علی پاکدامن

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to assess and optimize the spatial model of access to family physician centers in Shiraz using the Geographic Information System (GIS Software). METHODS: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed in four stages in all family physician centers and clinics in Shiraz. In the first stage, a review study was performed to determine site selection criteria, and in the second stage, the criteria were prioritized and weighted using the method of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). In the third stage, the data were recorded in GIS Software, and finally, in the last stage, the spatial data were assigned to databases. FINDINGS: Based on the results, the field of geography with a weight of 0.549 was the most important area, and the criterion of population age structure with a weight of 0.451 assumed the most critical importance in the selection of appropriate sites for the establishment of family physician centers. According to Moran’s index (MI = 0.055), family physicians are randomly distributed in Shiraz, and about 20% of the population do not have standard access to family physician centers. CONCLUSION: As evidenced by the results of the current study, people living in the suburbs of Shiraz had far less access to family physician centers, as compared to those residing in central parts. Moreover, the spatial distribution of family physicians in Shiraz does not follow a specific pattern. It is necessary to plan and take effective measures to establish new centers or redistribute existing centers in accordance with the priorities obtained from the results of this study in an attempt to increase healthcare access in suburban areas using GIS and other related techniques.

The negotiated syllabus, also known as a learner-centered and process-oriented syllabus, was introduced as an alternative to a pre-determined syllabus a couple of decades ago. The review of the related studies shows the number of studies in the use of negotiated syllabus in English language teaching is scanty. This study aimed at delving into the impacts of the negotiated syllabus on undergraduate students’ reading comprehension, oral production, and the participants’ perspectives about the syllabus. A mixed-methods research design was employed. Data were collected through researcher-developed tests and an interview checklist. The quantitative section analyzed through independent samples-tests (p=0.05) verified that the negotiated syllabus had a significant effect on the experimental mean scores regarding reading comprehension and oral ability production. In addition, results of the qualitative phase indicated that the use of negotiated syllabus, despite some learner, teacher, and institute-related constraints, has some pedagogical advantages. In light of the results, teachers are recommended to minimize the limitations and implement the negotiated syllabus in teaching English programs to optimize the language learners’ motivation and language achievement.