Iranian Educational Psychology AssociationIranian Journal of Learning and Memory2645-54471320181001The Role of Teacher’s Characteristics on Mathematics Performance of Eighth- Grade Students from 2003 to 2015 (Based on International TIMSS Studies)7218559810.22034/iepa.2018.85598ENNahid HonarmandPh.D. Candidate of Educational Psychology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranAlireza KiamaneshDepartment of Psychology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, IranAbdolazim KarimiDepartment of Psychology, Azad Islamic University, Branch of Tehran Jonob, Tehran, IranJournal Article20181126The purpose of this study was to review the changes in the role of demographic and personality variables of mathematics teachers in predicting the mathematical progress of eighth-grade students in Iran and analyzed the trend of these variables in four international studies. For this purpose, we examined the data from 21434 eighth graders and 877 math teachers who had participated in four TIMSS studies (2003, 2007, 2011 & 2015). Among the educational variables influencing the educational development, ten variables including gender, age, history of teaching, the degree, major, teaching hours, job satisfaction, confidence, interaction with other teachers and teaching method were investigated using statistical methods of Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The findings related to the demographic variables showed that the students ' mathematical performance changes were almost consonant with the changes of age, history of teaching, and teaching hours in both groups of male and female teachers. This coordination was not similar in the major and academic degrees. The results of multivariate regression showed that the students ' mathematical development was explained by the set of demographic and personality variables. Among these variables, teaching history and self - confidence of the teachers played the most important role in explaining the students ' progress, and the variables of the degree of education and gender did not contribute to the explanation of the students ' math’s progress. The findings show the necessity of paying more attention to the history of teaching and examining the reasons why major and teachers ' degree were not that influential in math development is essential.https://journal.iepa.ir/article_85598_757a075cf34e9e8b5e362afb08364646.pdfIranian Educational Psychology AssociationIranian Journal of Learning and Memory2645-54471320181001Investigating the Factors Contributing to Professional Learning Community in E- Learning Environment; Using Content Analysis Method23308678910.22034/iepa.2018.86789ENAtefeh SamifardDepartment of Media Management, University of Tehran, Kish International Campus, IranAbbas Abaspour AbaspourDepartment of Educational Management, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, IranMohammad Reza SaeidabadiDepartment of World Studies, University Of Tehran, Tehran, IranJournal Article20180619A professional learning community contains communication and interaction. Interaction does not simply mean the one-way transfer of information from teacher to learner, but the discovery of ideas through others, the search for answers to questions and problem solving with others. In this research, conducted in order to discover the factors affecting the formation of professional learning communities and present a model for them, a compound, successive and exploratory method was employed in an attempt to identify these factors. In the qualitative section of the research, articles, books, and extracted texts that had been purposefully chosen, were analyzed; and as a result, the 7 categories of teachers, participation, instruments, time, evaluation, trust, and learning were identified. In the quantitative section of the research, in order to investigate the internal and external validity of the model, the made questionnaire was used. Also, in studying the research hypotheses, Pearson’s correlation test was used. The findings of the test showed that between the two variables of participation and the grade the students had received in the professional learning community, there existed a positive and high correlation, meaning that the higher went the participation in the system of learning management or the electronic environment in general, the higher was the communal feeling experienced by learners.https://journal.iepa.ir/article_86789_21690d87672b9bd8e8d598410ebd74f2.pdfIranian Educational Psychology AssociationIranian Journal of Learning and Memory2645-54471320181001Key Factors in Early Developmental Assessment: The Conceptual Framework for Enhancing Academic Performance in Iran31378375110.22034/iepa.2018.83751ENMahnaz Akhavan TaftiDepartment of Educational Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran0000-0003-3018-1191Salehe PiryaeiPh.D. Candidate of Educational Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran IranElahe JarrahiDepartment of Educational Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran IranJournal Article20180628The current research investigated the relationship between key social-emotional and cognitive factors, termed as executive functions, with academic performance. In a representative sample (N = 76) aged
7 to 9, the social-emotional development scale, the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale-Children and Adolescents (BDEFS-CA) and Academic Performance Questionnaire (APQ) were used to measure research variables. Then, Structural equation modeling using SPSS-22 and AMOS-20 indicated that social emotional skills mediated by cognitive/executive functions were positively related to academic performance in children in the final model. Increase in academic performance was found when children are capable of better utilizing executive function strategies at academic settings. Thus, it is evident that early screening of social-emotional and cognitive/executive functions in young children can lead to identify children with difficulties in learning.https://journal.iepa.ir/article_83751_22d304fca6768bcf39ebd2df1cca6b6a.pdfIranian Educational Psychology AssociationIranian Journal of Learning and Memory2645-54471320181001Effectiveness of Neuro-Verbal Planning on Test Anxiety and Self-efficacy of Students39458560010.22034/iepa.2018.85600ENMehdi DehestaniDepartment of Psychology, Payam Noor university of Tehran, South BranchAtefeh MahdaviPh.D. Candidate of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research BranchAmir MohammadianDepartment of Psychology, Payam Noor UniversityFiroozeh ZanganehDepartment of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Arak BranchSanaz Khoda DoostPh.D. Candidate of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Roodehen BranchJournal Article20190130The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of neuro-verbal programming on test anxiety and self-efficacy of secondary school students in Sanandaj. The present study had a semi-experimental pretest-posttest design with control group. The sample consisted of 30 students who were selected based on structured interviews and the implementation of the Sarahson Anxiety Inventory (1957) and then they were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The experimental group was trained in 8 sessions with neurological planning while the control group did not receive any experimental intervention. Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire of Sarason (1957) and Social Self-Efficacy Scale (Smith & Betz, 2000) were used as the pretest and posttest. The results of one-way covariance analysis showed that therapeutic interventions were effective in reducing the test anxiety in the experimental group (P<0.01), but did not affect the self-efficacy of the individuals (P<0.05). In general, the results indicated that counseling and psychotherapy specialists can apply the verbal neural program approach for the treatment of anxiety disorders.https://journal.iepa.ir/article_85600_31172bb0d7e384f7edb01beeba957d21.pdfIranian Educational Psychology AssociationIranian Journal of Learning and Memory2645-54471320181001Examining the Effective Factors in the National Ranks of the Entrance Exam Candidates of State Universities and Higher Education Institutions in Iran: A Multilevel Analysis47608602410.22034/iepa.2018.86024ENAli MogaddamzadehDepartment of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranFahimeh AbbasiPhD Candidate in Educational Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranMaryam KazemitabarPhD Candidate in Measurement and Assessment, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranJournal Article20181101The present study aimed to examine the effective factors in the rank of national entrance exam of the candidates in state universities and higher education institutes in Iran in the form of a multilevel analysis. Therefore, the data of 5000 candidates was gathered randomly from five experimental groups in the national examination of 2017. The HLM7.30 software was used for multilevel data analysis. The results revealed that among the provinces, there were significant differences in the average national ranks of the candidates in Math, Humanity, Art, and English experimental groups. However, there was not any significant difference in the Science group. In the Math group, the average scores of the third year of high school, the total average of diploma, the entrance quota, and gender determined 58.44 percent of the whole variance of the national rank at level one. In the Humanity group, the average scores of the third year of high school, the total average of diploma, and gender explained 49.22 percent. In the Art group, the total average of the third year of high school, the entrance quota and gender were 15.8 percent; and finally in the English group, the average scores of the third year of high school, the total average of diploma, the entrance quota, and gender were wholly 31.45 percent. There was not any relationship between the age of the candidates as well as the time interval between their graduation and the entrance exam with their national rank. In the Humanity group, only in the local districts and among the other groups, in poles and local districts, the national rank of the candidates was different. In the Science group, only the third year high school’s average scores of the candidates could predict the national rank.https://journal.iepa.ir/article_86024_45a026607e7d3a110da598e1a1282e75.pdfIranian Educational Psychology AssociationIranian Journal of Learning and Memory2645-54471320181001The Role of Task Constraints in Learning Football Chip Shot though Observation61708560410.22034/iepa.2018.85604ENAmir DanaDepartment of Physical Education, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, IranSaleh RafieeDepartment of Sport Science Research Institute of Iran (SSRI), Tehran, IranJournal Article20190106The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of task constraint in learning football chip through observation. For this purpose, 20 children (with the mean age of 11.6±1.7) participated in this study and were randomly divided into two groups (each with10 individuals). At the acquisition stage, one group watched the model and they were told nothing about kicking the ball, while the other group was told that the task was to kick a ball that should land on a specified target. At the acquisition stage, participants performed 30 attempts (three blocks of ten attempts each) whose model’s film they watched five times before the first attempt, and again, after each attempt they watched the film. After 24 hours, participants were recalled to the lab and performed ten attempts as a reminder. The kinematic movement of the participants was recorded in order to compare it with the model. The results showed that the non-ball group had a more similarity to the model than the group with the ball. However, these results showed that in the speed variable, the movement of the group with the ball was more similar to the model. These results were explained in terms of goal-directed imitation theory as well as the existence of an external goal in the taskhttps://journal.iepa.ir/article_85604_91839309a9191f565212b4188d9549b2.pdfIranian Educational Psychology AssociationIranian Journal of Learning and Memory2645-54471320181001The Impact of English Literature (Story Reading) on ESP Learners' Emotion Regulation71788560510.22034/iepa.2018.85605ENShirin DonyadidehDepartment of English Language Teaching, West Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranFarzaneh HaratyanDepartment of English Language Teaching, West Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranJournal Article20190102English story reading as a sub branch of literature plays a momentous role with an impressive function to accomplish divergent goals of skill mastery in ELT studies due to the fascinating pedagogical and psychological benefits embedded in it. English for Specific Purpose (ESP) learners encounter reading passages that can implicitly impress their psychological capabilities as they perceive the world from the characters’ points of view, attitudes, and emotional expressions. This study aimed to explore the probable effects of English Literature (story reading) on ESP learners’ emotion-regulation. Research design was Quasi-experimental. Research sample (with convenience sampling method) included ESP learners in West Tehran branch, Islamic Azad University, who were homogenized via Nelson English Proficiency Test and randomly assigned into two experimental (N=65) and control (N=62) groups. Emotion regulation questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003) with the Cronbach’s alpha (0.82) was administered to both groups before and after the treatment. The experimental group received the instruction of English story reading in a seven-week period, while the control group received traditional training during this period. The obtained data were analyzed using the statistical method one independent sample <em>t</em>-test on the gain score. The data analysis confirmed the positive improvement in emotion regulation of ESP learners in the experimental group. Accordingly, it can be concluded that English story reading could sharpen, deepen, and broaden learners’ insights towards emotion regulation. It can be incorporated in ESP curriculum plans and class syllabi as it facilitates learners to regulate their emotions.https://journal.iepa.ir/article_85605_2d580d30f04206fc1fd4c938f1a37ec1.pdf