مطالب

Multi-grade classes are one of the realities of our educational system. Academic motivation is known as a challenge for educational systems in developing countries. According to the rapid advances in science and technology, the utilization of blended learning seems to solve this challenge. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of blended learning on students' academic motivation in multi-grade classes. The study was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with the control group. The statistical population was all students of primary multi-grade classes in Ghaen (n=2200 with 160 classes). The statistical sample was 28 multi-grade students selected using the two-stage cluster sampling method. Also, to collect data, Harter's academic motivation questionnaire was used with Cronbach's alpha of 0.92. The SPSS application and covariance test used to analyze the data. The results showed that academic motivation scores in the experimental group were more than the control group (p≤0.05, f (25.1) = 4.23). According to ETA squares, the blended approach explains 37% of the variance of academic motivation post-test scores (p<0.05, ŋ2=37%). According to the findings and the challenges of teaching in multi-grade classes, this method is not just one option but seems to be the best solution for resolving multi-grade problems.

This study quantitatively explored a causal model of the association between two focal self-regulation constructs (executive functioning and effortful control) and social school readiness in preschoolers. The population comprised all preschool children and their mothers who resided in Tehran (2018-2019). With the help of their mothers, 342 children with a mean age of five years completed the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB; 1994), the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (Very Short Form) – (CBQ-VSF; 2006), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; 2001), and the Social School Readiness Scale (1982). The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS 22. Effortful control and socio-emotional competence significantly affected social school readiness (p<0.01). Moreover, executive functioning affected social school readiness, mediated by effortful control in the alternative model (p<0.01). These findings expand the existing early childhood research by specifying the link between two major aspects of self-regulation and social-emotional school readiness. An integrative approach considering the behavioral and neuropsychological measurements of self-regulation would help elucidate the predictors of social school readiness in early childhood.

During the Coronavirus pandemic, online classes and exams became popular to protect people's health. Despite the benefits, there were security issues and exam cheating. This research was conducted with the aim of comparing the amount and type of cheating in online and face-to-face exams using a qualitative method. The statistical population was all male and female students of the sixth grade of Pirbakran city in the academic year 2021-2022. In this research, a mixed rural school was selected using available sampling method and a structured face-to-face interview was conducted with all 14 sixth-grade students of the school. The interview questions were written and checked in MAXQDA software version 2020. From the analysis of the interviews, it was concluded that the rate of student cheating in online tests is much higher than that in face-to-face tests. The most common methods of cheating in online tests are the use of textbooks, the help of classmates, and the use of the Internet. Also, the most common method of cheating in face-to-face exams was the help of a classmate, and they considered the objective questions in the exams to be one of the important reasons for the ease of cheating. According to the findings of the research, the exams should be held in person as much as possible. In order to reduce cheating in the design of face-to-face and online tests, it is better to use more conceptual, in-depth and descriptive questions not published on the Internet browser; design different questions for students and explain the importance of studying and the negative points of cheating for students; replace four-choice questions with explanatory questions; increase the distance between the students in the face-to-face exam and control to prevent the presence of embedded fraud; not to answer the questions by the invigilators, and check students' pockets and hands in order to prevent cheating and avoid providing them with multiple draft sheets.