Educational Psychology

Abstract The present study was conducted with the aim of identifying and explaining the understanding of mathematics education among Iranian high school students in the second cycle. This research employed a qualitative approach using semi-structured phenomenological interviews, carried out until theoretical saturation was reached. The research field consisted of Iranian students in the second cycle of high school, from whom ten participants were selected through purposive, criterion-based sampling. Data analysis was performed using Moustakas’ method. Following the analysis, 331 concepts, 61 themes, and 31 descriptive codes were extracted, and ultimately, in response to four research questions, 12 structural codes were identified. These structural codes include: prior experience with mathematics; dependence on teacher behaviors; content-related issues in mathematics; test validity in relation to textbook content; teachers’ professional and personal skills; student autonomy; prior precision in teacher recruitment and curriculum planning; purposeful lesson design; teacher-centered instruction; assessment validity; human and interpersonal interactions; and students’ ethical orientation.

Abstract In recent years, many researchers have examined the relationship between various variables and academic buoyancy. This study analyzes and reviews the meta-analytic relationship between different variables and academic buoyancy among upper secondary school students. Among Iranian articles (2014–2024) that used correlational statistical methods, 50 articles were examined based on title and abstract, and finally, 16 articles were selected as the final sample according to qualitative and content criteria. Data on effect sizes, sample sizes, and moderator variables were extracted from each article. A random-effects model was used to combine effect sizes, and differences between studies were assessed using the Q test and the I² index. Publication bias was examined using funnel plots. The Duval and Tweedie trim-and-fill test in both fixed- and random-effects models indicated no evidence of publication bias. The Q value obtained in the heterogeneity test was significant at the 0.05 level; therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected with 95% confidence, indicating that the studies were heterogeneous. Based on the meta-analysis results, classroom organization, academic resilience, academic self-efficacy, and school well-being had the largest effect sizes with academic buoyancy, demonstrating a strong relationship with this variable. Affective component, school value, wisdom, and family emotional climate had the smallest effect sizes in relation to academic buoyancy, indicating a weak relationship with this variable.

Abstract Executive functions represent a comprehensive framework of mental processes critical for regulating biological, cognitive, and emotional domains. This research sought to investigate the effects of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on pivotal components of executive functions in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using a quasi-experimental approach with pre-test and post-test assessments and a control group, the study included 22 boys aged 7 to 12 years with ADHD, who were selected through convenience sampling and divided into two groups. The experimental group underwent ten 45-minute sessions of cognitive-behavioral play therapy, whereas the control group remained without intervention. Initially comprised of 11 participants each, both groups were later reduced to 10 members following the application of predefined exclusion criteria. Assessment metrics involved IVA2 software for measuring response inhibition and sustained attention, alongside the Wisconsin Card Test software for evaluating cognitive flexibility. Post-test results indicated higher average scores among participants in the experimental group versus those in the control group. Statistical analysis through MANOVA and subsequent ANCOVA for individual components of executive functioning demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral play therapy significantly improved sustained attention, response inhibition, and cognitive flexibility in children with ADHD. The therapeutic intervention was particularly effective in fostering cognitive flexibility by employing structured strategies to enhance adaptive problem-solving and self-management skills. Additionally, purposeful activities within the therapy sessions encouraged better focus and task completion abilities. Techniques aimed at strengthening response inhibition supported children in regulating behavior and cultivating healthier habits.

Abstract The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of self-efficacy perceptions in the relationship between goal orientations and internal locus of control with academic enthusiasm among 235 female high school students in Tabriz during the 2023–2024 academic year, selected via multistage cluster random sampling. Using validated questionnaires, data were analyzed through path analysis. Results showed that mastery-approach, performance-approach, performance-avoidance orientations, internal locus of control, and self-efficacy had significant direct effects on academic enthusiasm, while mastery-avoidance had no such effect. Additionally, all goal orientations except mastery-avoidance, along with internal locus of control, positively predicted self-efficacy. Indirect effects of goal orientations and internal locus of control on academic enthusiasm through self-efficacy were also significant, except for mastery-avoidance orientation. These findings underscore the importance of fostering students’ self-efficacy and positive goal orientations to enhance academic enthusiasm, suggesting that promoting a sense of control and mastery can increase motivation, strengthen academic commitment, and lead to greater educational success.

Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate the causal model of the relationship between attachment styles, personality traits, and leisure management with social media addiction in adolescent girls in District 7 of Tehran. The research method was correlational and a type of predictive study. The statistical population of this study consisted of all adolescent girls aged 15 to 18 in District 7 of Tehran in 1402-1403. The sample size of 306 people was selected using the Cochran formula by random sampling. The measurement tools in this study were the social media addiction questionnaires of Khajeh Ahmadi et al. (2016), Simpson's attachment styles (1990), Wang's leisure management (2019), and Costa and McCrae's five-factor personality scale (1985). Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation and regression analysis. The findings showed that there is a significant relationship between the dimensions of attachment styles, personality traits, and leisure management with social media addiction in adolescent girls (P<0.05). Also, based on the findings, the variables of attachment styles, personality traits, and leisure management have a significant effect on the level of social media addiction, and the effect of the leisure management variable on social media addiction is greater. Accordingly, it is suggested that the results of the present study be used in designing educational treatment programs for adolescent Internet addiction and, by increasing awareness of the effects of attachment styles, personality traits, and leisure management skills, help adolescents reduce their undesirable effects and reduce their addictive use of virtual social media.

Abstract The aim of the present study was to explain happiness in schools based on the quality of the teacher-student relationship and school attachment with the mediating role of emotional competence. The research method was correlational structural equation modeling. The statistical population was high school students in Meybod city in the academic year 2024-2025. The sample size was 276 people selected using a single-stage cluster sampling method. The instruments used were questionnaires on teacher-student relationship, school attachment, happiness, and emotional competence. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results showed that the research model has a good fit and that the quality of the teacher-student relationship and the bond with the school have a direct effect on students' happiness. The quality of the teacher-student relationship and the bond with the school have a significant effect on students' happiness through emotional competence. It is suggested that in order to strengthen and improve students' happiness, attention should be paid to improving the quality of the teacher-student relationship, the bond with the school, and the emotional competence of students.

Abstract This study aimed to design an educational workshop on classroom management techniques for educational affairs and examine its impact on the classroom management of moral educational teachers. A mixed-methods research design with an exploratory approach (qualitative and quantitative) was employed. In the first phase, a descriptive-analytical method was used to design the workshop. In the second phase, the workshop's impact on teachers' classroom management was evaluated using a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included all first-grade secondary moral educational teachers in Bahar city during the 2023-2024 academic year, from which 33 participants (17 in the control group and 16 in the experimental group) were randomly selected. Both groups initially completed the Exemplary Classroom Management Questionnaire (Amin Yazdi, 2008) as a pretest. Subsequently, the experimental group participated in ten 45-minute sessions on classroom management techniques, while the control group received no training. After the intervention, both groups took the posttest. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA and MANCOVA in SPSS-25. The results indicated that the educational workshop on classroom management techniques had a significant effect on teachers' classroom management abilities. Additionally, its impact on the combined linear dimensions of instructional management, behavior management, and people management was also statistically significant. The findings suggest that to enhance the effectiveness of classroom management training, interactive methods, educational technologies, and practical activities should be incorporated into professional development programs for moral educational teachers. This approach will better equip them to address emerging challenges in educational classrooms effectively.

Abstract Current research has investigated the mediating role of self-regulation in learning and the relationship between the need for cognition and decisional procrastination using a cognitive-motivational approach. The current research method used descriptive correlation and structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the research (11200 people) included all the male students studying in the second theoretical secondary course of areas 1 and 2 of Yazd city in the academic year 2023-2024. 377 students who were selected by a multi-stage cluster random sampling method completed questionnaires that measured the levels of need for cognition (Cacioppo et al., 1996), self-regulation in learning (Weinstein & Palmer, 2002), and decisional procrastination (Mann et al., 1997). The reliability coefficient and validity indices of all tools were reported as favorable. According to the findings of the final structural model, although the direct effect of the need for cognition on decisional procrastination was not significant, the need for cognition, about self-regulation in information processing, motivation, and time management, as well as the triple components of self-regulation in learning, had a significant direct effect on decisional procrastination. Also, self-regulation in learning played a mediating role in the relationship between the need for cognition and decisional procrastination. In general, the findings of the present study were consistent with the theoretical model of decisional conflict, and by providing signs of the importance and essential role of cognitive motivation and self-regulation strategies in understanding how students face decisional conflicts in academic situations, they provided a theoretical and empirical basis for conflicting decisional styles.

Abstract The aim of the present study was to develop a causal model for students' academic enthusiasm based on classroom cohesion, with the mediating role of academic satisfaction. The research method was descriptive, correlational, and based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all elementary school students in South Khorasan Province. Using a multistage cluster sampling method, a sample of 350 students was selected from Darmian City. Data were collected through a classroom cohesion questionnaire, an academic satisfaction scale, and an academic enthusiasm scale. Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling using SPSS.27 and AMOS.24 software. The findings showed that the research model had a good fit. The results indicated that classroom cohesion has a direct and significant effect on academic enthusiasm. In addition, academic satisfaction played a significant mediating role in the relationship between classroom cohesion and academic enthusiasm. These findings emphasize the importance of creating cohesive and supportive classroom environments to increase students' academic enthusiasm and satisfaction.