مطالب

The uneven capital dis tribution among settlements seems to have contributed to disparities in social classes, empowerment, and satisfaction. Empowerment refers to the expansion of assets and abilities; despite the key role of women in Iranian families, their empowerment has been neglected in s tudies. This s tudy uses an asset-based approach based on the settlement types to measure and compare the level of women's satisfaction. This descriptive-correlational s tudy used a ques tionnaire and observation to collect data from 376 women living in Tabriz's Zafaraniyeh and Rezvanshahr neighborhoods with formal and informal settlement patterns, respectively. The collected data were compared using a t-tes t between settlements regarding research variables, and the effect size was inves tigated using correlation and regression tes ts. The findings indicate that women in formal settlements have more capital, empowerment, and satisfaction than those in informal settlements. There is a significant difference between the women of both settlements regarding the research variables. The capital dimensions play a crucial role in predicting women's satisfaction directly and indirectly through empowerment. In formal settlement, physical capital (ß=1.370) and social capital (ß=0.120) have the highes t and lowes t effects, respectively. In contras t, in informal settlements, social capital (ß=0.560) and economic capital (ß=0.136) show the highes t and lowes t effects, respectively. In conclusion, this s tudy highlights that women with greater access to capital experience more empowerment, which leads to greater satisfaction. Therefore, benefiting more from the capital dimension result in higher levels of empowerment and satisfaction for women.

Following the violent escalation on October 7, 2023, attributed to the actions of the Israeli regime in Gaza, a series of substantial measures have been implemented by international legal, judicial, and political organizations in support of the Palestinian cause and the resistance movement. These actions have involved key international bodies, such as the Security Council, the General Assembly, and judicial institutions including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as various countries and influential global experts. In this context, the international community has witnessed a historical and unprecedented series of judicial opinions, resolutions, and legal positions condemning the actions of the Israeli occupying forces in Gaza. Moreover, the recent focus on obligations to prevent genocide and end the occupation and violence in Palestine is unparalleled in its intensity and global consensus. These measures provide substantial and authoritative evidence supporting the legitimacy of the Palestinian cause, while simultaneously imposing binding legal responsibilities on states, international organizations, and in particular, the General Assembly and Security Council, to ensure the protection of Palestinian rights and the cessation of occupation and violence in the region. The present study adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology, utilizing documentary and library research approaches to critically analyze the nature and substance of these legal instruments and resolutions. In doing so, it aims to inform national, regional, and international executive bodies, while fostering academic dialogue and public awareness on the critical need for implementation of these judicial decisions. This research underscores the transformative legal, judicial, and diplomatic developments following October 7, 2023, developments that are crucial to the future trajectory of Gaza and Palestine, and which must be taken into account when formulating policies and strategies for the region's future.

This study was an attempt to investigate the relationship between test anxiety and writing performance among Iranian intermediate EFL students. To achieve this goal, 50 participants of EFL students (male and female) at Iran, Tehran, were selected on the basis of sampling convenience. The instruments used in this research consisted of the proficiency test and TAQ (Test Anxiety) questionnaire. After homogenizing the students via a proficiency test (Cambridge Placement Test, 2010), those students who were selected as upper-intermediate ones were allowed to take part in this research. Their age range was between 20 and 40. Having collected the results, the researchers recorded the scores in computer files for statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.00. In order to measure the relationship between the variables (test anxiety & written performance) Pearson Correlation tests were run. The results illustrated that there were significant relationships between writing performance and text anxiety and all its sub-scales of worry and emotionality. In addition, it was proved that there was not any significant difference between male and female in respect to writing performance. It must be reiterated that a Pearson Correlation test was also run to measure the Inter-Rater Reliability. The results of this study will provide insights to help EFL learners reduce their test anxiety and increase the level of their confidence.

Alienation is a significant phenomenon that forms the subject of many psychological, sociological, literary, philosophical, and even physiological studies. Alienation is among the most critical justifications bringing about the internal and external pains and sufferings in life. Emerging as a result of war, persecution, famine, and ruin, alienation terminates unfortunately in suffering, isolation, and sometimes critical disasters. In literature, the alienated protagonist is usually a frequent figure in much of the ancient and contemporary fiction. The main issue of alienation refers to a destructive consequence of getting, or feeling of getting separated from people that one is living with them. It refers to become useless, or to feel becoming useless in the field of social relations and interactions. It is the outcome of becoming alienated, so that one thinks that no longer anyone needs him / her, and / or his / her services. Aiming to review the theme of alienation, and focusing on Melvin Seaman’s concepts of alienation in general, the present paper, in particular, will review the manifestation of the term alienation in “The Child in Time,” and “The Comfort of Strangers,” that are both the well-known novels written by Ian Russell McEwan, one of the greatest British novelists and screenwriters of the twentieth century. By describing the disastrous aftermath of the alienation, this article tries to alarm the man regarding the catastrophic and destructive consequences of the alienation in the life of the existing societies.