Iranian Evolutionary and Educational Psychology Journal
Volume:4 Issue: 4, Dec 2022

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of life skills training on academic boredom and compassion in high school students of Zahedan (Iran). This study was a quasi-experimental method that was performed with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of this research includes all high school students of Zahedan in 2022. Sixty students were selected by accessible sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, the package of Life skills training was performed in nine sessions of 90 minutes. Participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003) and Academic Boredom Scale (Pekrun et al., 2005). Univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used for analysis the data. The results indicated there is a significant difference between the two groups in terms of mean scores of academic boredom and compassion. According to the findings, the use of Life skills training increased the compassion and decreased the academic boredom. In general, the research findings support the role of life skills training in increasing emotional outputs such as compassion and reducing negative characteristics such as academic boredom in students.

The current study aimed to design a model appropriate for professional development courses of Farhangian University faculty members with a flipped learning approach. For this purpose, valid and accessible documents and resources in non-Iranian databases such as ERIC, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Sage and  Iranian databases include Civilica, Magiran and SID, have been reviewed from 2000 to 2020, and from 3152 documents, 60 appropriate documents were selected and examined based on the seven-step approach of Sandelowski and Barroso (2007). The open, axial and selective coding method was used for data analysis, and finally 971 concepts were identified. The identified concepts were categorized into 46 sub-categories and 10 main categories. In order to control the identified concepts, in addition to the validation based on Sandelowski and Barroso (2007) approach, the identified concepts was reviewed by an expert researcher, and the Kappa index calculated  as 0.718 (p <0.001) indicates that the codes extracted have an appropriate reliability. The main components identified include educational development, research development, service development, individual development, organizational development, institutional factors, management factors, social factors, pedagogy and learning designs.

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and importance of life skills components in social studies textbooks. The research method is content analysis and the units of analysis were sentences and images. The statistical population was all the textbooks of social education in the elementary school in 2021, in which the whole society was considered as a sample. The research tool is a researcher-made checklist and data was analyzed via MAXQDA software. After determining the frequency of indicators, for the comparing the frequencies, Chi-square and Shannon's Entropy method was used. The results revealed that the highest frequency of the life skills components observed in the sixth grade with 1048 cases, the second rank belongs to the fifth grade with 908 cases, and the last rank belongs to the fourth grade with 401 items. The results of chi-square test confirmed the significant differences in frequencies. Also, the results of Shannon's Entropy analysis indicated that the highest coefficient of importance is related to the component of creative thinking and the lowest is related to self-awareness. Overall, the findings have useful implications for designing school-based interventions in teaching life skills.

Organizational well-being is considered a very important issue in the field of organizational behavior due to the role it plays in individual and organizational effectiveness. In today's changing conditions, education needs skills and efficiencies that can adapt to the continuous change of society in order to survive and improve the capabilities and competencies of its teachers. Therefore, the current research aimed to provide a model for predicting the level of organizational well-being based on the leadership style and its components. The research method was correlation and the statistical population included education teachers of Khamir city (Hormozgan province, Iran). Participants were 350 teachers were randomly selected. The researcher made Questionnaires of organizational well-being and leadership style were used to collect data. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed in the present study. The results indicated the fit of the organizational well-being model based on the leadership style and its components. Based on the findings, the overall effect of leadership style on organizational well-being was equal to 0.76 (p < 0.05). Also, the effect of ideal characteristics, motivation, educational stimulation and the effect of individual consideration on organizational well-being was significant (p < 0.05). In general, the findings support the role of leadership styles in teachers' organizational well-being.

The aim of this research was to study the comparison effect of the positive thinking training with and without written disclosure and acceptance and commitment therapy on perceived stress in women with breast cancer. This design of the study was pretest, posttest control group. The sample include 60 women with breast cancer (15 group experimental 1 (positive thinking training with written disclosure), 15 group experimental 2 (positive thinking training), 15 group experimental 3 (acceptance and commitment) and 15 group control) were randomly assigned.  The perceived stress Cohen et al. (1983) scale was used to collect data. For analyzing the results we used covariance (MANCOVA and ANCOVA) and Bonferroni test. The results indicated that positive thinking training with written disclosure; positive thinking training without written disclosure and ACT decreased the perceived stress in women with breast cancer in three experimental groups in comparison to the control group. According to results the positive thinking training with written disclosure was more effective compare to positive thinking training without written disclosure and ACT on the perceived stress in women with breast cancer.

