درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This study intended to investigate the interplay of critical thinking explicit instruction, academic writing performance, critical thinking ability, and critical thinking dispositions of Iranian students. To this end, 140 students of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences (73 males and 67 females) were selected. They were divided into the experimental and control groups. Both groups received instruction in academic writing course for 15 weeks 3 hours per week. However, the experimental group received instruction integrated with critical thinking strategies. The students in both groups were administered pre- and post-instruction tests to examine the effectiveness of instruction. Three instruments were utilized in this study including, the researcher-developed essay test, Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test, and California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI). Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-test were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental and the control groups. The results also showed that some CCTDI subscales were not significantly different at the posttest such as, truth-seeking, cognitive maturity, and open- mindedness, whereas the mean posttest scores of other CCTDI subscales had significant difference such as, analyticity, CT inquisitiveness, CT self-confidence, and systematicity. The experimental group had a higher score in the academic writing test compared with the control group. Changes in students’ critical thinking ability, academic writing performance, and their critical thinking dispositions suggest that the CT techniques have been fruitful, and more efforts should be made to integrate the explicit instruction in critical thinking into academic courses.

"Ishfāq" is among the highest frequency words belonging to the semantic field of "fear" in the holy Quran. Nevertheless, a study of lexicographical and exegetical sources indicates that there is not enough knowledge concerning the semantic components of this term, and its differences with such words as Khawf and Khashiyyah considered close in meaning with the former. The present research is an attempt to trace the oldest history of the root "sh-f-q" in Semitic languages, making use of historical semantics methodology. Studying the semantic changes of this root towards the Quranic Arabic, this study seeks to reexamine its semantic components in the holy Quran. Although some Muslim lexicographers hold that there is a polysemy between the words "shafaq" meaning the redness of the horizon after sunset, and "Ishfāq", meaning fear, considering both from the same etymon, this study concludes that there is no etymological relation between the above-mentioned words, each having its own distinctive historical origin. "Ishfāq" involves two significant semantic components, i.e. fear and scarcity. It thus signifies a kind of fear emanating from scarcity of water, food, money, etc.