Iranian Students’ Experience of K-12 and Higher Education: Use of Drawings to Convey the Difference Between Ideals and Reality

The focus of education during K-12 and Higher Education (HE) in Iran is on theoretical empowerment of students; therefore, our students get an illusion of knowing. In fact, what happens is not learning and understanding; rather, it is verbatim transfer of available information in the textbooks into the students’ minds. It might be because the students and teachers (as the main stakeholders of the education) are the least powerful parties within the pyramid of power amongst educational practitioners and policymakers. It means their voice, feedback, needs, and ideologies have no place in the educational decisions and policies. In alignment with the mainstream of the present research; it is an innovative idea to explore the students’ living/ studying experience during K-12, and their ideals and expectations from higher education studies. To do so, we asked 60 university students to portray their experience (in a phenomenological research design) concerning living and studying through K-12 and their ideals and expectations from Higher Education. Students’ drawings are the main source of data collection and inductive analysis of data is administered to find students’ responses which are categorized under three major and six minor themes, respectively

The Effect of Leadership Style on Organizational Optimism by Mediating Role of Psychological Climate

Although the impact of a leadership style has recognized over the years, there is a need for better understanding of its relationship with organizational optimism. This paper examines the impact of leadership style on organizational optimism with respect to the mediating role of psychological climate. Research method was applied based on aim and was quantitative based on data collecting with the approach of correlation. Based on a convenience method, 145 staff and professors working at Farhangian University were determined. To collect data, leadership style questionnaire (Lathans), psychological climate questionnaire (Koys & Decotiis) and organizational optimism questionnaire (Smith, Caputi & Crittenden) have used. For data analysis was used the Structural equation modeling. The results indicate that leadership style is not significantly related to organizational optimism, though psychological climate related positively to organizational optimism. The major hypothesis of this study also supported and results indicated (0.53) of the total effect of relationship-oriented leadership style indirectly explained by the psychological climate. According to the results, organizational optimism in University staff and professors can be improvement by using relationship-oriented leadership style

Modeling and optimization of drying process of paddy in infrared and warm air fluidized bed dryer

This paper investigated the effect of the components of fluidized bed dryer with two thermal sources of heater and infrared such as air temperature at three levels (40, 50 and 60°C) equivalent to radiation intensity of 0.031, 0.042 and 0.053 W.cm-3 in infrared dryer, final moisture content of dried Tarom and Shirudi varieties at three levels (8-9%, 9-10% and 10-11% (d.b.)) and air velocity of 4.5 ms-1 on the milling characteristic and drying time. To this end, stepwise regression was used for selecting the best models for each dependent variable in terms of the independent variables and genetic algorithm was used for optimizing the parameters of dryer with simultaneous consideration of cracked and fractured grains, milling recovery, degree of milling and drying time. The results indicated that quadratic model was best fitted with the experimental data. The results of design of experiments exhibited the infrared fluidized bed dryer was the better option as compared to the warm air fluidized bed dryer. The optimized condition by genetic algorithm was included air temperature for Tarom and Shirudi varieties 55.25 and 58°C, respectively. Also, Tarom and Shirudi should be dried to moisture content of as low as 10.5 and 9.8%, respectively in order to have the optimized condition

Designing and Validation of Social Entrepreneurship Model for Higher Education in Iran

The present study was conducted to design and validate a model for social entrepreneurship of higher education in Iran. This study was conducted using a Mixed Method. In the qualitative part of this study, a questionnaire was designed using the method of Grounded Theory and also interviews with 15 experts were conducted. The designed questionnaire was conducted with 384 students in public universities of Tehran. Purposive sampling method was used in the qualitative part whereas random classified sampling method was applied in the quantitative part. In addition, analysis of Structural Equation Modeling was used in the quantitative part whereas the results of the qualitative part were analyzed through Grounded Theory. The results showed that infrastructural, designers and curriculum planning specialists, student, tenure, lack of entrepreneurship future studies, economic, higher education policies, economic and social consequences, higher education management, cultural, social and curriculum and inefficient quality factors, are the factors of social entrepreneurship in Iran's higher education system, respectively. Therefore, in a general perspective, the phenomenon of the existential agency was identified

Identifying and Validating Components of Decision-Making of the Secondary School Pricniplals in Iranian Eeducation System