Extramarital relations are one of the most traumatic problems that cause the disintegration of married life, and understanding the factors preventing extramarital relations is of great value in maintaining the stability and quality of life of families. Consequently, present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of marital frustration in the relationship between sensation seeking and extramarital relationships. This a quantitative descriptive correlational study that used structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all married men in Tehran in 2022. Participants were 300 qualified people were selected using accessible sampling method. Data was collected via Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS), Niehuis and Bartell Marital Disillusionment Scale, and Whatley's Attitudes Toward Infidelity Scale. The research model and relationships between variables were analyzed using Pearson's correlation test using SPSS version 22 software and Amos software. The results indicated that sensation seeking (β = 0.505, P < 0.01) has a direct and positive effect on marital frustration, has a direct and positive effect on extramarital relationships (β = 0.453, P < 0.01) and has an effect on extramarital relationships ( β=0.172, P<0.05), indirectly and through the marital frustration. Furthermore, marital frustration has a direct positive effect on extramarital relationships (β=0.342, P<0.01). According to the results, the emotional based variables such as sensation seeking and marital frustration can affect the attitude towards extramarital relationships. The findings have beneficial implications for therapeutic and educational interventions in extramarital relationships as well.

A varied range of psychological interventions has been suggested to treat substance use disorders, particularly for amphetamine users. The purpose of psychological treatments are to help drug dependents understand the detrimental effects of drug use, recognize their personal values and strengths, and overwhelm social stigma and self-stigma to involve in specialized individual or group interventions. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of matrix treatment on depression and the temptation to use in amphetamine dependent individuals. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the research consists of 1,400 men dependent to amphetamines, self-referred to addiction treatment centers in Tehran. Participants were 40 people whom selected by accessible sampling method and randomly assigned to control and experimental groups (20 people in each group). Consumption temptation scale and Beck depression inventory were used for collecting data. Results revealed that the matrix treatment had a significant effect on depression and temptation in consumption. According to our results, it can be concluded that matrix treatment can be used as a complementary drug treatment in amphetamine dependent individuals.

One of the most common problems among students is reading problems, which has received considerable research attention. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of executive function training and intervention based on cognitive games on the reading performance in elementary students. The research method is quasi-experimental using a pre-test - post-test design with a control group. Accordingly, among the students studying in the primary school of Bandar Abbas, Iran in 2021, 45 elementary students with learning disabilities were selected and randomly assigned to 3 groups of 15 people (two experimental groups and one control group). The reading performance questionnaire was used to collect data in two stages of pre-test and post-test. Cognitive game-based and executive function interventions was implemented in the first and second experimental groups during seven 90-minutes sessions and ten 50-minutes sessions, one session per week. Control group participants did not receive any intervention during this period. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed that both executive function intervention and cognitive game-based intervention had a significant effect on students' reading performance with reading learning disability (p <.05). In addition, according to the findings, the executive functions training had a greater effect on reading performance compared to the intervention based on cognitive games (p <.05). Considering that the intervention of executive functions is more effective than cognitive games, it can be concluded that the components of executive functions such as working memory, planning, and mental organization are very closely related to reading skills and thus can affect reading performance.

Wisdom is a multi-dimensional construct that is rooted in cultural values. The present study aimed to explore the concept of wisdom in Iranian culture and develop a valid and reliable tool to measure it. The study conducted in a mixed method style includes both qualitative and quantitative methods. The sample in the qualitative study was 233 people (131 female and 102 male). The sample of the quantitative study included 1201 people living in Tehran. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data in the qualitative study and for collecting data in quantitative section, the web-based questionnaire was distributed and people voluntarily answered the questions. Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology was applied in the qualitative section.  In the qualitative study, the findings revealed that Iranian people defined wisdom in six components include: Strategic Thinking, Self-awareness, Spirituality, Adaptation, Pro-social Behaviors and Social Consulting. In the quantitative section, content validity was confirmed using CVR index. Structural validity was confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis. Iranian-Islamic Wisdom Scale showed positive relationships with Ardelt’s three-dimensional wisdom scale and Levenson’s Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory. The reliability of new scale was examined by internal contingency and reliability was satisfactory (Cronbach's α = 0.89). In general, the result showed that the wisdom is multi-dimensional and new IIWS scale appears to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring wisdom in the Iranian’s culture.

Solution-Focused Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on solutions rather than on gaining insight into challenges and concerns. This approach used a variety of principles to generate solutions for those who need them through a therapeutic process. The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of solution-oriented approach on marital adjustment in conflicted couples in Kermanshah (Iran). This experimental study was conducted with an experimental pre-test-post-test with a control group design. The statistical population included all the conflicted couples in Kermanshah city in 2020 that referred to Kermanshah counseling centers due to marital conflicts and received a diagnosis of marital conflict by a psychologist. Participants were 30 couples were selected by random sampling and randomly assigned in experimental and control groups (15 couples in each group). Pre-test and posttest was administered in the control and experimental groups before and after intervention.  Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory were used to collecting data. For analyzing the data Covariance analysis was used. The results indicated that the solution-oriented approach is effective on marital adjustment in conflicting couples. Overall, results support the use of SFT in increasing the marital adjustment and provide an effective approach that is more strength based and fewer problems focused.

