Textual analysis of Nahjolbalaqa letters based on Bloom’s Cognitive Model

The dominion of Islamic world is replete with varied theological and spiritual masterpieces. One such outstanding work which has outlived its own time and the passage of time has not been able to undermine its beauty is Nahjolbalaqa (a road to eloquence). Nahjolbalaqa, the collection of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) statements, consists of three different parts alternatively known as ‘Sermons’, ‘Letters’, and ‘Wisdom’. The main purpose of this exploratory study is the textual analysis of ‘letters’ of Nahjolbalaqa according to Bloom’s cognitive model. Based on Bloom’s taxonomy, there are six different cognitive levels commencing with the most concrete and gradually moving toward the more abstract end of the continuum. These levels are termed Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. In the current scrutiny, all the 79 ‘letters’ of Nahjolbalaqa, which amount to 255 titles if we consider their subcategories, have been analyzed according to Bloom’s model in an attempt to come up with a vivid elucidation of their characteristics. As the final analysis of the gained upshots revealed, the majority of ‘letters’ pored over were found to comply with the levels of evaluation and knowledge in Bloom’s model. Ultimately, it is hoped that the present study would prove helpful for commentators and all those who are in need of a deeper understanding of Nahjolbalaqa, particularly when it comes to finding out the corresponding level of abstraction for each individual ‘letter’

On the Correlation between Iranian EFL Learners' Shyness Level and their Attitudes toward Language Learning

The current probe was after pinpointing the would-be correlation between learners' shyness and their language learning attitudes. The participants of the study were a total of 104 male and female institute EFL learners and the means of data collection were two ready-made questionnaires, one for gauging the learners' shyness and the other for tapping data regarding their language learning attitudes. The data thus collected were then analyzed through running Pearson Product Moment Correlation, independent samples t-test, and Eta Test. The results gained pointed toward lack of a significant correlation between the participants' shyness and the subscales of attitudes toward language learning. Moreover, no significant relationship was reported to be at work between gender of participants and their language learning attitudes. Nonetheless, with regard to learners' shyness, gender difference was found to play a part. Keywords: ambiguity tolerance, attitudes toward language learning, ego-permeability, inhibition, Iranian EFL learners, risk-taking, self-image, shynes

The Use of Cognate Words and Interlingual Homographs to Investigate the Cross-Linguistics in Second Language Processing in Iran

Various investigations have shown that the native language impacts foreign word recognition and this influence is adapted by the dexterity in the nonnative language.  Cognates, words which are similar across two or more languages in some fields signify an interesting, illuminating, and crucial aspect of foreign or second language learning and research. Forty-five (males and females) participants have been randomly chosen and participated in the experiment in Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran, in 2014-2015 school year. The participants’ age ranged from 18 to 28, with a mean age of 21.5 years. The materials were divided into two groups   which include 30 true cognates and 30 false cognates words from 300 words by doing CVR and CVI (Lawshe’s table with index of 88% and 82% respectively) for being reliable and valid. These words have been taught to them, after a week, a test has been prepared about those words. According to the results of T-test for comparing the average marks of learning in every 2 groups can be said that there is a meaningful difference between the scores.   The results show that the students learned true cognate words better than the false cognate words.  The results of this study also confirm the expectations that cognate-based instruction can positively influence in second language acquisition. Keywords: false and true cognates; L2 structural relationship; second language vocabulary acquisition; teaching through cognate

Medical waste generation in gorgan hospitals, 2014

Background and purpose: Hospitals and health-care centers are the major sources of hazardous waste generation. Hospital wastes should be collected and disposed under certain conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate hospitals waste generation in Gorgan, Iran. Materials and methods: The study was performed in 8 hospitals including 3 educational hospitals and 5 non-educational hospitals in Gorgan, 2014. Waste generation was investigated in 4 consecutive months, three times a week. Weighting was performed 384 times (48 times in each hospital). Mann-Whitney and nonparametric correlation test were used for data analysis. Results: The results showed 40.27 hazardous and 59.73 general wastes were generated in hospitals. The mean rates of waste general and hazardous generation were 2.63 and 1.03 kg/bed/day, respectively. These rates in educational and non-educational hospitals were 3.75 and 1.96 kg/bed/day, respectively. Conclusion: Generation of hazardous waste was found to be high in Gorgan hospitals. Also, the educational hospitals generated more waste than non-educational hospitals. Therefore, necessary measures should be taken to reduce the generation of waste, especially hazardous waste. © 2015, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

On the Correlation between Teachers’ Emotional Intelligence and Learners’ Motivation: The Case of Iranian EFL Learners

The aim of the current study was to investigate the possible correlation between teachers’ emotional intelligence and EFL learners’ motivation. To conduct the research, a sample of 240 EFL learners and 26 EFL teachers was selected. The instruments utilized in the current scrutiny were Bar-On's (1997) Emotional Intelligence Inventory and Gardner's (1985) Attitude Motivation Test Battery. The analysis of data was carried out through running correlation, multiple regressions and t-test analyses. Based on the gained upshots, the teachers' emotional intelligence was found to significantly correlate with EFL learners’ motivation in the study sample. Proficiency level was also reported to play a considerable part vis-à-vis the relationship between the teachers' emotional intelligence and learners' motivation. Moreover, the five sub-scales of Bar-On's emotional intelligence inventory came to have a significant correlation with learners’ motivation. Finally, a significant amount of correlation held between the twelve sub-scales of motivation and teachers’ emotional intelligence. Keywords: emotional intelligence, Iranian EFL teachers/learners, motivatio

