Iranian Journal of Learning and Memory

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of metacognitive strategies on improving educational processes. The study focused on reviewing prior research to highlight the effectiveness of these strategies in enhancing students' learning and academic performance. Specifically, it emphasized the roles of teachers, learners, and curriculum in this context. Method: The present study employed a systematic review methodology, following a narrative structure. The review process adhered to the four-stage model proposed by Okoli and Schabram (2015), with the second stage involving Silva’s (2015) selection procedure for article inclusion. A total of 50 scholarly articles were systematically reviewed, sourced from international databases such as Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, JSTOR, Springer, ProQuest, and ERIC, as well as national databases, including IranDoc, Magiran, Noormags, and SID database. Results: The findings of this study revealed several key results: 1) For learners, metacognitive strategies were found to significantly enhance academic performance, motivation, self-efficacy, reading comprehension, and problem-solving skills.2) For teachers, metacognitive awareness contributed to more effective classroom management, reflective teaching practices, and the ability to adapt instruction to students’ needs.3) For curriculum design, the integration of metacognitive strategies into learning objectives, teaching methods, assessments, and content areas led to improved instructional quality and adaptability. Conclusions The study concluded that metacognitive strategies are essential not only for fostering self-regulated learners but also for improving instructional quality and promoting educational equity. The research recommends embedding explicit metacognitive training into teacher education programs and curriculum frameworks to support sustainable, student-centered learning environments.

Objective: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) holds significant potential for enhancing children’s knowledge and skills by enabling personalized learning, multisensory approaches, and increased content engagement. Augmented Reality (AR), in particular, offers novel learning pathways and improves the quality of conventional education by merging real-world environments with virtual content. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Augmented Reality-Based Training (ARBT) on working memory performance and cognitive flexibility in children. Method: A quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and control/experimental groups was employed. The population consisted of 3,612 fifth-grade students in Aqqala County during the 2022–2023 academic year. Using cluster sampling, 36 children were selected as the research sample. Data were collected using Dennis and Vander Wal’s (2010) Working Memory Questionnaire (WMQ) and Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI). Content validity was confirmed by experts in psychology and education after minor revisions, and reliability was established via Cronbach’s alpha coefficients (0.71 for WMQ; 0.74 for CFI). Data were analyzed using SPSS-26 through descriptive (frequency, percentage) and inferential statistics (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, ANCOVA). Results: The results indicated that Augmented Reality-Based Training had a significant positive effect on children’s working memory performance (Pillai’s Trace = 0.85, F= 58.74, p<.001, partial η² = 0.85) and cognitive flexibility (Pillai’s Trace =0.80, F= 64.15, p<.001, partial η² = 0.80). Conclusions: Augmented Reality-Based Training significantly enhances children's working memory and cognitive flexibility, improving key functions like attention and problem-solving.

In an attempt to explore the status-quo of the teaching styles appealed and adopted by Iraqi EFL teachers, the researchers in the current study selected 120 English language teachers from the context of Iraqi high schools. To gather the data, the researchers made use of Grasha-Riechmann’s (1996) Teaching Styles Questionnaire. The analysis of data mainly through quantitative measures and frequency analysis revealed a clear discrepancy between the teachers’ preferences and practices of teaching styles. More specifically, while the most desired teaching style among the teachers was expert type, and the least preferred one was facilitator type, in real practice of teaching, they made a greater use of personal model style. Furthermore, expert style which was the most favored type was used less frequently than the other styles. However, a go-togetherness was witnessed in the obtained data with regard to facilitator style of teaching which ranked the least based on the teachers’ practices in a manner identical to what was found concerning their preferences. The study findings provide fruitful implications for language teachers in the context of Iraqi high schools, particularly as regards their increased familiarity with the practical teaching styles and their attempts targeted at bridging the gap between their style preferences and practices.