This study main aimed to compare the effect of classroom leadership based on the cooperative approach and the traditional teaching method on the social skills and academic self-efficacy in fifth grade students of Ahvaz (Iran). The study design was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test with a control group. Participants were 30 fifth grade students who were selected using the accessible sampling method and were randomly assigned to cooperative and traditional teaching groups (15 students in each group). Gresham and Elliott (1990) social skills questionnaire and Jinks and Morgan (1999) self-efficacy questionnaire were used to collect data. Cooperative learning method was designed based on the Ellis and Wallen (2007) approach and implemented in the cooperative teaching group. In the second group, the traditional method was performed in the usual way of classroom. Covariance analysis was used in SPSS-23 software to analyze the data. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the classroom leadership based on the cooperative group and the traditional teaching group in the effectiveness of social skills and its dimensions in students (0.05 >P). Also, according to the findings, there was a significant difference between the two groups in academic self-efficacy and its dimensions (P<0.05). Based on the findings, it can be concluded that classroom leadership based on a cooperative approach compared to traditional method can lead to the more improvement of students' social skills and academic self-efficacy.

Preceding studies have indicated that cognitive therapy can be as effective as medications for depression. The combination of cognitive therapy and mindfulness practices has been shown to effectively manage persistent depression. This study aimed to examine effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on the depressive symptoms in patients with persistent depressive disorder. The research method was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test with a control group design. The statistical population of the study included all patients with persistent depressive disorder that referred to psychology and psychiatry clinics of Tehran in 2022. Participants were 30 patients whom selected by accessible sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The semi-structured clinical interview demographic form and the second version of the Beck depression test were used to collect data. To analyze the hypotheses, ANCOVA was used in SPSS-16. The results indicated that cognitive therapy based on mindfulness is effective on the depressive symptoms in patients with persistent depressive disorder. As a result, the findings support the role of psychological interventions, especially interventions based on changing cognitions and increasing mindfulness in the treatment of persistent depression. Our findings have beneficial implications for psychologists in the treatment of depressed patients.

In recent studies, psychological factors, personality traits and emotional and cognitive profiles of couple’s applicants for divorce have been considered. The current study aimed to examine the psychological profile of couples applying for divorce. This study in the first part was a survey type that evaluates the psychological profile of couples applying for divorce with cohabitation. In the second part and in a causal-comparative study, we compared the profiles of couples applying for divorce with cohabitation less than and more than five years. The statistical population includes all couples applying for divorce of Tehran in 2022. Participants were 60 volunteers were selected by purposive sampling method, and finally 32 cases were selected as the sample. Data was collected by Cattell's 16 Personality Factors Test .The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one sample T-test. The results indicated that between the couples applying for divorce with less than and more than five years of marriage there are significant differences  in most of the psychological characteristics except for the spontaneous versus restrained, suspicious versus trusting and inpatient versus relaxed. In general, the findings support the role of psychological factors in the tendency and attitude towards divorce in couples

Sand play training is one of the most common interventions to help address social deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of sand play training on social skills, multiple problem behaviors and peer relationship in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In a semi-experimental pretest-posttest-follow-up with a control group design, 30 children were selected by convenience sampling method and assigned to experimental and control groups randomly. The Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) and Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS-2) were used to collect data.  The experimental group underwent 8 sessions of sand play training, but the control group did not receive any training. Repeated measures analysis of variance in SPSS-24 software was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that intervention was effective on social skills, multiple problem behaviors and peer relationship in children with ASD (p <0.01). Furthermore, Results revealed that intervention effects continued at 2-month follow-up (p <0.01). According to our results, sand play training improved the social skills and peer relationship and decreased the multiple problem behaviors in children with ASD. Therefore, this treatment along with other therapeutic interventions can be used as an effective intervention method in the rehabilitation program for children with ASD.

