Factors of Non-Humanities Students’ Tendency towards the Humanities

This paper examined personal, educational, social and economic factors of students of non-humanities disciplines’ tendency to continue their higher education in the humanities. The mixed methodology (quantitative & qualitative) was employed in this research. Population consisted of all MA candidates in the humanities with an unrelated bachelor’s degree. The sample involved 138 MA candidates who referred to University of Isfahan for the entrance examination. To enrich data, 18 higher education students with non-humanities bachelor’s degree (medical sciences, science, and engineering) who were already studying the humanities in University of Isfahan were interviewed. Research tools included semi-structured interview and researcher-made questionnaire in terms of four educational, personal, social and economic factors. Questionnaire’s reliability was estimated at 89% according to Cronbach’s alpha and its validity was verified by professors. Results showed that “educational” and “personal” factors were relatively most influential in students’ tendency to the humanities. Several recommendations are presented at the end to encourage students, especially the talented, to gravitate towards the humanities and to reconsider curriculums of the humanities in order to make them more interesting for elite candidates

Notes on the Effects of Nationalism in the History of Curriculum with an Emphasis on Iran

This paper attempted to investigate the effects of nationalism ideology on school curriculum. In so doing, two main objectives were followed through an analytic-deductive method: investigation of positive aspects of nationalism and of negative aspects of this ideology in education generally and curriculum particularly; it is noteworthy that the researcher focused on Iran’s education. Findings indicate that nationalism as one of the most influential ideologies has significantly affected education; in order to maintain political stability and shape national identity, nationalism has paved the way for compulsory public education. In addition historical documents show that nationalism has set the foundations for creation of governmental centralized systems in relation to education; on the other hand it made teacher training centers spread worldwide. In terms of negative aspects, nationalism has led to lack of cultural and linguistic identity among various ethnicities at some points and has turned into a dominant factor itself. Keywords: Nationalism ideology, Education

Reliability and validity of the Oxford happiness inventory among university students in Iran

The aim of the present study was to examine the internal reliability, content validity, construct validity, and concurrent validity of the Persian translation/Farsi version of the Oxford Happiness Inventory. The Oxford Happiness Inventory and Fordyce Happiness Inventory were completed by a sample of 727 Iranian university students. Findings confirmed the internal reliability, construct, and concurrent validity of the Oxford Happiness Inventory. Thus, it can be recommended for use as a trait-measure of happiness among Iranian samples.El objetivo de este estudio fue examinar la fiabilidad internal, la validez de contenido, la validez de constructo y la validez concurrente de la traducción persa/varsión farsi del Inventario de Felicidad de Oxford (Oxford Happiness Inventory). Una muestra de 727 estudiantes universitarios iraníes completaron el Inventario de Felicidad de Oxford y al Inventario de Felicidad de Fordyce. Los resultados confirmaron la fiabilidad interna, la validez de constructo y la validez concurrente del Inventario de Felicidad de Oxford. Así, puede ser recomendarse para su uso como medida de rasgo de felicidad en muestras iraníes

Phenomenological study of determining the basic skills of work and technology curriculum

Background and Objectives: Today, vocational education is a part of the school curriculum that is more about preparing students for life and employment in the society. This training can be the main part of the curriculum with a part of as the requirements for graduation or the fulfilment of other courses. This type of training should be an integral part of all phases of education and should be provided through an organized and graded program. In this regard, the main categories of work that are specifically emphasized are: work related to individual needs, work at home, work in the classroom, school and extracurricular activities, and integrated school loss, work as a learning experience, work in society by focusing on altruistic and selfless services, and work related to professional growth, production, social utility, and the discovery of opportunities and ways of caring. In addition to business skills, in today's modern world, access to information and knowledge and gain insight and attitude in this field, is considered important, so the skill of acquiring credible knowledge and information can be a factor in the growth and development of societies. And any plan, initiative, tool and device that focus on the interaction between the instructor and the learner in order to gain competencies is an example of educational technology. The purpose of the present study was to identify the basic skills of work and technology curriculum designed for junior high school students. Methods: This research has been carried out qualitatively using phenomenological method. The research community consisted of sample Iranian instructors of work and technology curriculum. Sampling was carried out by utilizing target method and standard type sampling.  Professional interviews with 13 participants to the extent of saturation were used. For data analysis, the three-step coding method (open, axial and selective) was used. Findings: The findings showed that the basic skills included in work and technology curriculum at the junior high school consists of a series of categories as follows: perceptual (11 subcategories), communication (5 subcategories), ethics (5 subcategories), technical (6 subcategories) and technological (3 subcategories). Conclusion: Today, it is clear that the teaching and learning of students in the field of work and technology is not limited to school and high school, but it is necessary that students throughout life, from formal to informal education, have a desire for lifelong learning. In the meantime, one of the important tools of lifelong learning that leads to the growth and development of students is the acquisition of information and technology literacy skills, so that information literacy for students increases their ability to recognize information needs, recognize incomplete information, ability to access and discover information, the ability to evaluate information and select information. Technological literacy also increases students' innovation in practice, as well as their ability to use, manage, evaluate, and understand technology, followed by lifelong learning. In general, whether a student is successfully completing high school or not, learning basic skills can prepare him or her for the future. Learning the basics of work and technology should be such that the student is equipped with the abilities, skills, experiences, ambitions that lead to success in life after high school. The results show that it is necessary to revise work and technology curriculum at the junior high school education, and take into account the basic skills mentioned in this study.   ===================================================================================== COPYRIGHTS  ©2020 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.  ====================================================================================