Reappraisal of the Pivotal Role of Social Interactionist Perspectives in Furthering Learners’ Reading, Attitudinal Dexterities

AbstractConstructivist and social interactionist psychologies have indisputably opened up novel, unprecedented horizons for current pedagogical research which is centered on diversification of education and learner empowerment. Amid the myriad axioms, argumentations and theories configured under the auspices of social interactionist views toward instruction lies the vast body of techniques and principles falling under the flag of Vygotsky's groundbreaking theory widely known as ‘sociocultural theory’. An overriding component of Vygotskian line of argumentation, scaffolding is what mainly constitutes the pivotal cornerstone of the current scrutiny. Thus, seeking to probe the feasible impact of providing teacher intervention and peer assistance, in tandem with the underlying tenets of scaffolding theory, on learners’ possible reading gains and test attitude modifications, the researchers in the current study opted for a sample of 94 academic EFL freshmen. Data required for the study were amassed through two separate administrations of a standardized reading comprehension test, along with a questionnaire entitled ‘Student Opinion Survey’ (composed of two subscales of Task Importance and Task Effort), prior and successive to running treatment. In line with the final upshots gained through the study, it was found that no significant difference existed between the reading comprehension performance of experimental and control groups on the posttest. However, experimental group participants were characterized by undergoing more attitudinal changes, compared to control group learners, (in terms of both task importance and task effort components of the questionnaire) at the culmination of the research

Russell, Quine and Wittgenstein in pursuit of truth: A comparative study.

Understanding the intellectual competition facing a philosopher gives a clearer sense of the depth of his work. This thesis is concerned with the reactions of Wittgenstein and Quine to Russell's foundationalism in epistemology. In particular it is concerned with the foundations of mathematics. Wittgenstein's conception of language is the deep source of his philosophy of mathematics. That is why the study of the Wittgensteinian account of mathematical truth goes beyond the limits of reflection on mathematics and extends to the philosophy of language and logic. The claim is that contrary to the framework of thought of both Russell and Quine, there is no language / reality dichotomy. Russell's search for indubitable foundations of knowledge and in particular his attempt to establish the foundations of mathematics in logic is misguided. The very supposition that mathematics needs foundations is an illusion. It is an attempt to transcend the bounds of sense. The epistemological riddles faced by Russell and Quine disappear in the later Wittgensteinian understanding of the matter. They collapse into logical insights. Following modern debates in epistemology, Russell is looking for a proof of the 'external world'. This traditional line of thought continues in Quine's notion of 'The myth of physical objects'. Though Quine's naturalized epistemology is a reaction against foundationalism, the dichotomy in question, still remains. This is finally disposed of, by Wittgenstein's later conception of language. To complete the layout of the discussions; it is demonstrated that the idea of the alleged dichotomy lies behind the arguments of Einstein, Hilbert and all of the logical positivists. Instead of pursuing the source of necessity of a pr/or/propositions in the world or in the mind, we may explore the function of such propositions. Once their role has been properly grasped, the very disturbing epistemological riddles disappear. The absolute certainty of the propositions of logic and mathematics resides in the role that they play in our practice of inference and calculation. According to Russell's account in Principia Mathematica it is a fundamental law of logic that the proposition 'Q' follows from the proposition 'P & (P -- Q)'. But what does this 'following' consist in? There is nothing in reality that provides a foundation for this inference. Logical and mathematical propositions define the techniques of inference and calculation. There is no foundation for our techniques that could justify them from the point of view of a non-participant in the practice. That is why it makes no sense to doubt logical or mathematical propositions. Russell's total loss of the 'objective world' is the inevitable outcome of his understanding of the problem. His scepticism concerning the ordinary empirical judgements is against the mastery of a technique in the practice of describing the world. Without that technique, we would be unable to think or to use language. Our certainty concerning these judgements is a practical certainty that shows how the expressions of our language are used. The function of these judgements makes the question of establishing their ground out of place

Do the Emotionally More Intelligent Gain More from Metacognitive Writing Strategy Training?

Though privileges ascribed to various facets of language learning strategy training have long been espoused with regard to varied language skills and components, the role some individual variables such as emotional intelligence might play in this respect seems to have received very scant attention. The researchers in the current study embarked on a probe into the impact of metacognitive strategy training on Iranian EFL learners' argumentative writing performance, in the light of individuals' emotional intelligence and gender differences. To this end, a total of 69 advanced EFL institute learners were selected as the participants of the research. The experimental group members were, then, treated through the application of O'Malley and Chamot's (1990) CALLA (Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach) for metacognitive writing strategy training. Moreover, Bar-On's (1997a, 1997b) Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) was administered to learners to gain insight into their emotional intelligence status. The final analysis of data via running t-test and three-way ANOVA revealed significant differences between the performance of control and experimental groups. Additionally, while gender differences were found to produce significant writing performance differences, disparities in learners' emotional intelligence level didn't significantly affect the degree of gains resulting from metacognitive strategy training