درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This study explores the emotional and psychological impact of assistive technologies on adolescents with visual impairments. A qualitative research design was employed using semi-structured interviews with 20 adolescents with visual impairments recruited through online platforms. Theoretical saturation guided data collection, and NVivo software was used for thematic analysis. The study examined participants’ emotional responses, psychological adaptation, and the social and educational impacts of assistive technology use. The results revealed that while assistive technologies enhanced empowerment, independence, and self-esteem, they also introduced challenges such as frustration, technological overwhelm, and social stigma. Many participants reported emotional attachment to their assistive devices, highlighting their role in fostering confidence and reducing dependence. However, rapid technological advancements contributed to anxiety and stress, particularly when transitioning to new tools. Psychological adaptation strategies included trial-and-error learning, seeking technical support, and developing resilience. Social support from parents, teachers, and peers played a crucial role in shaping participants’ experiences, with inadequate support leading to increased frustration. The digital divide further influenced participants’ emotional well-being, as access to advanced assistive technologies varied across socioeconomic backgrounds, impacting academic performance and social inclusion. Assistive technologies significantly shape the emotional and psychological well-being of adolescents with visual impairments by promoting independence and confidence while also posing adaptation challenges. The findings highlight the need for better accessibility training for educators, increased social support, and user-centered technological designs to reduce cognitive load and frustration. Bridging the digital divide is essential to ensure equitable access to advanced assistive technologies, fostering positive developmental outcomes for visually impaired adolescents.

Social well-being is an important aspect of health that has not been given due attention so far. Especially in the teachers' group, who play an important role in nurturing the country's future leaders, and the need to pay attention to this issue is felt. Accordingly, the aim of the present study is to determine the role of optimism and self-compassion in teachers' social well-being. The method of conducting the research was descriptive correlational research. The statistical population of this study consisted of all teachers (male and female) in the primary school of Nimroz city, of whom 148 people were selected using a random stratified sampling method according to the Cochran formula. The research tools used were three questionnaires: optimism (Scheyer and Carver, 1985), self-compassion (Neff et al., 2012), and social well-being (Keyes, 2011). Linear and stepwise regression, Pearson correlation coefficient, were used to analyze the research hypotheses. The results showed that optimism and self-compassion were able to significantly predict the social well-being of teachers in Nimroz city. Among the components of optimism, the component of intrinsic optimism and among the components of self-compassion, the component of self-kindness played the most important role in the social well-being of teachers. Also, a significant relationship was observed between optimism and self-compassion and its components with the social well-being of teachers.

 This study examined the predictive role of fiction reading and emotional intelligence (EI) on empathy, with mindfulness as a mediator. A sample of 300 participants (60% female; *M* age = 20.3 years) completed validated scales: Fiction Reading Frequency (1–5), Wong and Law’s EI Scale (30–150), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (15–90), and the Jefferson Empathy Scale (20–100). Path analysis was conducted using PROCESS Macro (Model 4) with 5,000 bootstrap samples. Both fiction reading (β = .32, *p* < .001) and EI (β = .42, *p* < .001) directly predicted empathy. Mindfulness partially mediated these relationships: - Fiction reading → Mindfulness → Empathy: β indirect = .10, 95% CI [.04, .16] - EI → Mindfulness → Empathy: β indirect = .17, 95% CI [.10, .25] The full model explained 58% of empathy variance (*R*² = .58). Significant correlations emerged between all variables (*r* = .32–.67, *p* < .01). Fiction reading and EI enhance empathy both directly and indirectly *via* mindfulness. This underscores mindfulness as a mechanism for translating cognitive-emotional skills into empathic capacities. Recommendations include integrating fiction-based modules into empathy training programs.