Objective: Environmental crises, public policies, and shifts in cultural decision-making have diminished traditional opportunities for direct engagement with open spaces and nature. The reduced human-nature connection has led to significant psychological effects, particularly among children. Numerous studies highlight the pivotal role of green and natural environments in enhancing social well-being by offering diverse spaces that respond to children's needs and interests, thereby addressing the aforementioned issues. Creating a spectrum of sensory variations fosters enriched emotional development in children and effectively regulates their emotions. Additionally, such environments enhance children's emotional capacities, including self-confidence, group interactions, dynamic communication, exposure to diverse emotions, and motivation for learning—elements closely tied to emotional intelligence. In this regard, urban design, architecture, and landscape architecture hold substantial potential for preserving and reinforcing nature experiences within contemporary built environments. Method: This study goes beyond conventional cognitive learning frameworks by employing a biophilic approach tailored to children's developmental needs, examining its influence on emotional intelligence. The primary objective is to identify biophilic design characteristics that effectively support the enhancement of children's emotional intelligence. To achieve this, expert perspectives were systematically analyzed using Q-factor analysis, allowing for the extraction of key indicators that define the relationship between biophilic design and emotional intelligence. This methodological approach ensures that findings are grounded in interdisciplinary insights, reinforcing the role of nature-integrated spaces in fostering emotional growth. Conclusions: these indicators summarized into four factors: personal experience, social aspects, spatial characteristics, and ecological nature and landscape.

This study explores the metacognitive abilities of students with high working memory capacity in the context of solving mathematical problems. The measuring instruments include two researcher-developed tests, a structured interview, and the Working memory index from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale. The total 262 nine-year-old female students from Tehran were randomly selected to participate in the study. From this group, 31 highly proficient students with strong working memory were selected. Data analysis indicated that the students rarely engaged in conscious retrieval of prior knowledge during problem-solving. Approximately 61% of participants showed no evidence of strategic effort when encountering unfamiliar mathematical tasks. Moreover, 90% reported that they never asked themselves reflective questions. While students recognized practice as a helpful factor, their approach was largely imitative, often modeled after teachers or parents. These findings suggest a predominant reliance on automatic, habitual strategies rather than deliberate, goal-directed engagement with the problem-solving process. The findings highlights a significance gap between cognitive capacity and metacognitive strategy use in high-working-memory students. Despite their cognitive advantage, these students rarely employed reflective practices when solving problems, indicating that current instructional approaches may emphasize rote repetition over strategic thinking. This tendency appears particularly pronounced within teacher-centered educational contexts. To address this imbalance, curricula should incorporate explicit metacognitive training, including guided strategy-transfer exercises, problem classification activities, and structured reflection protocols. Such interventions may enhance students’ ability to engage in adaptive problem-solving and could contribute to improved outcomes in international mathematics assessments, particularly within educational systems like Iran’s.

Objective: This study investigated the effect of wisdom therapy (general and personal) on academic procrastination among elementary school students. Method: This quasi-experimental study used a pre-test-post-test design with two experimental groups and a control group. The population included 230 female students from Pardis 2 Primary School (grades 4–6) in Songhor Kolyaei city in 2021–2022. Fifty-one students identified as high academic procrastinators (top 25% in delayed homework submission) were randomly selected and assigned to experimental group A (n = 17), experimental group B (n = 17), and a control group (n = 17). Academic procrastination was assessed behaviorally through direct observation and systematic recording of delays in submitting a non-curricular assignment over three stages. The experimental groups received six weekly 60-minute wisdom therapy sessions based on Dr. Kord Noqabi’s Wisdom Therapy (protocol year 2020), focusing on reflective thinking, identifying cognitive distortions, clarifying personal values, and creating action plans. The control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS version 22. Results: Both experimental groups showed a significant reduction in academic procrastination (p < 0.01), with personal wisdom therapy demonstrating a stronger effect than general wisdom therapy (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Wisdom therapy effectively reduces academic procrastination among elementary students. Incorporating wisdom-based strategies into educational programs is recommended to enhance academic responsibility and student performance.