certainty), as a motivational parameter, on analytical decision ...
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The present study aims to investigate the mechanism of decision making process from the hot cognition perspective. The effect of anger, as an emotion (with cognitive profile),as well as cognitive styles (need for cognition, structure, and certainty), as a motivational parameter, on analytical decision making process were examined based on Klaczynski’s Dual-Process Model (2004). In this model, metacognitive dispositions are the mediators sitting between predictor variables and decision making. The Actively Open-Minded Thinking Scale was considered as an index of metacognitive dispositions. The research subjects included 233 female and male bachelor students of Shiraz University. The Need for Cognition (Cacioppo, et. al., 1996), the Need for Structure and the Need for Certainty (Thompson et. al., 1992), Anger (Lerner & Keltner, 2000), Cognitive Appraisal (Smith & Ellsworth, 1985), Actively Open-Minded Thinking (Stanovich & West, 2007) and Decision Making (Klaczynski, 2001) Scales were used. Validity and reliability of the scales were confirmed. The results indicated that anger predicted analytical decision making negatively and in direct and indirect (through open-minded thinking) ways. The need for cognition predicted decision-making positively. The need for structure predicted decision making negatively only through Open-Minded Thinking Variable. The need for certainty did not predict decision making. Cognitive appraisal of certainty and self-responsibility/control explained cognitive profile for anger.
Fariborz Dortaj
Volume 9, Issue 27 , April 2013, Pages 98-111
Abstract
Test anxiety is related to academic performance and if sever, it damages performance and leads to academic failure. The homework value as an important factor in academic achievement can affect test anxiety by goal orientation. This research aims at evaluating the direct and indirect effect of homework ...
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Test anxiety is related to academic performance and if sever, it damages performance and leads to academic failure. The homework value as an important factor in academic achievement can affect test anxiety by goal orientation. This research aims at evaluating the direct and indirect effect of homework value through goal orientation on test anxiety. The study is conducted in 2012 on 350 high school students in Kerman city who are selected through multi-stage random clustering method. The participants answered questionnaires of homework value by Pintrich and DeGroot, goal-orientation by Elliot and McGregor and Friedben test anxiety. In order to evaluate the relations between latent variables and the ones measured in the suggested model, structural equations modeling is used. The findings show that the latent variable of homework value has a direct and indirect effect on test anxiety through goal orientation. Also, all regression weights in this model are significant. The results are also indicative of direct effect of goal orientation on test anxiety.
Ali Abdi; Habib Soleymani; Bijan Rezai
Volume 9, Issue 27 , April 2013, Pages 114-133
Abstract
The present study aims to investigate the effect of Multiple-Intelligence-Based Instruction (MI) on learning process and attitude towards General English course among students of Islamic Azad University of Kermanshah in the second semester of the educational year 2010-2011. 61 male and female students ...
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The present study aims to investigate the effect of Multiple-Intelligence-Based Instruction (MI) on learning process and attitude towards General English course among students of Islamic Azad University of Kermanshah in the second semester of the educational year 2010-2011. 61 male and female students in two different General English classes were selected using random cluster sampling. The experimental group consisted of 32 students, and the control group included 29 students. A quasi-experimental research method with a pretest and posttest design was used. The experimental group was taught in accordance with the theory of MI and the control group was instructed using the classical method of teaching General English. The course duration was eight weeks. A 30-item researcher-made survey was used to determine the effectiveness of Multiple-Intelligence-Based Instruction compared with the classical method. Besides, a 15-item questionnaire was used to assess the learners’ attitude towards General English course. The multivariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and the independent sample t-test were used to analyze the statistical data. The results of the study showed that there was a significant difference in the level of General English learning progress between experimental and control groups. In other words, the students taught applying MI theory exceeded those taught using classical methods both in general and separate levels of learning English (vocabulary, reading comprehension, and grammar). The results also indicated that the attitude of experimental group students towards learning English improved significantly after the test course.
Mahboubeh Khosravi; Kourosh Fat'hi Vajargah; Hassan Maleki; Darioush Norouzi
Volume 9, Issue 27 , April 2013, Pages 136-168
Abstract
The present study presents an appropriate model for examining curriculum innovations and provides pathology of innovation in different models of curriculum innovation. This research aims to investigate curriculum innovations at the stage they are implemented. For this purpose, the factors effective on ...
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The present study presents an appropriate model for examining curriculum innovations and provides pathology of innovation in different models of curriculum innovation. This research aims to investigate curriculum innovations at the stage they are implemented. For this purpose, the factors effective on acceptance of curriculum innovations in the higher education system in Iran were examined. Then, 179 faculty members of different universities in Tehran, who involved in higher education curriculum revision program, were surveyed. Analysis of the data indicated the National Curriculum Revision Bylaw was not accepted in practice. Moreover, the research results showed that in implementation of higher education curriculum innovations, several factors should be considered.
