فصلنامه نوآوری های آموزشی
پیاپی 52 (زمستان 1393)

Recently, school satisfaction which is an affective factor on student academic performance and health has been noticed by psychologists. Accordingly, many studies have been grounded in Bandura’s social cognitive theory. The purpose of this study was to provide the structural model of school satisfaction. This investigation was in the form of a correlation (causal modeling) study and the sampling method was "multi-stage cluster sampling". Also, Kerjcie and Morgan chart was used to determine sample size. Participants in this survey were 380 students from 10 high schools in Urmia (199 (53%) males and 181 (47%) females). To evaluate the variables, participants completed the tests of positive and negative affect scales, perceptions of school climate, self-efficacy questionnaire, outcome expectations, achievement goals, and multidimensional students’ life satisfaction scale. Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that it is a valid and reliable structural model of school satisfaction in this community. Direct causal pathways of school climate and achievement goals on the school satisfaction were positive and significant and the outcome expectations pathway on the school satisfaction was negative and significant. Path coefficient analysis displayed that achievement goals has highest significant impact on school satisfaction. Accordingly, it can be concluded that the pattern of school satisfaction explicate the social cognitive determinants of school satisfaction, and we can use it to promote school satisfaction and/or enhance the health and well-being of pupils at school.

The aim of the present research was to predict language academic achievement (Persian, English, and Arabic) of high school students by academic optimism and self – management strategies of teachers. For this purpose 295 teachers (171 males and 124 females) were chosen based on a stratified random sampling method from two educational districts in Ardabil. The research tools included teacher academic optimism questionnaire (Woolfolk Hoy, et al, 2008) and the self-management strategies questionnaire based on Selection, Optimization and Compensation (SOC) model. Also, the average score of the final exams of Persian, English, and Arabic language of students of each teacher’s class was considered as the criteria for their academic achievement. The results of the stepwise regression showed that the teachers’ self-management strategies and their academic optimism correlated with academic achievement of students and they were able to predict the variance of academic achievement of students. There was no significant difference in academic optimism and self- management strategies of male and female teachers. In general, findings indicated that the students, whose teachers had more academic optimism and self – management strategies have higher academic achievement scores.

The development of critical thinking skills is often considered as the most important reason for formal education because the ability to think critically is essential for success in the contemporary world, where the rate at which new knowledge is created is rapidly accelerating. Given the fact that adolescence is recognized by brain researchers as optimal for the development of higher order cognitive processes, we focused on critical thinking instruction designed for high school students. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of direct teaching of thinking skills-using Halpern’model- on critical thinking skills of high school students. Participants were 56 high school students from Yasooj, of which 28 students were selected as the experimental group to receive the direct teaching of thinking skills and 28 students who received the traditional teaching were selected as the control group. First, the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test was distributed among experimental and control groups. Current school curriculum was implemented in the control group, but students of experimental group were divided into five sub-groups (each group containing 5-6 students) and they were directly instructed the critical thinking sub-skills. For this purpose- using Halpern’ model- the experimental sub-groups of students were presented a problem from their real life. Then, the students were given ample opportunity for reflection and contemplation. In the following session, members of the class discussed their answers and groups who gave the correct answers, were encouraged. The research instrument was the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Test (WGCTA) and ANCOVA was used to analyze the data. The results revealed that direct teaching of thinking skills enhanced the experimental groups’ critical thinking skills. These results provided robust evidence that explicit instruction is an effective method of teaching critical thinking skills to high school students. The importance of thinking skills for high school success, as well as success in the workplace, post-secondary education, and everyday life makes the necessity of supplementary methods of instruction clear.

Institutions, organizations, and executive agencies with any mission, goal, and vision that eventually have a national or international scope are required to respond to customers and the clients. Educational system is also not an exception. Performance evaluation is a process through which employees are evaluated in certain intervals. Employee recognition, dynamic systems, and motivating the employees to improve their performance are the major reasons behind performance evaluation. Hence, investigation of performance's result is a strategic process. Quality, and management effectiveness and performance are factors critical to achieving development. In the past three decades, several models have been developed for educational evaluation. One of the best models is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) that has been used in mathematical operations’ research. These models contain a series of educational and research activities as input and output parameters. In this paper, we evaluated 15 educational units’ efficiency in Tehran’s 5th educational district’s high schools. This calculation has been done in 2 constant and variable returns. The results of calculating performance showed that from among 15 high schools, eight ones are efficient and 7 ones are inefficient. In addition, high school's ranking efficiency, strengths and weaknesses of each of the groups and the status of the resources have been presented.

