درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Background and purpose: Caffeine is a widely used and available physiological stimulant that is effective in sports performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of caffeine consumption and exercise on fatigue and cardiovascular responses in active men.Materials and methods: The statistical population of this research was made up of all male students of physical education in the age range of 19 to 27 years with at least three activity sessions per week. 15 of them were selected as subjects and they performed the exercise protocol in two stages (the first stage by eating placebo and the second stage by eating coffee). Subjects consumed 5 mg/kg of coffee in the first session under placebo conditions, and in the second session, subjects consumed 5 mg/kg of coffee one hour before the test. Blood samples were collected before taking placebo or caffeine and after the test. Findings: The results of the correlated t-test showed that the consumption of caffeine supplements significantly increased the time to reach fatigue and the index of oxygen consumption after exercise. In general, it can be said that active men can use 6 mg/kg of caffeine supplement one hour before sports activity to improve the time to reach fatigue.

This study aims to explore the impact of social support networks on the mental health of gifted students. The study utilized a qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach to capture the lived experiences of gifted students. Twenty-seven participants aged 12 to 18 were recruited from diverse educational settings through purposive sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, which provided in-depth insights into the participants' perceptions of social support and its impact on their mental health. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically, with themes emerging through iterative coding and constant comparison until theoretical saturation was achieved. The findings revealed that emotional, academic, and peer support are critical for the mental health of gifted students. Family support, characterized by parental encouragement and emotional reassurance, and peer support, through empathetic friendships and social inclusion, were particularly significant. Teacher support also played a crucial role in addressing both academic and emotional needs. However, several barriers to support were identified, including stigma, lack of resources, overemphasis on achievement, peer competition, and reluctance to seek help. These barriers exacerbate feelings of isolation and stress, impacting the overall well-being of gifted students. Social support networks are essential in mitigating the challenges faced by gifted students and promoting their mental health. Creating inclusive and supportive environments in educational settings, addressing barriers, and providing targeted interventions can enhance the well-being of gifted individuals. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies and the intersectionality of giftedness with other demographic factors to develop comprehensive support strategies.

In order to cater for the ever-increasing demand for learning English, private language institutes have mushroomed across Iran. These institutes adopt different policies such as designing their own Teacher Training Course (TTC), following the syllabus of Certificate for Teaching English to Adults (CELTA), or localizing it for the Iranian context to train competent English teachers. Surprisingly, there exists little research evaluating these TTC's or investigating if localizing CELTA is an effective strategy for the Iranian context. This study aimed to fill this gap by delineating the steps taken by a widely-known Iranian language institute in localizing CELTA for the Iranian context, and secondly to determine if the teachers were satisfied with this localized TTC. Data collected through the websites and interviews were subjected to conceptual content analysis; while the data mined through evaluation questionnaires were analysed through quantitative descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that the Iranianized TTC suffered from discrepancies such as unreliable selection of the participants, lack of opportunities for teaching practices, not observing experienced teachers' classes, and focusing on received rather than experiential knowledge. These findings are discussed, and a number of practical suggestions are offered to improve the Iranian TTC.