This study examines the pragmatic strategies employed by Arab and Western politicians in shaping public opinion regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By analyzing political speeches and media statements, the research reveals a distinct contrast in rhetorical approaches between the two groups. Arab politicians predominantly use emotionally charged language and accusatory rhetoric, framing Israel as the aggressor and appealing to cultural and ideological sentiments that resonate with their domestic audiences. In contrast, Western politicians adopt a more neutral, diplomatic tone, focusing on cooperation and peaceful negotiations to navigate complex geopolitical interests. The findings confirm that these divergent strategies significantly influence public sentiment, with Arab leaders mobilizing strong support for Palestine, while Western leaders attempt to maintain international alliances by promoting balance and compromise. This study contributes to the fields of political pragmatics, cross-cultural communication, and conflict resolution by highlighting the role of language in shaping public perceptions and policy decisions. The research emphasizes the need for policymakers to consider cultural differences in political communication, offering an understanding to develop more effective communication strategies for international diplomacy. This study examines the pragmatic strategies employed by Arab and Western politicians in shaping public opinion regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By analyzing political speeches and media statements, the research reveals a distinct contrast in rhetorical approaches between the two groups.

based on the peculiarities of developing AI technology, learning English among EFL learners has become easier and the significance of studying the way English skills interact with AI technology such as Chat-GPT, and EFL learners’ internal and social factors have become highly important. Social factors include may greatly affect the problem-solving skills of the students. It might also lead to a decline in students' writing skills as they rely on the model to generate content rather than developing their own communication abilities. Social factors might include issues related to job or individual growth. Adopting a transformative learning ground, the present study attempted to use a qualitative-method approach to investigate how EFL learners experience AI, on one hand, and how they perceive Chat-GPT in this process through understanding changes in their job, attitudes toward themselves and etc, on the other hand. This study is based on a detailed investigation of the learning experiences of 46 Iranian EFL learners (intermediate and upper intermediate level) from Qom and Tehran provinces; selected based on convenience sampling procedure. Semi-structured interviews were used as the primary data collection method. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the recorded and transcribed data and theme extraction, which combined with an abductive approach helped derive broader meaning. The results indicated an overall positive perception of Chat-GPT among the participants

In this paper, the researcher intends to show the Fantasy world, like the real world, suffers from racial issues and cultural diversities as well. Moreover, the main claim of this article is to depict that the tensions and battles that exist in the selected novels are the result of diaspora, dislocation, and cultural diversities as the subjects attempt to adjust or fail to adapt themselves. In this research, Hall’s theory is used as the main framework. In the selected works Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the idea of dislocation is the dominant notion among the characters of the story. The characters might not belong to a specific region while they live there and they would not be accepted by the other character. Consequently, they become confused about their own identity and regard themselves as hybrid subjects. This means that the notion of hybrid identity is dominant among several characters in the series. Consequently, the characters have different features that might be contradictory. ecocriticism has other disciplines such as environmental justice and deep ecology that remain open to trace them in the selected novels. In addition, applying other approaches, such as psychoanalysis, to the novels could also be beneficial, since when searching for the purpose of this study, many interesting issues on the novels and discussions can be read.

The present study aimed to examine the Iranian high school teachers’ perceptions towards the new English textbook named Vision 1 and tried to find the level of these textbooks' communicative aspects based on the teachers' perceptions. To do so, one hundred participants were selected based on convenience random sampling, including 65 male and 35 female Iranian EFL teachers. To collect teachers' perspectives on Vision 1 , a questionnaire, adapted from a similar previous study (Razmjoo, 2010), was used. To gain more valid data and to triangulate the data, a semi-structured interview was also conducted with 25 teachers. The results indicated that Vision 1 was considered poor in terms of vocabulary, writing, and critical discourse analysis components by most teachers, but they rated it appropriate in terms of structure, reading, listening, and speaking tasks. The general methodological considerations of Vision 1 were perceived to be good, but some believed that they were poor. The findings of the interview revealed that the participants agreed that Vision 1 is based on the approach of CLT. Notwithstanding, they argued that this method has not been properly operationalized in the content of the book. The teachers pointed out that Vision 1 has some features like conversations and pronunciation practices, which are beneficial for developing the communicative competence of the students. The results have implications for teachers and materials writers as well as the policy makers.