This paper explains the need for the integration of general and vocational education and provide a framework for the integration of these two components. Main problem is a lack of clear understanding and a theoretical framework about the necessity (scientific، economic and social justification) for integration of general education and vocational training. Method of integration. Considering the nature of research question، qualitative methods was used for documentation. According to the concepts and implications of studies regarding to new vocationalization،it seems that integrate general education with technical education and vocational training can lead to the enrichment of both domain and beneficial for all students. general education comprises the foundation of technical and vocational educationand all population of students (not a special group) need to the foundation. so combining these two types of education seems inevitable. intertwining general education with technical education and vocational training is a strategy that requires to a benchmark and experimental mahak to judge the usefulness. However، a general movement towards integration at the international level is clearly seen. Integration ideas are emerging in our country.

The purpose of the present paper was to analyze the content of the sixth grade textbook of “the Heaven Gifts (1391)” and comparing it with the rudiments of Holey Quran and the Document of Fundamental Development of Education. The methodology of content analysis was descriptive and the data was gathered using the content analyzing formats developed by the experts of the field, which were confirmed by the Research and Educational Planning Organization. The research population and sample of the study was the sixth grade textbook of “the Heaven Gifts”. Also, the descriptive statistics was used to analyze data. Among 33 instructional objectives of the textbook, 42.4% were of typical objectives, 45.5 % were of multi-sectional objectives, 15.2% of multi-level objectives and 12.1% were of general objectives. Among 49 separated objectives of the textbook, 75.5% of them were concerned with cognitive area, 24.5% with emotional area; however, none of the objectives were concerned with the psychomotor area. Results showed that among 33 objectives of the textbook, 32 objectives (96.96%) had references to the verses of Quran and just 1 objective did not have references to those verses. Considering the Document of Fundamental Development of Education and the objectives of the textbook concerning thinking and communication with God’s creatures, there are 4 detailed objectives in the National Curriculum, of which only one of them was embodied in the objectives and content of the sixth grade textbook of Heaven Gifts and no content and objective was considered with regard to the other 3 detailed objectives in the mentioned textbook. Furthermore, there were 4 objectives in national curriculum dealing with science and knowledge and communication with himself/herself of which 3 objectives were considered in the textbook. The results showed that the textbook achieved the multi-sectional objectives, typical objectives and multi-level objectives respectively, and among the learning fields, the textbook considered cognitive field especially knowledge category more than the other fields and categories. Furthermore, the objectives dealing with references to Quran verses were achieved well with the exception of a few references that failed to refer to Quran verses. Finally, considering the Document of Fundamental Development of Education and the objectives of the textbook, it failed to contain some detailed objectives or contents of national curriculum program according to the table of textbook designation objectives.

National identity is considered as the highest level of community identity and it is a factor of national unity in the society. One of the important systems influential in national identity protection and transmission to youth generation is the education system of a country which can insert the national identity components in the contents of nationwide textbooks. The purpose of this research was to study the amount of national identity components in French education textbooks at guidance school, high school and pre-university levels in Iran. The research method was documentary and was done by quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques. In this study, the identity components like nation, culture, religion, geography, politics, ethnics, subcultures and national symbols have been considered. The results showed that Iranian French education textbooks did not use identity components in a balanced and homogenous way in the mentioned textbooks, and sometimes some of the mentioned components in the French education textbooks could not be seen. At pre-university and high school levels, there are more identity components in the textbooks than at guidance school level, whereas there is more cohesion in the presentation of national identity components at guidance school level. It is necessary to revise the content of French education textbooks from the viewpoint of national identity to prepare a good youth national identity improvement through these textbooks.