درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The development of sports infrastructure is crucial for promoting sports culture in society; however, this process is challenged by a lack of financial resources. Donors can complement government resources by financing and accelerating sports projects, but utilizing their capacity faces obstacles. The present study aimed to identify barriers to utilizing donors' capacity in developing sports infrastructure in Iran. This study employed a qualitative content analysis method using the thematic analysis technique, which is exploratory in nature. The research population included sports experts, managers, and individuals active in the field of sports philanthropy. Sampling was conducted through purposive and snowball methods, reaching theoretical saturation after 17 interviews. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews conducted through direct communication and telephone calls. To assess validity and reliability, acceptability, transferability, confirmability, and test-retest methods were used. Data analysis yielded 52 open codes, categorized into 17 sub-themes and 6 main themes: organizational barriers, planning and management barriers, legal barriers, cultural barriers, economic barriers, and awareness and educational barriers. The present findings can serve as a crucial guide for sports organizations and the government in identifying barriers to utilize donors' capacity in developing sports infrastructure, thereby facilitating improved actual performance in this domain.

This article delved into the realm of EFL assessment in Iraq by investigating the beliefs of Iraqi EFL teachers about assessment practices they employed in their classroom and determining whether there was any congruency between their beliefs and actual assessment practices. For this purpose, 140 experienced Iraqi EFL teachers were selected by convenience sampling and the data were collected by the Teachers’ Assessment Practices Belief Questionnaire and the Teachers’ Assessment Practices Questionnaire. The findings of Pearson correlation and descriptive analysis revealed that the cognitive level of assessments (e.g., reasoning and application), types of assessments (e.g., portfolios and concept mapping), and evaluation criteria (e.g., improvement and student effort) were highly valued by the teachers. Regarding assessment practices in the classroom, the participants reported obtaining, elucidating, and responding to learning evidence and assisting students to acquire a positive orientation of learning (making learning explicit). Promoting learning autonomy (an expanded opportunity to assume increased autonomy in defining their learning goals and evaluating both their work and that of their peers) was also found in the teachers’ reports. Besides, an interest in assisting students adhere to performance goals stipulated by the curriculum using careful questioning and assessed by scores and grades (performance orientation). Implications and suggestions of the study are discussed in the article.

Katja Föllmer was born on October 17, 1974. She was a senior researcher and lecturer at the University of Göttingen. Katja Föllmer studied Iranian Studies, Arabic Studies, and Ethnology at the University of Göttingen between 1993 and 2002, earning a Master of Arts degree. Katja Föllmer received her doctorate in Iranian Studies in 2007 with a thesis on “Satire im Iran von 1900 – 2000: Eine Analyse exemplarischer Texte” (Satire in Iran from 1900 to 2000: An Analysis of Exemplary Texts) (Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden; 2008), and her habilitation in Iranian Studies in 2017 with a thesis on “Das vorislamische Erbe Irans: Zwischen Tradition und Reform und Modernisierung” (The Pre-Islamic Heritage of Iran: Between Tradition and Reform and Modernization) (Kohlhammer, Stuttgart, 2022).Her research interests include concepts and ideas from the pre-Islamic heritage in Iranian societies, issues in Iranian cultural and religious history from antiquity to the present, Persian historiography, identity construction, classical and modern Persian literature, and Sufism and Persian Sufi literature.Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr (The Conference of the Birds or Speech of the Birds) is a Persian poem by Farid ud-Din Attar, translated into German as Die Konferenz der Vögel by Katja Föllmer (2014). She published Satire in Iran Von 1990 Bis 2000: Eine Analyse Emplarischer Texte (Satire in Iran from 1990 to 2000: An Analysis of Empirical Texts) (2008); and also, Das Vorislamische Erbe Irans: Zwischen Islamischer Tradition Und Reform Und Modernisierung (Iran’s Pre-Islamic Heritage: Between Islamic Tradition and Reform and Modernization) (2022).Dr. Katja Föllmer passed away on June 11, 2025, at the age of 50. May her soul rest in peace.