درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The significance of assessment as a learning component has led to the development of a sound assessment system that supports the teaching and learning objectives. Achievement of learning assessment should prioritize assessment as learning (AaL) and assessment for learning (AfL) rather than the assessment of learning (AoL). The appropriate AaL and AfL have influenced the process of AoL. Almost all teachers in Indonesia have faced the challenge of implementing Aal and AfL. This study used a qualitative study to report English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' perceptions and challenges regarding technology-based AfL and AaL. The design of the study was content analysis using the coding procedure and the grounded theory framework as the analytical foundation. Data gathered involved conducting structured interviews with 60 EFL teachers from three central provinces within Indonesia. The findings revealed that EFL teachers in Indonesia had different perspectives about technology-based AfL and AaL as flourishing assessment approaches. Most of the EFL teachers' perceptions said that due to a lack of time, large classes, and lack of knowledge and training on technology-based AfL and AaL principles and practices in EFL contexts, implementation of technology-based AfL and AaL was viewed as challenging. The study has implications for EFL teachers and trainers in developing an instructional model of technology-based AfL and AaL.

Iran Language Institute (ILI) plays a crucial role in teaching English in Iran and offers a comprehensive Teacher Training Course (TTC) for the teachers before their being employed. Still, these teachers encounter difficulties in different areas, but there are few studies investigating the teaching challenges of EFL teachers teaching at ILI. Thus, this study investigated the teaching challenges of newly-hired and experienced teachers, teaching at different age levels. The data were gathered data through 100 classroom observation forms belonging to 18 kids’ teachers, 47 young-adults’ teachers, and 35 adults’ teachers (69 experienced and 31 newly-hired). We also interviewed with 5 kids’ teachers, 5 young-adults’ teachers, and 6 adults’ teachers. It was revealed that young-adults’ teachers faced fewer challenges than kids’ and adults’ teachers. Besides, experienced teachers encountered fewer problems than newly-hired teachers. The results of the observation forms were different from the interviews. However, time management was the only problem which was mentioned in the interviews, observation forms, and different age levels. According to the teachers, the reason behind these challenges was the intensive syllabus, old books and videos, and teachers’ having to follow a series of fixed teaching steps.

Considering that foreign language (FL) learning invokes a diverse brain network with different functions, this paper aims to discuss the activities proposed in a case study with a Brazilian participant with aphasia learning Japanese as a FL. We focus on the metalinguistic processes required from him to accomplish the Japanese tasks. The participant attended weekly sessions, one-hour per session, for seven months. The sessions were recorded and transcribed. Therefore, we explore the relation among language, brain, aphasia, and metalinguistic processes and embodied simulation in the context of FL learning activities. The results of this research support the idea that learning a FL might be a valuable technique for language intervention in aphasia.To our knowledge, this is the first work to address the FL learning by people with aphasia. Several questions still remain to be answered, such as the long-term effect of FL learning and the use of a broader variety of participants. However,  the findings of this study contribute to the discussion of language learning in aphasia rehabilitation.

The Iranian Distance Education Journal (IDEJ) is one of the most critical journals in electronic education that publishes articles in the field of distance education. This research aims to review and analyze the content and citations of IDEJ articles. The research method, content analysis, and citation were done using Excel and SPSS software. The research findings showed that 81 articles were published in 10 issues of this quarterly magazine, from number 1 of volume A to number 2 of volume 4. Findings show that 83 percent were written in groups, the rest were written individually, 54% were university faculty members, and Payam Noor University had the most significant number of authors. Quantitative methods were used more with 66%, the keyword "e-learning" with 14 repetitions had the most extensive range of articles, and three professors from Payam Noor University had the most significant articles. Also, some authors were from Brazil, Nigeria, and Alaska, and women are as active as men. Suggestions were also made to correct the deficiencies and develop the magazine.

Objective: The purpose of this research is to investigate facilitating factors in dealing with parenting challenges of 18 parents who have children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder. Methods: The research is a qualitative study. The context includes all parents referred to the Mofid psychiatric clinic of the Children's Medical Center in Tehran. The purposive and accessible sampling method was employed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews like the preliminary questions (1- What were your initial reasons for consulting a child psychiatrist? Please describe your experience in the doctor's office. Interviewee number 3: "The teacher and school counselor recommended that we see a psychiatrist"), main questions (1- What problems or challenges are you facing in your relationship with your child? What strategies are you adopting to deal with these challenges? Interviewee number 4: "I have accepted that many of my child's behaviors are unintentional and influenced by illness, and I must have more patience and tolerance towards them). Moreover, the qualitative data analysis of the study also utilized thematic analysis. Results: The findings showed that there are six main factors from the parent's point of view to overcoming the challenges related to their children: 1- Drug treatment, 2- Parents' personality traits, 3- Parents' awareness, 4- Parents' interaction and cooperation, 5- Lack of secrecy, 6- teachers and trainers’ roles. Conclusion: Therefore, parent awareness workshops about children's behavior and participation in parenting sessions, as well as parents' lack of secrecy and interaction with school, are the solutions that can be useful in facilitating overcoming parenting challenges.