Research synthesis of the educational outputs of the flipped classroom in teaching and learning activities

Background and Objective:In today's classrooms, teaching is more about direct content than inspiring a sense of research and creativity in learners. Given that teaching is a factor that provides opportunities for learners to learn, it is necessary that teaching-learning processes be coordinated with these developments and move from traditional information transfer strategies to new problem-solving that develop abilities. On the other hand, over the past decades, educational standards have emphasized the potential value of learner-centered learning environments in which learners are actively involved in high-level learning activities. learner-centered learning environments require the use of active learning methods in the classroom, including presentations, problem-solving in small groups, self-assessment and peer review, and group discussion, but creating such environments is a challenge. The aim of the present study was to identify the flipped classroom educational outputs via a synthesis research method. Methods: Therefore, the analysis unit consisted of all related scientific studies, which were based on systematic searches in internal and external databases based on the inclusion criteria of 1298 scientific studies were identified and finally, based on the inclusion criteria, 106 studies were selected for the final analysis. To collect the required data, a researcher made worksheet was employed and to ensure the used coding, two examiners were asked to reencode the findings. For analyzing the data, Roberts ’six-step synthesis model was used via open and axial coding methods in Nvivo-8 software. Findings: Results indicated that applying flipped classroom instruction to training led to the occurrence of 119 types of educational outputs, which according to the classification of efficiencies in the overall axis of those outputs, including 7 temporal, interaction, skill, personal, group, educational, and teaching dimensions  among which the individual dimension achieved the highest educational output Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that it should be acknowledged that today teaching-learning approaches have evolved, learners prefer to play an active role in the classroom and learning, and they are found to prefer a passive role in the classroom. On the other hand, learning tools and situations have also changed, so in line with these developments, one of the most important things to consider in teaching-learning approaches is to create attractive learning situations. This can be achieved through the use of audio and video technologies as well as the use of flipped class in education. Therefore, further research in this field and recognizing its advantages and obstacles in implementation seems necessary

Explanation of Learning-Teaching Approaches and Suitable evaluation for Professional Development Curricula of Preschool Teachers

This research was conducted with the aim of explanation of learning approaches and suitable evaluation for professional development curricula of pre-school teachers. This research was both quantitative and qualitative approach, the qualitative approach, content analysis and in quantitative approach, descriptive method were used. Statistical society includes members of scientific board of universities, Ph.D. students, and mentors of psychology, curriculum and preschool teachers. Sampling method in the qualitative section was targeted and networking and in order to select teachers random classification method was used. Data was collected by the semi-structured interview and a researcher made questionnaire. To estimate validity of the interview and questionnaire, the content validity, and to estimate reliability of the questionnaire, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used. Qualitative findings were categorized based on content analysis and qualitative findings were analyzed by the inferential and descriptive statistics. Friedman’s test results showed that according to viewpoint of teachers on learning -teaching approaches of professional development, using creative teaching method is more important and performing simulated methods have the lowest importance. To evaluate capabilities of teachers, functional tests in terms of importance are very important and combination of 4-items and descriptive questions has the lowest importance

Explaining the Status of Soft Skills Training in Dentistry Profession in Basic Sciences Courses and Identifying the Capabilities of These Courses for the Process-Oriented Integration of Soft Skills

Background: The dentistry profession requires a high level of soft skills whose training seems necessary to respond to the community and increase the quality of specialized practice. Objectives: The present study was conducted to examine the status of soft skills training in dentistry basic sciences courses and identify the capabilities of each basic sciences course for the process-oriented integration of soft skills in the dentistry profession. Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted in 2018-2019.Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The study’s statistical population included the faculty members of the basic sciences of Isfahan and Mazandaran universities of medical sciences Iran, using purposive sampling. Moreover, the content analysis method was used to analyze the data. Results: Soft skills training in the dentistry profession was not one of the educational objectives of basic sciences courses in this field, and teaching and evaluation methods used by professors had less capability to develop these skills. Additionally, the results showed that most of the identified soft skills in five domains had the integration capability in most basic sciences courses. Only some differences were observed in the integration of soft skills in the cognitiveintellectual domain. Conclusion: It is suggested to include soft skills training in the objectives of dentistry basic sciences courses and consider the capabilities of each course and curricula to correct teaching and evaluation methods in this regard. Furthermore, it is recommended to strengthen the capabilities of basic sciences professors to integrate soft skills. Keywords: Soft skills, Dentistry, Integratio