Various functions of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) usage should be identified so that with awareness of MOOC's advantages, the organizations can provide the required platforms to implement this type of technology given MOOC's importance and necessity in the workplace. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the training-based functions of MOOCs in leading organizations' development. This was a basic study was conducted using a qualitative research synthesis technique. The statistical population includes documents (books, research and review articles, theses and Internet resources). Of the 86 authentic national and international articles and books published within a period from 2014-2021, a total of 63 samples were selected using a criterion sampling method. Theoretical saturation of themes was reached by the 46th sample.  In order to collect data, the library research method was used. The collected data were then analyzed using a thematic analysis technique. Finally, to validate the proposed model, a total of 6 experts in different fields were selected using a purposive sampling method, and they approved the final model after modifications. The research findings revealed eight sub-themes include contribution to organizational empowerment, creating non-formal learning environment, contribution to creating constructive and supportive learning, occupational-organizational performance enhancement, provision of equal educational services, adaptability of training to changes, promotion of participatory learning, contribution to evaluation and receiving feedback for main category of organizational development. The results indicated that being aware of the functions of MOOC in organization development helps clients and operating staff formulate new and creative organizational solutions to resolve performance problems and increase adaptation to the structure, culture, business processes and strategies of the organization and their development.

This study investigates the challenges ahead of education during the corona pandemic by pursuing an analytical and inferential research methodology. Education has been sometimes controlled by governments, churches, modernity, and, in recent ages, ideologies, while it is apparently constrained by the coronavirus at present. According to the analysis of this research, education has not only been influenced by the lack of facilities at Corona days but also controlled by the reflections inherited from the pre-corona period. That is, education faces challenges when an educational system and its activists enter this interim with their pre-corona mentalities pertaining to education. In fact, whenever self-control is not already taught and thus not practiced, individuals’ agencies are neglected, and hence controlling perspectives govern the normal conditions of education, this system can experience intricacies. Therefore, explaining and perceiving educational goals, rethinking and developing new narratives of education, and reviewing the meanings and concepts of the class, teacher/learner rights and responsibilities, attendance, parents’ challenges as nonprofessional assistants of education, and, ultimately, agency-based evaluation are the factors whose accentuation pave the way for leaving behind these challenges.

Evolutionary psychology had revolutionized the mate choice in past years and the framework of a cognitive orientation based on intelligence and social status had attracted a lot of attention. Therefore, this study follows the intersection between evolutionary principles, cognitive models, and theoretical insights that can link these researches on mate choice that is called emerging evolutionary epistemology in recent years. The research was a narrative review study and the literature was searched through Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Magiran, Science Direct and SID with the words "sexual attraction, spouse selection, attractiveness in evolutionary psychology, attractiveness in cognitive psychology", and the relevant citations were included in this study. Search engines have been used for the last 5 years (From 2016 onwards) and more than three hundred documents were reviewed and extracted according to the criteria. The results indicated that as much as in evolutionary psychology, physical attractiveness plays a role in choosing a spouse, personality, intelligence, decision making, cultural and social status of the spouse as cognitive factors also play important role in creating attractiveness. Accordingly, new models have been developed by combination of these two models at three levels (1) perceptual adaptation that records sexual signs with respect to sensory input, (2) judgmental adaptations that assess multiple signs in evaluation and (3) the search strategies that people pursue in trying to form a pair. Overall, more collaboration between personality psychologists, psychoanalysts, behavioral geneticists, and evolutionary psychology is needed to well understood the mate choice mechanisms.

Poor medication adherence in people with hypertension can lead to the development of cardiovascular complications, quality of life and reduce health care costs will increase. This study was conducted to investigate the factors related to medication adherence using social cognitive theory in hypertensive patients in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces (Iran). This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1836 patients (male and female) with hypertension under the urban and rural health centers in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces who met the inclusion criteria. Data collection tools were an adherence to medication questionnaire based on a modified questionnaire on the measured using the H-hypertension self-care activity level effects and the Bandura social cognitive theoretical constructs questionnaire (including self-efficacy structures, social support, outcome expectation, Outcome Expectancy and self-regulation). Data was analyzed using SPSS-21 at 95% significant level. The rate of medication treatment among participants was 74.8% (75.5% women and 73.7% men). 31.2% of participants had control over their blood pressure. Adherence to medication was weak in patients. So that 35.7% of men and 36.1% of women have medication adherence. Linear regression analysis revealed that outcome expectation, family social support, self-regulation, and outcome Expectancy accounted for a total of 59% of the variance in medication adherence. Findings indicated that the status of medication adherence in the studied patients was poor, which indicates the lack of necessary training on the importance of adherence to drug use to patients. Considering the correlation between the constructs of social cognitive theory and medication adherence, the constructs of this theory can be used in adherence to medication training in hypertensive patients.

