Iranian Journal of Learning and Memory

This study addresses the academic challenges faced by students with learning difficulties by examining the mediating role of psychological capital and achievement goals (mastery and performance) in the relationship between family emotional climate (FEC) and academic well-being. The study utilized a cross-sectional correlational design to assess contemporaneous associations between the investigated variables. The sample consisted of 150 high school students with a history of learning difficulties, selected from those who had recorded at special education centers in four districts of Ahvaz during elementary school. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires assessing FEC, psychological capital, achievement goals, and academic well-being. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the hypothesized relationships. This study identified positive associations between psychological capital, mastery goals, and academic well-being (p<0.01), while performance goals showed a negative link to well-being (p<0.01). Interestingly, a positive FEC fostered psychological capital and mastery goals but discouraged performance goals, with no direct effect on well-being (p<0.01). results revealed that psychological capital and achievement goals significantly mediated the positive relationship between FEC and academic well-being (p<0.01). In other words, FEC fostered students' psychological capital and mastery goals, which in turn, led to greater academic well-being. Interestingly, this analysis suggests that the beneficial effect of a positive family environment on academic well-being is achieved indirectly, through its influence on these psychological resources. These results suggest that supportive family environments promote academic success by fostering specific psychological resources, rather than directly impacting well-being.

Quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) quantitatively records brain wave oscillation changes in any brain activity. Beta waves are produced during brain consciousness when an external stimulus induces computation, reasoning, attention, and logical thinking. Accordingly, the present study tried to measure beta wave changes during writing to analyze the changes of beta oscillatory changes while performing a writing task at the intermediate level. The study followed a quantitative method with the quasi-experimental design. To meet the purpose, thirty foreign language learners (15 males and 15 females) participated in this study voluntarily. They were doing writing tasks while their brain waves were recorded in the F3, F4, and Fz brain regions by applying the QEEG technique. The results reported positive significant differences on beta oscillatory activities in these brain areas, indicating the effectiveness of writing task activities in enhancing attention. The study has implications for language teachers to manipulate creative writing tasks as compositions to enhance attention as a prerequisite of learning and, as a result, beta waves and for the TEFL scholars to apply interdisciplinary approaches to uncover the effects of different tasks on brain oscillatory activities.

The present study was conducted to investigate the mediating role of achievement anxiety in the relationship between perfectionism and cognitive flexibility in math learning in students. The study was correlational using structural equation modeling. The statistical population included senior high school female students in the academic year of 2022-2023. According to the obvious variables, allocation of 25 coefficients, and taking into account the incomplete questionnaires, 231 students were selected by convenience sampling. The instruments included Hewitt and Flett’s perfectionism (1991) questionnaire, Dennis and Vander Wal's cognitive flexibility (2010) questionnaire, and Alpert and Haber's achievement anxiety (1960) questionnaire. Also, the students’ math scores at the end of the semester were used to measure their math learning. The data were analyzed by Pearson's correlation coefficient test and structural equation modeling using SPSS18 and AMOS24 software. The results showed that perfectionism and achievement anxiety have a negative direct effect, and cognitive flexibility has a positive direct effect on math learning. Also, perfectionism and cognitive flexibility have an indirect effect on math learning through achievement anxiety. The research model was also confirmed and the result showed that the variable measurement models have a good fit and 41% of the math learning variance is explained by the research variables. The findings of this research can be beneficial for teaching and learning of students. With educational planning and helping students, their cognitive capacities and competencies can be increased and their mathematical learning can be effectively improved.

The purpose of this research was to design a personal brand digital storytelling learning model.The present research was conducted with a qualitative approach and research methods of content analysis and theme analysis. The research community is all the written sources, articles, books and researches related to the digital storytelling of personal brands in various scientific bases in the years 2000 to 2024 and all specialists and experts in the field of personal branding. The purposeful sampling method is of the criterion type and the criterion for determining the sample size is to reach the saturation volume. The data collection tool was a semi-structured interview and a researcher-made questionnaire. Qualitative analysis and thematic analysis were used to collect data. In this way, the theoretical foundations of storytelling were studied and analyzed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 experts from educational, commercial, and industrial fields familiar with personal brand storytelling at Allameh Tabataba'i University, and thematic analysis was done, and finally based on The model was created based on the data of content analysis and theme analysis. The research findings showed that the personal brand digital storytelling learning model has 4 dimensions: personal branding, personal brand storytelling, personal brand story content production, and personal brand story content evaluation, and includes 15 components and 57 indicators. The results showed that the personal brand digital storytelling learning model for students is a multi-dimensional and multi-component process and its realization demands the comprehensive attention of higher education officials and students.

This study introduces a model to test the impact of cultural intelligence (CQ) on the listening anxiety. In so doing, reflective thinking (RT) and language learning motivation (LLM) were considered as the predictor roles. To examine the model, a non-experimental correlation research design was adopted. To collect the data, four scales, Ang et al. (2007) CQ, Kim’s (2000) LA, Noels et al. (2000) LLM, and Kember et al. (2000) RT were distributed via Porsline online survey tool among EFL learners.  Following Byrne (2010) guidelines for the sample size, a sample of 250 (n= 117 male and n=133 female) students were randomly selected using a cluster random sampling method at multistage from 23 language institutes. Notably, each student was asked to fill out four questionnaires. Thus, a total of 1000 questionnaires were disseminated digitally via the portal. In total, 815 questionnaires were collected but 185 cases were deemed invalid during the initial examination process. The SEM analysis was performed using the SPSS and AMOS 21 software packages. The results showed that CQ, RT, and LLM made significant unique contributions as the predictors of LA, with a predictive power of (R2 = .47). Specifically, CQ, RT, and LLM collectively accounted for 47% of the variance in LA through both direct and indirect pathways. Accordingly, teachers may consider enhancing learners’ RT to foster listening skill. Besides, high level of CQ can help decrease anxiety in listening skills. The results and implications for reducing LA are further elaborated upon.

The current study examined the effectiveness of the educational Lego “More Math” on the mathematical progress, spatial understanding, working memory, and processing speed of students in female first grade of elementary school. female first-grade students. The research employed a quasi-experimental design incorporating a pre-test and post-test framework, with the inclusion of a control group. The population of this study consisted of female first-grade students studying in the schools of Tehran District 14 in the academic year 2022-2023. Among the available schools in District 14, Mihrab Girl’s Elementary School was selected as the sample. Then, 30 students were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental (15 students) and control (15 students) groups. The data were collected by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V), which consisted of ten sub-tests comprising five sub-scales for fluency, language comprehension, visual-spatial reasoning, processing speed, and working memory, and the teacher-made math test. The Lego More to Math educational protocol consisted of weekly training sessions over the course of 15 weeks, with each session lasting for 60 minutes. The data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses of covariance by SPSS26.The analysis revealed significant differences between groups for spatial perception (F = 1.48, p = 0.00, η² = 0.36), working memory (F = 12.13, p = 0.00, η² = 0.32), processing speed (F = 18.16, p = 0.00, η² = 0.42), and math progress (F = 5.78, p = 0.00, η² = 0.29, test power = 0.9), with non-significant pre-test results (p = 0.88) and significant group differences (F = 11.36, p = 0.00). The study demonstrated that the Lego "More to Math" educational program significantly enhanced first graders' mathematical progress, spatial understanding, working memory, and processing speed. These findings suggested that incorporating structured, play-based learning tools like Lego into early education effectively boosted cognitive and mathematical skills in young students