Iranian Journal of Learning and Memory

This study aimed at scrutinizing the mediating role of critical thinking in relation to higher education students' metacognition and self-efficacy in Islamic Azad University, Nourabad Mamasani. Samples were collected through random sampling method and it was equal to 248. Instruments used in this study were three standard questionnaires including critical thinking, metacognition and self-efficacy. Cronbach's alpha was employed to estimate the instruments’ reliability, based on which critical thinking was found to be 0.88, metacognition 0.89 and self-efficacy 0.87.  Findings revealed that meta-cognition could significantly predict students' self-efficacy and critical thinking. Also, it was found that meta-cognition and critical thinking could significantly predict students’ self-efficacy. This study also showed that critical thinking had a mediating role in relation to students’ meta-cognition and self-efficacy. The dimensions of meta-cognition and critical thinking could significantly predict students’ self-efficacy.

This research was an applied research using mixed method design. In the qualitative approach, Delphi method is used by referring to 20 academic and educational experts selected by purposeful method. In this study, 381 participants were selected by stratified sampling method with appropriate allocation. Face validity is used for validation. Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient was higher than 0.8, indicating high reliability of the research instrument. The results identified 4 dimensions including; individual, communicative, organizational, professional, and 32 components for competency model of Mashhad 7 districts educational managers. Also, the communicative dimension and conceptual skill were determined as the most important ones. It was also revealed that the confirmed succession planning model of educational managers of 7 districts of Mashhad Ministry of Education involved three dimensions of volunteer evaluation, volunteer training and assessment of effectiveness with 6 components. Volunteer training dimension and individual performance evaluation and process components are of utmost importance. In competency model of Mashhad 7 districts educational managers based on a succession planning approach, competency plays an important role of 58% in succession planning.

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of yoga training with emotion regulation training on students' working memory and cognitive flexibility. The research methodology was quasi-experimental designed as pretest and posttest with control and follow-up groups. Entire second-grade female high schoolers in the 2nd District of Tehran, during 2018-19 academic year, constituted study’s statistical population, of whom 54 students were chosen using cluster random sampling method, and randomly assigned into three groups. The pretest of N-back and Denis and Wenderval’s cognitive flexibility (2010) was administered for all three groups; and then the experimental groups received yoga training and emotion regulation intervention and finally posttest was implemented followed by 4-week follow-up test. Data analysis used by analysis of variance with repeated measurements exhibited that, both trainings significantly resulted in an increase in components of Different recognition and recognition time of working memory and cognitive flexibility (p≤/001). Yoga training had more effect on the component of different recognition and psychological flexibility than on emotional regulation training (p≤/001), while the impact of both two interventions had not a significant difference on the component of recognition time.

This study aimed at determining the effect of cathodal Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation (c-tDCS) of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) on learning simple volleyball serves. This semi-experimental study was performed as pre-test and post-test with a control group. Thirty male volleyball players with an average age of 14±0.50 years were selected through purposeful sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The participants were randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. During eight consecutive sessions, the left DLPFC of participants was stimulated for 10 min using sham and real c-tDCS of 1.5 mA before each session. The participants then performed 35 simple volleyball serves. Absolute error and total variability of participants' performance in pre-test, in the first, third and eighth sessions were recorded. Data analysis by repeated-measures showed that there was a significant difference between absolute error (F=14.597, P = 0.001) and total variability (F=17.523, P = 0.001) of experimental and control group performance. ANCOVA showed that absolute error and total variability of the experimental group performance was respectively (P = 0.013 and P = 0.018) in the first session, (P = 0.021 and P = 0.007) in the third session and (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001) in the eighth session, which were significantly higher than that in the control group. Thus, it seems that c-tDCS of DLPFC is associated with reduced declarative memory activity in the cognitive stage leading to a negative impact on serve learning in beginner volleyball learners.

The present study aimed to develop a model of identity styles based on emotional intelligence with the mediating role of self-concept. The statistical population of this study was 310 first and second-grade high school female students of Tehran in the academic year of 2018-2019. Standard questionnaires of Bar-On (1997) emotional intelligence, Berzonsky (1992) identity style, and Karami (2008) self-concept were used through structural equation modeling for analyzing data collected. The results showed that emotional intelligence had a positive relationship with normative identity, informational and commitment styles in high-school female students. On the other hand, it was found that self-concept has a positive relationship with commitment and informational identity styles and a negative relationship with diffuse identity style.Finally, regarding the mediating role of self-concept, the results showed that it mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and commitment and informational identity styles positively, whereas negatively mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and diffuse identity style. The results can be used to improve the social and individual status of students through the use of self-concept classes and workshops for students to enhance their level of critical thinking, as well as to change the attitude of families and society toward education on how to treat with their children.

This study aimed at uncovering the extent to which the content of reading section of English Proficiency Test (EPT) engages the critical thinking.  The corpus of this research included 16 reading comprehension texts among 24 recent tests, and totally 600 cases were randomly selected and analyzed based on Rummy’s content analysis method in terms of critical thinking.  The content of the reading comprehension texts was examined in four general dimensions. Using William Rummy's content analysis method, the reading comprehension texts, pictures, questions, and activities were scrutinized through a comprehensive quantitative analysis. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for each category and the data were analyzed by using Rummy’s formula. The findings revealed that the reading comprehension content, questions, and activities of the EPT did not enhance critical thinking in respondents. Since Rummy’s model includes picture categories benefited from criteria of critical thinking, the texts were also studied to see if the pictures benefited from the criteria of critical thinking based on Rummy’s content analysis method. It was cleared that there was no picture in the reading sections of the EPT.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of meta-cognitive education on teaching-learning strategies of gifted high school students in Ardabil city. This quasi-experimental study was conducted considering two groups: one control group and one experimental group, including a pretest and a posttest design. The sample of the study consisted of 40 students of Ardabil city in 2017. The 40 students were selected from the community using random sampling method and were randomly divided into two groups: one experimental group and one control group (20 people in each). Pre-test and post-test were performed by Weinstein teaching-learning strategies, for both groups. The experimental group was trained by the meta-cognitive training program and the control group did not receive any training. Pre-test and post-test results were analyzed using inferential statistics and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA). Findings showed that meta-cognitive training enhances teaching and learning qualities, also the effectiveness of meta-cognitive training on most components of teaching-learning strategies including test and information processing strategies, attitude, motivation, time management, self-testing, study guidance and effective focus was crystal clear. Although the status of these components improved in the experimental group, but was meaningless on the anxiety components and the choice of the main idea.