This study investigates the effect of strategy training on EFL learners’ attitudes regarding the concept and applicability of critical thinking in an educational context. To achieve this goal,80 EFL learners were selected using convenience sampling and homogenized based on the Oxford Placement Test.They completed a questionnaire adapted from Stupple et al.(2017) to assess their attitudes toward critical thinking,which served as the pre-test. Subsequently,the participants were divided into experimental and control groups.The experimental group underwent strategy training over10 sessions,during which various strategies were explained, and participants practiced using them to solve problems and exchange feedback.Additionally,they discussed the applicability and challenges associated with critical thinking in an educational context.The control group received mainstream instruction.After the treatment,both groups completed the same critical thinking questionnaire as the posttest.Furthermore,qualitative interviews were conducted with participants from the experimental group to gain an in-depth understanding. The data analysis revealed significant changes in the attitudes of the experimental group.Overall,this study follows a quasi-experimental explanatory sequential mixed-method design “In nature,the data analysis showed that,in general,the attitudes of the experimental group had changed significantly in the post-test compared to the control group.However,there was no significant difference in the attitude of the experimental and control groups regarding the applicability of strategy training for improving critical thinking and their ability to deploy critical thinking effectively.The results of the interviews and the comment section showed that teachers’ theoretical knowledge and willingness,EFL learners’ preparedness, and educational factors play important roles in the successful implementation of strategy training for developing critical thinking among EFL learners.”

The present study examined the comparability of Paper-Based (PB) and Computer-Delivered (CD) IELTS in the academic module reading section, focusing on Iranian IELTS candidates' cognitive and metacognitive strategies. The study intended to determine if the delivery mode had any impact on the use of these strategies. To this aim, 200 upper-intermediate learners were randomly selected and divided into two groups to participate in the study under the two aforementioned test conditions. They completed a test-taking strategy survey under both test conditions. Moreover, five participants from each test condition group took part in think-aloud protocols. The quantitative data were analyzed by means of Independent-sample t-test and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) to test the research hypotheses. Content analysis of the think-aloud protocols was also conducted to identify the strategies employed by the IELTS candidates in both PB and CD formats. The results revealed that the PB group had a significantly higher mean than the CD group on the cognitive and metacognitive processes used in academic IELTS. However, the think-aloud protocols indicated that, in many cases, these differences were minimal, with cognitive and metacognitive processes being similarly employed across both formats. Moreover, significant differences were observed between the PB and CD groups in their reading test-taking strategies. The implications of these findings for test preparation and design are discussed.

In this research, due to the importance of investing and especially investing in the stock market, we predicted the stock price return on the stock exchange through the Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and Recursive Neural Network (RNN) of long-short term memory (LSTM). Then, to reduce the risk of decision-making, we compared the predictive power of these two models to determine a better model. The research variable is the stock price of the top 20 (in market cap) companies on the stock exchange for the period of the 11th Feb 2015 to 22th Jan 2022. We considered the data of the last 10 days as experimental data and the previous data as educational data. Initially, we calculated the mean and standard deviation of the prediction error of both models; these criteria had less value for the LSTM recursive neural network model than the ARIMA model. To measure the significance of this difference in predictive power, we used Harvey, Liborne, and New Bold tests. The results showed that in predicting the stock prices of the top 20 companies of the stock exchange, the predictive power of the LSTM recursive neural network model was statistically and significantly higher than the ARIMA model which means better predition of stock prices and higher return for investors. In the end, it is believed that the LSTM model may have the best predictive ability, but it is greatly affected by the data processing.

Throughout the history, one of the concerns of human beings has been death. The death and the rituals associated with it have created enduring traditions in human societies, with each having its own unique rite based on prevailing cultural and historical characteristics. One of the important traditions related to death is burial practices with varying rituals. Different faiths and religions recommend different commands and traditions for the disposal of a deceased body, with one being burial in the ground. Burial methods, too, differ in different religions, and throughout history, various methods of burial have been performed based on the prevalent rituals and religions of the time. In Zoroastrian, due to the reverence of the four elements (water, earth, fire, and air), any direct contact with a human corpse, which is considered impure, is forbidden. Followers of the Zoroastrian faith have adopted various methods for burying their deceased, including placing them in astōdān (ossuary), towers of silence, and constructing large stone graves (dakhmas/ cairn burials). This paper introduces the cairn burials (khereft-khaneh) and an astōdān (sotōdān) that were found during the archaeological survey of Harat district of Yazd province in 2021. In the archaeological survey of Harat, various cultural and historical sites from different periods were identified. Most of the identified sites in this survey belonged to the Islamic era, but some are referred to historical period, such as cairn burials and an astōdān (ossuary), which will be discussed in this study. Based on comparative studies and similar burial methods found in central Iran, Fars, and Kerman, these sites are dated back to the historical period (Parthian/Sasanian).