Psychological well-being is a new concept derived from positive psychology and is one of the important indicators in personal and social growth and development as well as in the evaluation of educational systems. This variable is influenced by various factors such as personality traits and perfectionism. The aim of this study was to predict psychological well-being based on personality traits with respect to the mediating role of perfectionism in students. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population was all undergraduate students of Shiraz University in 2021. The research sample was 372 people who were selected by accessible sampling method. Reef Psychological Well-being Questionnaire (1989), NEO Personality Questionnaire (1985) and Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) (1990) were used to collect data. Pearson correlation method and path analysis were used to test the research hypotheses. The results indicated that neuroticism trait (beta = -.10), conscientiousness trait (beta = 0.16) and perfectionism (beta = -0.15) directly predict psychological well-being. Also, the variable of perfectionism mediates the relationship between neuroticism and conscientiousness with psychological well-being. In general, the research findings support the role of personality traits in psychological well-being directly and through perfectionism.

The main purpose of this study is to study the components of critical thinking and the extent to which it is used in the development of the curriculum of the first level of high school in order to provide an appropriate model. The present study is applied in terms of purpose and qualitative in terms of method. The statistical population was university professors, teachers and curriculum experts in education in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province (Iran). Using purposive sampling method (theoretical saturation - key people selection approach), eleven of them were selected. The semi-structured interviews were used for data collection and data analysis was done via thematic analysis. According to findings, using of components (skills) of critical thinking in curriculum development as an inclusive theme (4 sub-thematic themes), 6 organizing themes and 121 basic themes were identified and a network of themes was extracted. The organizing themes include extracurricular-based curriculum, evaluation, interpretation, analysis, self-regulation, and synthesis. The alignment of the components and themes of the drawn theme network with theoretical and research bases was examined and approved.

This study aimed to design an educational guidance model for the students in the first period of secondary school students in Tehran. The field of research included experts in the field of academic guidance who were selected by purposeful sampling. The sample size after reaching the theoretical saturation stage was 21 people. A semi structure interview was applied to collecting data. Data analysis was through open, central and selective coding. The results revealed six dimentions and 18 components. In the first dimension (student), three components were identified include: 1- intelligence and talent 2- motivation, interest, desire and spirit of the student 3- abilities and skills. In the second (family) three components were identified include:  1- providing comprehensive information to parents 2- family economy 3- cultural and social background of parents. In the third dimension (the teacher) three components were identified include: 1- access to expert teachers 2- professional commitment of teachers in correct guidance 3- continuous training of teachers. In the fourth dimension (counselor) three components were identified include: 1- Desirable counseling and psychological services 2- Using an expert in the field of educational guidance planning 3- Improving the level of knowledge and qualification of educational guides. In the fifth identified dimension (school) three components were identified include: 1- Implementation of intelligence and talent tests 2- Academic records of students 3- Providing counseling and online tests. Finally in the sixth dimension (society) three components were identified include: 1- Considering the needs of the country 2- Guiding the student without compulsion, 3- Paying attention to the labor market. In general, our findings contribute to the development of an native model of educational guidance for use in the first period of secondary schools in Iran.

The overall purpose of this study was to analyze the factor structure of the scale of effectiveness of tourism education courses. The research method is descriptive methodology. The statistical population of the study included all participants in tourism education projects who were selected as a sample using simple random sampling based on Cochran's formula of 223 people. A researcher-made tool was designed based on a three-dimensional model of internal, external and institutional effectiveness. The scale consisted of 3 subscales and 27 items from the Likert five-choice range. In order to measure the validity of the scale, two methods of item analysis and confirmation factor analysis of the first and second order and to measure its reliability, Cronbach's alpha method was used, which showed the desired validity and reliability of the instrument. The results of item analysis indicated a significant correlation between each item and the corresponding dimension subscale. The result of the first and second order confirmatory factor analysis also showed that each item has a high validity to explain the relevant dimension and to explain the effectiveness of tourism training courses. Also, based on Cronbach's alpha values, the reliability of the scale and related subscales has been evaluated as desirable. Based on the findings of this study, it indicates that this scale can be used to measure the effectiveness of tourism education courses in internal, external and institutional dimensions. Therefore, planners and officials can use it to determine the effectiveness of tourism training courses.

The current study aimed to provide a model of professional competency of teachers in the e-learning environment. The research method was correlational, and the data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all male and female elementary school teachers in Qom city that 375 of whom were selected by stratified random sampling method. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated at a satisfactory level. Results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that seven dimensions of professional competency of teachers in the e-learning environment were confirmed. According to the results, these dimensions include educational (pedagogical), social, evaluation, technological, organizational, ethical and individual dimensions. Also, the model fit indices showed that the research model benefited from a good fit. Correspondingly, the model of professional competence of teachers in the electronic learning environment includes seven dimensions and 16 components. The findings can be used in the design of plans to improve the professional competence of teachers in e-learning environments.