مطالب

Employment is one of the most fundamental forms of human activity, the damages of which can cause job burnout and reduce quality of life. In recent years, dealing with this issue has been the main goal of most organizations. The present study aims to compare job burnout and quality of life among active and inactive clerks in one of Tehran universities. In the present causative comparative study, 100 clerks of the age range (mean and standard deviation 40.93 ±8.63) of the university which was chosen by access sampling. According to Sharkey's physical activity questionnaire, they were then divided into two active and inactive groups. Then, they filled out two Maslach job burnout and quality of life questionnaires. A multivariate variance analysis test was used with SPSS 20 for data analysis. The data and findings indicate that concerning job burnout and its subscales (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization), physically inactive individuals had higher means; in contrast, people with more activity had higher means; also, physically active individuals showed higher mean scores in quality-of-life variable, in both physical health and mental health total scores and physical function, emotional wellbeing, social function, and general health subscales. Physically inactive individuals showed higher means concerning function disorder owing to physical health and function disorder owing to emotional health and pain. There was no significant difference concerning the subscale of energy/fatigue. Findings indicate that physical activity, as a strategy, improves the capacity of the clerks so they have a better quality of life and deal with job burnout. Thus, it is suggested that physical activity be used as a strategic plan to increase the clerks' efficiency.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of online sports programs became popular. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of online body balance program on anxiety, depression, and aggression of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Body balance is a sport based on yoga, tai chi, and Pilates. The present study was a semi-experimental and applied type of study. The participants of the present study were 30 volunteer children with ADHD who were divided into two experimental (15 people) and control (15 people) groups by random assignment method. Aggression, depression, and anxiety variables were evaluated by Bass and Perry questionnaire, Maria Kvas children's depression questionnaire, and Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. The experimental group performed online body balance training for 8 weeks (3 sessions per week for 60 minutes) online, and the control group did their current activities. In order to investigate intra-group and inter-group differences, repeated measures ANOVA at the error level of 0.05 was used by SPSS software. The results showed there was significant difference in the average level of symptoms of depression, anxiety and aggression in the pre-test and post-test stages (P≤0.05), between the two control and experimental groups (P≤0.05) and the interaction effect of time and group (P≤0.05). The results of Tukey's test showed that there was a significant reduction of these symptoms between the two experimental and control groups in the variables of depression symptoms (-5.500), anxiety symptoms (-5.133) and aggression symptoms (-13.133). Based on the results of this research, eight weeks of body balance training reduced depression, aggression and anxiety symptoms in 7-9 year old children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Therefore, the improvement of mental disorders caused by this disease in children following the body balance exercise program emphasizes the importance of using this intervention method for children with ADHD.

Objective: Previous research has shown that health engagement accounts for a substantial variance in positive attitudes about the COVID-19 vaccine in public. However, these studies are hardly able to explain intrapersonal characteristics. Thus, we examined the moderating effect of four character strengths (kindness, critical thinking, fairness, and prudence) in the relation between health engagement and positive attitudes to the COVID-19 vaccine.Method: The population consisted of all university students living in Mashhad. A sample of 600 individuals was recruited through convenience sampling. The participants completed a battery of questionnaires including a health engagement questionnaire, Values in Action-Inventory of Strengths, and attitudes towards vaccination questionnaire during the COVID-19 pandemic. A hierarchical regression model and slope analysis were used to examine the moderation effect.Results: The findings indicated a positive and significant correlation between health engagement and a positive attitude towards vaccination (r=.23; p<.01). The character strengths were significantly and positively associated with health engagement (r=.18; p<.01), and a positive attitude toward vaccination (r=.30; p<.01). Moreover, the moderating effect of character strengths on the relationship between health engagement and a positive attitude towards vaccination was significant (t=-4.08; p<.001).Conclusion: Therefore, the character strengths could moderate the effect of health engagement on a positive attitude towards vaccination. It can be concluded that character strengths have a moderating effect on making health-related decisions in stressful conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

In recent years, attention to environmental education especially in rural environments has attracted the attention of many educational experts. The aim of the present study was to investigate the experiences of teachers in relation to environmental education in rural schools. To serve that end, a qualitative approach and phenomenological method were used. Consequently, unstructured interviews were conducted with 13 teachers using the purposeful sampling method. To analyze the data, thematic analysis was used. The analysis of the interviews revealed three main themes (regressive approach, progressive approach, and indifference approach), 13 sub-themes, and 31 refined themes. The findings of the research indicated teachers' lack of real involvement in environmental education, lack of trust in the efficiency of environmental education, absence of employing of new methods, superficial knowledge about the environment, and absence of attempts to use new methods in education. It is concluded that teachers play a significant role in environmental education, so training and preparing them can improve environmental education.

In the present study, I have briefly revisited Brown and Levinson’s (1987) universal theory which has attracted the attention of many linguists to the notion of politeness as an essential feature of communication. Although in studies on politeness Brown and Levinson’s model is more or less considered the standard model, it seems that there is not an agreed-upon consensus that the complex concept of politeness can be simply captured through this linear and static model. In addition, there is a paucity of investigations into the applicability of this model in various cultures. Therefore, I analyzed and identified the strategies found in Iranian English speakers’ requests and apologies following this theory. To this end, adopting a qualitative research approach, data was collected through a multiple-choice discourse completion test and think-aloud protocols. The results of the study revealed that Brown and Levinson’s model can account, to a large extent, for people’s choice of politeness strategies in making both requests and apologies. In particular, the findings pointed to the ubiquitous presence of three influential factors in the degree of politeness; that is, power relations, social distance, and rank of imposition in the participants’ choice of politeness strategies. However, the findings of the study indicated that there are a few shortcomings associated with Brown and Levinson’s model. The study suggests that the weight of politeness cannot be simply measured based on a linear, static basis. The findings supported that for the individuals who participated in this study, politeness was a heavily context-bound and highly dynamic concept. On this basis, I hypothesize that a systematic model of politeness can better explain the variations of individuals’ choice of politeness strategies.