Age

The extensive research done on the interrelationship between different social factors such as social class، gender and age and different linguistic variables has shown that these factors have important effects on the way language is used. Among these factors a special importance can be placed on age due to the role it plays in revealing different patterns of language use، such as the age-grading pattern، the normal pattern of age differentiation and the important patterns of language change which can inform us about the emergence of a linguistic form or the death of some old form. This paper is intended to examine the interrelationship between age and the usage of Shirazi vocabulary or lexical items. Sixty respondents belonging to 6 age groups of Shirazi speakers answered a 60-item questionnaire. Each item included one Shirazi word with its definition and sometimes a short example to clarify its meaning. The respondents had to choose between two choices: either they used the item or they did not. The analysis of the results showed that age was an influencing factor on the speech of the speakers as the older people had a large collection of active Shirazi words (they actively used all the words) while the younger generation had two collections of more active and less active Shirazi words and as the age of the subjects increased their mean scores which represented their usage of Shirazi vocabulary items also increased. These words were also used less among the more educated Shirazi speakers.

The study investigated EFL teachers’ current level of critical consciousness as well as their beliefs about the educational context where they taught. The study also explored how gender, teaching experience, workplace, and academic degree differentiated the participants with regard to their critical consciousness. Drawing upon the related literature and the existing questionnaires in the field, we designed and validated a questionnaire applying technical statistical procedures (e.g., confirmatory factor analysis). The questionnaire was then completed by 310 English teachers teaching in different language institutions across the country. The findings revealed that, in general, EFL teachers’ current level of critical consciousness was above average. However, they believed that the educational context did not encourage and cultivate in them critical consciousness. It was also found that, contrary to expectations, the academic degree did not differentiate teachers in this regard. Moreover, male and female teachers were found not to be significantly different in their critical consciousness. The theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed in the paper.

The present study aimed at highlighting the possible effects of age, proficiency level, and the structural composition of Garden-Path (GP) sentences on EFL learners' comprehension. 80 Iranian EFL learners were recruited from the initial pool of 114 participants based on the results of an English proficiency test; 40 advanced, and 40 intermediate learners were selected. Moreover, two age-groups of teenagers and adults were specified based on the study's necessities. In order to determine the accuracy and also the time needed for comprehension of GP sentences, a software application was designed, which provided learners with a set of GP and non-GP sentences and depicted the elapsed time for each participant to show the correct understanding of the presented sentences on the screen. As statistical analyses revealed, the participants, apart from age and proficiency levels, had less difficulty in comprehending non-GP items. It was also concluded that different types of GP sentences imposed different degrees of difficulty for the participants to comprehend. Furthermore, "proficiency level," unlike "age," was found to be a determining factor for the comprehension of GP sentences for Iranian EFL learners.

The present paper aims to investigate the polysemy of the Persian word /šax/ from the perspective of cognitive sociolinguistics. The study begins with introducing the tenets of cognitive sociolinguistics, and then goes on to investigate the polysemy of the Persian adjective /šax/ within this framework. In cognitive sociolinguistics, it is believed that polysemy cannot be reduced to a static state, one and the same for all speakers of a language. Rather, social variables like age and gender of speakers affect the way they perceive different senses of the polysemous words. This paper, in line with cognitive sociolinguistic, studies on polysemy, specifically those of Robinson (2010, 2012a, 2012b, and 2014), employed advanced statistical methods of Logistic Regression and Cross Tab to study the polysemy of Persian adjective /šax/ among 200 Persian speakers, both male and female, of different ages, selected from the Narmak neighborhood, Tehran, Iran, within the time span of spring and summer 2018. The results show that the cognitive sociolinguistic approach works desirably in lexical polysemy studies. In addition, the use of advanced statistical methods revealed a number of important facts about different senses of /šax/ in terms of age and gender, which provide a better description of polysemy in Persian language.

