Iranian Journal of Learning and Memory

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-directed learning (SDL) and problem solving, with a focus on the mediating role of self-regulated learning (SRL) and the moderating role of gender among Iraqi university students. Method: A correlational research design was employed. The statistical population included all the students of Qadisiyah University in Iraq in the academic year 2023-2024. A sample of 300 students were selected using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using the Problem-Solving Inventory (Cassidy & Long, 1996), The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (Cheng, Kuo, Lin & Lee-Hsieh, 2010), and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990). Data was analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SPSS and AMOS software. Results: The results indicated a good model fit. SDL had a direct impact on problem solving. Additionally, SRL partially mediated the relationship between SDL and problem solving. However, gender did not significantly moderate the relationship between SRL and problem solving. Conclusions: The findings suggest that increasing SDL and SRL among students can enhance their problem-solving skills.

This study investigated the effectiveness of problem-solving skills in learning self-regulation and achievement motivation in twelfth-grade female students with exam anxiety in Tabriz. The present study was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test-follow-up study with a control group. From the population of 12th-grade female students with test anxiety in Tabriz city, 30 were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling and random assignment. All the studied sample members completed the self-regulated learning questionnaires of Lau & Jong (2022) and motivation to push through Lang and Fries (2006) in the pre-test-post-test-follow-up phases. The experimental group was exposed to the problem-solving skills package of D'Zurilla and Goldfried (1971) and was included in six 90-minute sessions over two months. Multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measurements was used to analyze the data using SPSS27 statistical software. The results showed significant differences in learning self-regulation achievement motivation in the experimental and control groups' pre-test/post-test and follow-up groups. After applying the independent variable (problem-solving skills), the experimental group obtained higher scores in the criterion variables than the control group. This effect remained in the follow-up period. This study's findings are significant, reassuring educators and psychologists that problem-solving skills can improve self-regulation and achievement motivation in students with anxiety.

Objective: This research aimed to investigate the relationships between future self-continuity, savoring beliefs, and academic procrastination with the academic grit of Urmia University students in the 2023-2024 academic year. Method: This was descriptive and correlational research. The study's statistical population consisted of all Urmia University students in the academic year 2023-2024 (N=13,000). A total of 393 students were selected through convenience sampling. The data collection tools included the Future Self-Continuity Questionnaire (FSCQ) (2020), the Savoring Beliefs Inventory (SBI) (2003), the Academic Procrastination Questionnaire (APQ) (2012), and the Academic Grit Scale (AGS) (2017). Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used for data analysis. Results: The results of the data analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between future self-continuity and savoring beliefs with students’ academic grit, and a significant negative relationship between academic procrastination and academic grit (P<0.01). Moreover, based on the results of multiple regression analysis, future self-continuity had the highest predictive power (β=0.304) for academic grit in students. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, strengthening future self-continuity, savoring beliefs, and skills for reducing academic procrastination is recommended to enhance the academic grit of students.

Objectives: Task-based speaking courses have gained prominence in language education as an effective approach to enhancing communication skills and learner engagement. By focusing on tasks and interactions, these courses not only promote language proficiency but also foster collaboration among students. The present study was to find whether motivation and anxiety predicted the Iranian EFL learners’ progress in task-based speaking courses. Methods: A total number of 120 intermediate Iranian EFL learners of Safir-e-Andisheh Language Institute in Isfahan, Iran, were selected by convenience sampling following the administration of the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). Afterward, a ten-session task-based speaking training was conducted using the speaking tasks presented in American English File-Book 2. The data were collected using the Motivation in Foreign-Language Learning Questionnaire, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, and a speaking test. A speaking assessment rubric, comprising vocabulary, grammar, intonation, pronunciation, and fluency, was used to assess speaking on a scale of 1-10. The obtained data were analyzed by standard multiple regression. Results: The findings revealed that interest in foreign languages, pragmatic benefits, and English for professional reputation predicted the speaking progress of EFL learners; furthermore, communication apprehension and fear of negative evaluation significantly predicted the speaking progress of EFL learners. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study highlights the significant role of both motivation and anxiety in predicting the progress of Iranian EFL learners in task-based speaking courses. By understanding these factors, educators can better design programs that enhance learner engagement and improve speaking proficiency.

This research explores metaphors of temporal concepts within the novel "The Fig Tree of Temples," utilizing cognitive semantics regarding time. This concept manifests in concrete representations of places and objects in literature and poetry, rendering temporal concepts objective and comprehensible. The study employed a qualitative approach to examine metaphors associated with temporal concepts, dividing the analysis into primary and secondary temporal concepts understood through cognitive semantics. The novel was authored by Mahmoud in 1979. The investigation focused on identifying source and target terms within the metaphors of temporal concepts, assessing their frequency, and analyzing the sentences that featured these temporal concept mappings. Ultimately, a total of 1137 mappings were identified and categorized into 12 domains of source and target metaphorical concepts related to temporal concepts, following the theoretical framework established by Evans and Green (2006). The findings indicated that temporal concepts-motion mappings, particularly those related to temporal concepts sequence, exhibited the highest frequency, while observer-motion temporal mappings were the least frequent. Additionally, the occurrence of primary temporal concepts was found to be lower than that of secondary temporal concepts. The implications of findings are expected to enhance readers' comprehension of novels that incorporate metaphorical representations of temporal concepts, thereby fostering a semantic understanding of narrative coherence.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to introduce and validate a tool for measuring students' individual agency. Method: The research was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included 1364 student-teachers at Farhangian University, Kurdistan Province. A sample of 271 students was selected using systematic random sampling. Data was collected using the Individual Resources subscale of the Student Agency Scale (Jääskelä et al., 2017). The subscale has 28 items spread across four dimensions: participation activity, interest and motivation, self-efficacy, and competence beliefs. The questionnaire was translated into Persian, and semantic consistency with the original version was confirmed using the back-translation method. Subsequently, the face validity of tool was verified based on expert evaluations. Data analysis involved first- and second-order confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity, Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, and a one-sample t-test. Data analysis software included SPSS19 and Amos23. Results: The first-order factor analysis results indicated that the questionnaire items (after removing three items) could appropriately describe the latent variables. The second-order factor analysis results also revealed that the questionnaire items could be reduced to four components: activity engagement, interest and motivation, self-efficacy, and competence beliefs (RMSEA: .047; CFI: .93). The average variance extracted was 0.55, confirming convergent validity. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.87, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the subscales ranged from 0.64 to 0.82. The composite reliability was 0.82. Results also indicated a high level of individual agency among student-teachers at Farhangian University (p < .05).