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the culture of virtual education in Iranian higher education, focusing on the lived experiences of 31 professors and students. Employing structured interviews and thematic analysis, the research identified one overarching theme and six primary subcultures: interaction and communication, scientific and academic processes, emotional dynamics, exclusion, acceptance, and neutrality. The findings revealed that virtual education reshapes traditional academic norms by enabling wider scientific communication, reducing knowledge monopolies, and increasing collaboration across institutions. However, challenges such as diminished emotional connections, weakened academic commitment, increased superficial learning, and reduced in-person engagement also emerge. Students' and professors' attitudes toward virtual education varied, ranging from full acceptance to indifference. These orientations are influenced by personal values, learning styles, technological familiarity, and institutional support. While virtual education fosters academic freedom and access, it simultaneously disrupts emotional and spatial dimensions of learning environments. The study concludes that understanding the cultural dimensions of virtual education is crucial for policymakers and educators to enhance its effectiveness. Tailoring educational planning to account for emotional, structural, and communicative factors will be essential in ensuring the long-term sustainability and equity of virtual education in higher education contexts.

This study was an attempt to enlighten the wave of teaching English reading comprehension in Iranian EFL classrooms. Thus, the current study aimed to explore the effect of using the mapping note-taking method on the reading comprehension ability of Iranian intermediate EFL learners, as well as gender differences. To do so, a quantitative design was tested in a quasi-experimental study. To collect data, two intact classes consisting of 15 learners in each class of a language institute in Shiraz were selected through convenience sampling. The instruments used to collect data were two parallel tests: a pre-test and a post-test. The data collection procedures lasted approximately three months, comprising 22 sessions. Besides, the data were analyzed through the use of the 26th version of SPSS software, and by running descriptive statistics, tests of homogeneity of variances (Levene’s test), tests of normality, and T-tests (Independent Samples T-test and Paired-Sample T-test). The results revealed that the learners who were exposed to the mapping note-taking method (experimental group) differed significantly from the control group who were taught through the conventional method, taking notes just in the learners’ own way, and writing the words and their meaning without using any specific method of note-taking. In other words, the learners who were in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group concerning their reading comprehension ability, but the learners’ gender made no difference.

This study examines the employment of self-praise in online celebrity culture, particularly the self-presentation strategies adopted by male and female English and Iraqi celebrities on social media. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of self-presentation, politeness theory, and self-praise, the study examines how male and female celebrities employ self-praise to negotiate their public images, engage with audiences, and enhance their market value. By examining posts on Instagram, Twitter, and Weibo, this study identifies prevalent self-praise strategies, such as explicit self-praise, adapted self-praise, and implicit self-praise, and draws attention to the affordances of platforms like hashtags, character limits, and multimodal content that influence these strategies. Further, this study investigates the degree to which cultural norms, primarily of individualism and collectivism, inform male and female celebrities' practice and perception of self-praise in different cultural settings. The findings suggest that as a global platform for celebrity branding and social validation, self-praise is grounded in the cultural expectations and affordances of given platforms. This study adds to the knowledge of self-presentation in the digital era and offers insights into the intersection of self-praise, gender, celebrity culture, and social media.

This study scrutinized the probable significant relationships among Iranian EFL learners’ academic self-efficacy, metacognitive reading strategies, and reading comprehension test performance. Relevantly, the significant predicting roles of the learners’ metacognitive reading strategies as well as academic self-efficacy for reading achievement were statistically investigated, increasing the depth of the study. Furthermore, the probable significant differences between the learners’ academic self-efficacy as well as the utilization of metacognitive reading strategies were investigated across three reading proficiency levels. To this end, 100 BA students, majoring in English Language Teaching at Islamic Azad University-Neyshabur Branch-Iran participated. Three standard instruments were employed, including academic self-efficacy and metacognitive reading strategies questionnaires along with the reading comprehension section of a TOEFL test. The study followed a quantitative correlational design. Since the normality of data was proved, the parametric statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, multiple regression analyses, and one-way analysis of variance were employed. The findings demonstrated significant positive relationships among the learners’ reading achievement, academic self-efficacy, and utilization of metacognitive reading strategies. In addition, it was found that metacognitive reading strategies can better predict reading comprehension than the learners’ academic self-efficacy. Academic self-efficacy was also proved as a significant predictor of the learners’ utilization of overall metacognitive reading strategies. No significant differences were proved between three proficiency levels in the utilization of metacognitive reading strategies as well as academic self-efficacy. The findings have some insightful pedagogical implications as well as some useful hints for language teachers and syllabus designers.