Personality and the happiness of others : a study among 13- to 15-year-old adolescents

This study was designed to assess the level of concern for the happiness of others among a sample of 13- to 15-year-old adolescents in England (N=3,095) and to test the theory that concern for the happiness of others occupies a different psychological space (within Eysenck’s three dimensional model of personality) from the space occupied by personal happiness. The data demonstrated a high level of concern for the happiness of others, with 84% of the adolescents saying that, ‘It is important to me to make other people happy’. While high levels of personal happiness are generally shown to be associated with low neuroticism and high extraversion (stable extraversion), these data demonstrated high levels of concern for the happiness of others tend to be associated with high neuroticism, high extraversion, high social conformity, and low psychoticism

Explaining the goals of the curriculum based on teacher-researcher training at Farhangian University

Background and Objectives: The purpose of architecture education is to prepare graduates for general proficiency in this field of study. However, many graduates of architecture who are employed at the job market observe a profound gap between what they have learned in college and what is being done in professional work in architecture. This study -by examining the method of architecture education at undergraduate level and the job market situation in Iran- evaluates the relationship between the education and professional work in architecture to answer the following questions: "1. What are the problems of undergraduate architecture education in Iran that cause the inefficiency of architecture graduates in professional environment?", "2. Which features in the professional environment are necessary for a graduate of architecture?" and "3. How can we make a more effective connection between and the professional architectural environment?" Methods: The present study is an applied one and its method is field survey. In addition, the method of data analysis is analytical-descriptive. Data collection has been done through handing questionnaires and holding interviews with senior undergraduate architecture students as the statistical population who are supposed to enter the architectural job market soon, professors of architecture schools as individuals who are teaching students in this field, and professional architects as individuals who are professionally active in the field of architecture. The students and professors who were studied in this research were selected from 3 Iranian universities at the intermediate level, and professional architects were also selected from the managers of architectural companies. Being a veteran architect was the criterion for selecting professors and architects. The criteria for professors to be a veteran architect have been the experience and years of work, and the academic degree. The criteria for selecting architects have been experience and years of work, the significant number of the projects implemented, and winning awards. Findings: According to the common viewpoints of the three groups who were investigated in this research, the problems of the architecture educational environment that have created a gap between architecture education and architectural profession and the low efficiency of the architecture graduate in the professional environment have a wide range from the beginning of admission of architecture students up to after their graduation. The main problems are: 1. Method of student admission, 2. Admission of too many students, 3. Incompatibility of educational topics with the job market needs, 4. The separation of university from the society, 5. Lack of professional ethics training, 6. Lack of interactive skills training, 7. Lack of professional experience of professors, and 8. General problems of the society including economic issues. Therefore, the characteristics that are necessary for a graduate student of architecture in a professional environment are: 1. Familiarity with the topics required by the labor market, such as having a good command of various architectural software, familiarity with rules and regulations, and so on, 2. Having professional ethics, and 3. Having interactive skills. Conclusion: Based on the benefits of participatory education, it is proposed to turn architecture schools into "participatory education" environments in order to reduce the gap between education and professional work and decrease the low efficiency of architecture graduates in the professional environment. In this regard, it is possible to use the simultaneous training of students of different semesters in architecture courses and the presence of professional architects as expert individuals in some of the class sessions. In this way, students can benefit from each other's participation in design, critique of works, and improvement of skills related to the field of architecture, and the presence of professional architects in order to gradually acquire the skills required by the architectural job market. It is also possible to reduce the gap between education and professional work by establishing "NGOs" that are responsible for linking the university to architecture offices, job market and employers. ===================================================================================== COPYRIGHTS  ©2021 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.  ====================================================================================

Middle school teaching: An evaluation of issues arising in the debate on teacher education reform in the USA and in Iranian literature for the purpose of developing theory-based recommendations on middle school teacher education

The purpose of this study was to identify key problems and develop some recommendations for the improvement of the initial preparation of middle school teachers in Iran based on, in the main, recent American reports, Iranian writings on teacher education, and interviews with Iranian experts. Following a review and analysis of major reform reports such as the Holmes Group (1986) and Carnegie Forum (1986) reports, four issues were chosen as the foci for an investigation in the Iranian context. These issues were as follows: the possibility of extending the two-year middle school teacher education programs of teachers colleges to four years; the possibility of shifting their preparation programs from colleges into universities; the desirability of an end-on model instead of a concurrent one; and the trend to alter the balance between theoretical and practical aspects of teacher education toward the latter. In the light of these enquiries, the current two-year programs of teachers colleges in Iran were identified as a major problem. Recommendations were developed to improve the initial preparation of middle school teachers in Iran, including moving the training of these people into universities