مطالب

Purpose: The curriculum is a central element in any educational activity, and the present study aimed to design and validate an environmental education curriculum model for higher education based on the "Aker" approach. Methodology: This study used a mixed-methods approach, where the qualitative sample consisted of academic and organizational experts familiar with the research field, and the quantitative sample included curriculum specialists, textbook authors of the Ministry of Education, and environmental experts. The qualitative and quantitative research samples comprised 22 and 191 individuals, respectively, selected according to the principle of theoretical saturation through purposive non-random sampling and Cochran's formula with convenience non-random sampling. The research tools were semi-structured interviews and researcher-made questionnaires in the qualitative and quantitative sections, respectively, whose psychometric indices were confirmed. Data were analyzed using coding in Nvivo software and exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling in SPSS and Smart PLS software. Findings: The qualitative findings indicated that the environmental education curriculum model for higher education based on the "Aker" approach contained 87 concepts across 10 elements; namely, 13 concepts for program logic, 15 for program objectives, 13 for educational content, 7 for teaching and learning activities, 9 for instructor characteristics, 7 for educational materials and resources, 5 for educational space and setting, 8 for grouping, 4 for instructional time, and 6 for assessment. Additionally, the quantitative findings showed that the factor loadings, average variance extracted, and composite reliability of the elements were respectively higher than 0.40, 0.50, and 0.70. The fit of the environmental education curriculum model for higher education based on the "Aker" approach was appropriate, with all path coefficients being higher than 0.50 and significant at the 0.001 level. Conclusion: According to the environmental education curriculum model for higher education based on the "Aker" approach and its concepts, planning for the design and application of an environmental education curriculum is essential.

Purpose: Explaining and analyzing the professional and religious ethical needs of the human resources at Farhangian University, with an emphasis on the esteemed faculty members of this university, can be a positive step towards achieving the critical mission of teacher training and education in the country. As indicated by the title of the article, the goal of this research is to analyze the needs of instructors and faculty members in the domain of professional and religious ethics. This article aims to answer the following questions: 1) What professional ethical characteristics do Farhangian University professors need? 2) Do Farhangian University professors possess these characteristics? 3) How can these characteristics be created and reinforced? Methodology: The research methodology of the present study follows a mixed paradigm and employs descriptive-analytical and descriptive-survey methods. Findings: In summarizing the findings, it was concluded that: empathy and the development of a spirit of cooperation among students by the professor, campus presidents, providing a foundation for self-confidence, preventing rigid and dogmatic discipline in the educational environment, and adherence to the scientific and cultural norms and regulations of the university are crucial. Therefore, it is expected that the planners and managers of Farhangian University, in addition to issuing directives and regulations, also pay special attention to implementation and practice. Thus, considering the important fact that in universities, education alone does not have a meaningful impact; rather, the educational process includes teaching ethics and institutionalizing it in order to properly implement the quality charter of Iran's teacher training university. Conclusion: The study underscores the necessity for Farhangian University to integrate ethical training into its educational practices to fulfill its mission effectively.

Though an entrenched and well-established domain of investigation, inquiry-based learning seems to have remained a partly under-researched concept in pedagogy and language learning. Informed by this dearth of research on the issue, the researchers in the current study probed into the effectiveness of inquiry-based approach for bettering intermediate EFL learners’ argumentative writing. Utilizing a quasi-experimental design, the current researchers selected three intact classes comprised of 45 institute learners aged between 18 and 20 and assigned them to two experimental groups and a control group. To conduct the study, a homogeneity test, and pretest and posttest of argumentative writing (each containing a 250-word essay adopted from IELTS Task 2) were administered to all he participants. Two kinds of Inquiry-based approach, teacher-led vs. student-directed, were carried out with the two experimental groups. Data analysis through one way ANOVA and Tukey test pointed to a significant difference among the three groups on the posttest. In addition, it was found that both teacher-led and guided modes of inquiry-based learning were equally helpful for boosting learners’ writing ability. The implications of the results are discussed in detail throughout the paper.

This study aimed to examine the effect of cultural intelligence dimensions on the consumer-based brand equity for a tourism destination and the moderating role of the type of tourist in Mashhad. An applied descriptive survey method was used in the present work. The statistical population was all Iranian tourists in Mashhad in 2021, with a sample of 367 respondents. The research tools were the standard questionnaires of Earley and Ang (2003) cultural intelligence and the brand equity of Frias-Jamilena et al. (2018). The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses and analyze the data. For this purpose, Smart PLS3 and SPSS 23 were used. According to the results, cultural intelligence significantly affects the consumer-based tourism destination brand. Also, the metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral dimensions of cultural intelligence significantly affected the consumer-based brand equity for a tourism destination brand among Mashhad tourists. Also, the results confirmed the moderating role of tourism type on the relationship between cultural intelligence and the consumer-based brand equity for a tourism destination brand among tourists. Tourism officials of Mashhad are advised to launch a comprehensive website to detail the economic, cultural, and religious components of tourists who intend to travel to Mashhad. This helps value tourist choice and increases the Mashhad brand among tourists by strengthening the cultural intelligence of tourists.