The aim of this study was to identify the dimensions and components of administrators decision making in educational organization. This research method was a mixed exploratory research. The statistical population in the qualitative section included all school principals in Tehran and expert principals of educational system and the sampling method was purposeful and theoretical. In quantitative part, the statistical population was all school principals in Tehran, which according to Cochran's formula, the number of sample members was 249. Data collection tool in the qualitative part of the interview was semi-structured and retesting and reliability between the two coders were used to check the validity and reliability of the interviews and coding, and they are approved as 0.75 and 0.77 respectively. The collection tool in the quantitative part was a researcher-made questionnaire that its validity was checked and confirmed by content validity method and confirmatory factor analysis. The reliability of the instrument was evaluated and confirmed using Cronbach's alpha method, and it was approved as 0.625. Grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data in the qualitative part. One-sample t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient and confirmatory factor analysis were used to analyze the quantitative part. The findings showed: 1- Dimensions of decision making were classified into eight categories: knowledge, experience and expertise, ethical, psychological, social, human, technical and economic. 2- There was a significant correlation between the dimensions and components. 3- Knowledge dimension and psychological dimension had the highest and lowest mean, respectively

Methods of Improving the Dimensions of Psychological Empowerment of Employees of SAMT Organization in the Condition of COVID-19

The main premise of the present paper is that the former methods for fully enhancing the dimensions of psychological empowerment may not be fully effective in the context of the Corona epidemic. For this reason, the aim of this paper is to model and applied systematically to promote empowerment in times of crisis is epidemic. The present study was conducted by mixed method as an explanatory approach. Explanatory approach indicates the precedence of the quantitative method. In this research, first the quantitative points of the research are identified by quantitative data and then more accurate information is obtained based on a qualitative method about the detected domain information.The results showed that the methods of mutual and continuous monitoring (in terms of competence and effectiveness), improving the informal environment (in terms of participation), integration of organizational and individual funds (in terms of the right to choose and participate), developments and interactions at organizational levels (In terms of effectiveness) and upgrading organizational communication knowledge (in terms of sense of participation) will specifically help to enhance the empowerment dimension in the employees of Samt organization in coronary conditions

Identifying the dimensions and components of ethical leadership competency of Educational Managers of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (Descriptive-interpretive)

Background: Today, the discussion of ethical behavior and ethical values is a prerequisite for management, and all managers and employees of organizations must respect these principles. The purpose of this study was identifying the dimensions and components of ethical leadership in educational managers of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences with competency approachMethod: In this research, a qualitative method and the grounded theory approach were employed. The population of the study was educational managers and educational assistants of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2019-2020 among whom sixteen were selected through theoretical sampling method. The data collection method was a semi-structured interview. The information obtained from the interview was analyzed using content analysis technique in data theory using MAXqda10 software.Results:  From the initial analysis of qualitative research data 513 codes were identified. In the next step, using axial coding, the identified codes were classified into 17 subcategories. Analysis of qualitative data showed that the component of ethical competence with sub-components (ethical knowledge, ethical attitude, and ethical skills) and technical competence with sub-components (technical knowledge, technical attitude, and technical skills) are the main components of ethical leadership in educational administrators of the University of Mashhad Medical Sciences.Conclusion: According to the dimensions of competency identified in the educational managers, it can be said when a training manager has the characteristic of ethical leadership he also knows what is morally right (ethical competence) and how to do it (Technical competence)

Training for Medical Tourism in Iran

Introduction: Today, medical tourism is becoming popularized through the upgrading of quality standards essential to providing appropriate and high quality services to those in need. Training is an essential factor in improving the current standards. Medical tourism can provide state-of-the-art treatment for patients. Methods: This study is a narrative review of studies aimed at investigating the importance of training in medical tourism and to address the question of whether training in the development of medical tourism and attracting medical tourists is feasible. Results: Medical tourism can provide state-of-the-art treatment for patients. Experts in the field of medical tourism can help a tourist select his/her destination country. The development of medical tourism in Iran means providing high-tech facilities and personnel who are highly-trained in medical tourism, familiarization with the culture of medical tourists, the cooperation of stakeholders, advertisement of medical tourism, and so on. Conclusion: To develop medical tourism in Iran, in addition to the necessary equipment, the necessary training should also be provided, such as an introduction to medical tourism and the medical tourist and knowledge of the rules and regulations of medical tourism. Participants in training should be stakeholders in both the medical and the tourism sectors. It is necessary to design a training model for Iranian medical tourism

Novel Components for Integrated Millimeter-Wave Front-Ends

and in the loving memory of my mother Nassrin