Formative assessment is deemed the collaborative processes in which teachers and learners are engaged for the purpose of understanding the learners' learning and diagnosing their strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, teachers' beliefs about formative assessment are paramount and might be influenced by a legion of variables such age, educational background, instructional experience, and gender. This study investigated the impacts of EFL teachers' age, educational background, instructional experience, and gender on their beliefs about formative assessment. To this aim, 100 male and 100 female EFL teachers from Ahvaz junior and senior high schools participated in the study. The participants were given the questionnaire of teachers' beliefs about formative assessment. The results regarding EFL teachers' age, educational background, and gender revealed no statistically significant influence on their beliefs about formative assessment. However, teachers' teaching experience had significant impacts on their beliefs about formative assessment. These findings can contribute to EFL authorities concerning assessment procedures in language learning and teaching.

Added over the period 2006-2018. We focused on different proxies of corporate governance indicators, such as the Directors' Effectiveness, the Transparency and the Disclosure, Responsibility. Basel Principles have been used to make corporate governance indicators and Stern & Stewart and Chew (1995) method have been used to make banking economic value added. We used the PCA method to choose important indicators. The results of PCA estimation identified ten important variables affecting banks' economic value added. Due to the importance of banks' age in creating economic value-added, banks are divided into two classes according to age. The GMM method is used to estimate the models. Eight models were designed to examine the impact of different corporate governance measures on the banking economic value added. The results indicated that corporate governance indicators were significant in explaining changes in the Iranian banking economic value added. The result also shows that according to the banks' age, the effectiveness of the board structure is greater than others. This illustrates the importance of board structure more than other criteria.

Speaking is one of those stress-prone areas in learning and teaching a foreign language, and speaking anxiety is influenced by a host of factors. This study explored the predictor roles of age, self-efficacy, and teaching experience of Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers on their speaking anxiety. Furthermore, it examined the relationship between teachers’ gender and their level of self-efficacy and anxiety in speaking English. The participants of the research consisted of 109 male and female Iranian teachers teaching in different language institutes and public schools in three provinces of Iran. The Teacher Self-efficacy Scale developed by Bandura (1997) and the Public Speaking Anxiety Scale developed by Bartholomay and Houlihan (2016) were used in this research as the data collection instruments. The data were analyzed by SPSS software (Version 24) using regression and one-way ANOVA. The findings revealed that only self-efficacy was a predictor of speaking anxiety. Moreover, the participants’ level of self-efficacy and speaking anxiety did not change relying on their gender.

Abstract Objective: Health literacy is the capacity to get, process and realize basic information and services necessary to make proper decisions in the field of health. This study was conducted aimed at determining the relationship between health literacy and demographic variables of Yazd city citizens. Method: This study was a descriptive (cross-sectional) one the population included 385 people living in Yazd city. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed. After completing the questionnaires, the data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical software, Pearson correlation coefficient and Chi-square test. Results: the results indicate that there is a significant relationship between health literacy and age, gender and marital status. The highest correlation coefficient was observed in the relationship between health literacy and age. Conclusion: Due to the effective demographic variables, it seems that demographic characteristics-based interventions should be designed and implemented in order to improve the health literacy of citizens.

The present study aimed to study the relationship between teachers’ creativity, classroom management, age and gender. To achieve these goals, 70 Iranian EFL teachers participated in the study by filling out two questionnaires: Creativity Fostering Teacher Behavior Index developed by Soh (2000) ,and Behavior and Instructional Management Scale developed by Martin and Sass (2010). Analysis of the questionnaires revealed that there is a statistically positive significant relationship between teachers’ creativity and classroom management. In addition, the findings indicated that there is statistically significant difference across the three age groups regarding their attitudes towards creativity and classroom management. Likewise, it was revealed that there is significant difference between Iranian EFL male and female teachers concerning their attitudes towards creativity. However, the findings also indicated that there was not any statistically significant difference between Iranian EFL male and female teachers regarding their attitudes towards classroom management. The findings have implications for EFL teachers.

Background: The promising results of idiopathic scoliosis for children and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis found in low-quality in review of literature in Iran. Aim : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of various types of exercises to improve idiopathic scoliosis in terms of reducing Cobb angle and angle of trunk rotation (ATR) in different ages of children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: Searches were conducted in databases including Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar during 2005-2021. Inclusion criteria were papers using only corrective exercises (CE) or CEs with braces as an intervention. The PEDro scale was used for evaluating the quality of papers. Results: Thirteen papers were licensed for review. The papers (PEDro: 4-9) showed the positive effect of the CEs in reducing Cobb angle (eleven papers) and ATR (eight papers) greater than 5° and 3°, respectively. Moreover, two papers (PEDro: 4-7) showed that the physiotherapy scoliosis specific exercises (PSSE) were more effective than the general exercises (GE), while no paper was found to compare one PSSE to another. Two papers (PEDro: 6-9) indicated the greater effectiveness of CEs in childhood than adolescence. Conclusion: The relative evidence suggested the effect of CEs on improving idiopathic scoliosis, especially in children. However, it seems that the use of SEAS and Schroth methods, depending on the individual nature, can be more effective. High-quality papers are necessary to achieve more accurate results in the future.

Objective: Problem gambling is a non-addiction issue that may arise even from recreational engagement with gambling activity. In Nigeria, not much has been written about this menace to the extent that the focus of interest of the government is on the economic gains of gambling activities rather than how to curtail the problems arising therefrom. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating psychosocial predictors (age, suicidality, and financial strain) contributing either independently or collectively to problem gambling among male undergraduate students in Ogun state, Nigeria. Methods: This study adopted a correlational research design. 201 participants were recruited using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires that included bio-data information, Problem Gambling Severity Index developed by (Ferris & Whynne, 2001), Suicidal Behaviour Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) developed by Osman, Bagge, Gutierrez, Konick, Kopper, & Barrios (2001) and Financial Strain Survey developed by (Aldana & Lijenquist, 1998). Results: Multiple Regression Analysis was used to analyze the data, and the results revealed that financial strain contributed more significantly to problem gambling (t (196) = 5.348, P.001), = 36, while all psychosocial variables contributed collectively to problem gambling (F (3, 196) = 9.670, P.01, AdjR2 =.12) among male undergraduate students in Ogun State, Nigeria. Conclusions: The study concluded that psychosocial factors-age, financial strain, and suicidality collectively contributed to problem gambling while only financial strain independently significantly predicted problem gambling among male university students in Ago-Iwoye community of Olabisi Onabanjo University. The study recommended that students receive financial counselling and planning in order to manage their money effectively.

Acknowledging the critical role of working memory in language acquisition, this study examines the effects of multimodal input enhancement on working memory capacity (WMC) and collocation learning in adolescent and adult EFL learners. A cohort of 117 participants was randomly assigned to either experimental groups, receiving enhanced textual and auditory inputs, or control groups, experiencing standard inputs. Assessments included the Preliminary English Test, n-back test, and immediate and delayed collocation posttests. The results indicated that multimodal input significantly improved WMC and the recall and retention of collocations for all learners. Adolescents, in particular, excelled in both immediate and delayed tests and adapted their WMC more effectively in a multimodal context than adults. Additionally, an interaction between age and WMC was noted, affecting collocation recall and retention. These findings affirm the benefits of multimodal materials in enhancing cognitive functions and memory resources, thus improving language learning. The study offers practical insights for educational practices, advocating for the use of varied modalities in teaching materials to cater to different learning styles and cognitive needs. It also highlights the significance of designing age-appropriate materials and managing cognitive load in curriculum development, providing a tailored approach to language education for diverse learner populations.

The investigation into the factors that led elites and experts to choose a different path for selecting a ruler after the demise of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH), disregarding his directives, and the subsequent compliance of the people with them, is the primary focus of this research. The present study aims to uncover the factors that shaped the transformations at the time of the passing of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH). Utilizing historical data and a descriptive-analytical method, it examines and evaluates the cultural life of Arabs in the context of selecting a tribal chief and their customs and traditions in this selection process. According to its findings, considering the large number of newly converted Muslims at the time of the Prophet's (PBUH) passing and the absence of a centralized inter-tribal government prior to his rule in Hijaz, the prevailing beliefs among Arabs in selecting a tribal chief-such as the disregard for the explicit instructions of the previous chief and the appointment of a ruler based on material criteria like physical appearance, age, etc.-are evident. Furthermore, if the Prophet (PBUH) issued a directive that did not align with the preferences of certain companions or was beyond their limited understanding, they would openly or covertly oppose it. The discourse of the elites and experts present at the Saqifah Bani Sa'ida in determining the successor to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) can be evaluated in this context.