Iranian Journal of Learning and Memory

Abstract The aim of the present study was to examine the role of executive functions in predicting rational decision-making among adolescents, with the mediating role of moral judgment. Rational decision-making, as one of the key functions of cognitive development during adolescence, plays a fundamental role in individual, social, and academic adjustment. Given that adolescence is accompanied by extensive biological, cognitive, and emotional changes, understanding the underlying factors influencing rational decision-making is of particular importance.

The present study employed a quantitative, correlational research design using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population consisted of first-grade secondary school students in Yazd during the 2024–2025 academic year, from whom a cluster-random sample was selected. Research instruments included the General Decision-Making Styles Questionnaire (GDMS), the Cognitive Functions Questionnaire (Nejati), and Rest’s Moral Judgment Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using AMOS-24 software.

The findings indicated that executive functions directly predicted rational decision-making (β = 0.17, p < 0.05). Moreover, moral judgment played a mediating role in this relationship (β = 0.308, p < 0.002). In other words, adolescents with higher executive functioning also demonstrated better moral judgment, which in turn enhanced the quality of their rational decision-making. The results highlight the importance of integrating cognitive and moral processes and can provide a foundation for designing educational and counseling interventions aimed at improving adolescents’ decision-making skills.

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the impact of active learning, incorporating poetry recitation, picture reading, and drama, on enhancing the speaking skills of fourth-grade elementary students. The research was applied in purpose and employed a semi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all male fourth-grade students in Nazarabad County during the 2024–2025 academic year. A convenience sampling method was used, and two classes of 20 students each were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups.The research instrument was a 20-item researcher-made checklist assessing speaking skills, whose validity was confirmed by five experts, and reliability was calculated with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.87. The experimental group participated in eight 60-minute sessions of active learning, including poetry recitation, picture reading, and drama. Sample activities involved performing poems with attention to tone and rhythm, analyzing and retelling images using the "See, Think, Say" approach, and performing short plays to strengthen public speaking and speech coherence.
Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS. The findings revealed that active learning based on these three approaches significantly improved the students’ performance in all components of speaking skills, including coherent speech, public speaking, context- and audience-appropriate communication, tone and rhythm, and comprehension of visual messages. These results highlight that active and interactive teaching methods are effective tools for empowering students’ oral communication skills.

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to examine whether metacognition mediates the relationship between self-regulated learning strategies and problem-solving skills among upper-secondary students in Khorramabad. Self-regulated learning and problem-solving are recognized as essential for academic achievement, yet many students have not fully developed effective strategies in these areas.
Method: A descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling was employed. The sample consisted of 384 secondary school students selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using three standardized instruments: the Self-Regulated Learning Strategies Questionnaire, the Problem-Solving Inventory, and the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire—Adolescent Version. Reliability and validity of the instruments were confirmed prior to analysis. The study tested the direct effect of self-regulated learning on metacognition and the mediating role of metacognition in problem-solving.
Results: The results indicated a significant direct effect of self-regulated learning strategies on metacognition (β = 0.357, t = 5.785) and a significant indirect effect on problem-solving through metacognition (β = 0.528, t = 13.855). The measurement and structural models demonstrated strong psychometric properties, with satisfactory factor loadings, composite reliability, and goodness-of-fit indices, confirming the stability and robustness of the observed relationships. Conclusions: Findings confirm that metacognition serves as a key mediator in transmitting the influence of self-regulated learning strategies to problem-solving performance. The results underscore the importance of developing educational programs that simultaneously enhance self-regulatory and metacognitive skills to improve students’ problem-solving abilities and academic outcomes. Limitations include the cross-sectional design, reliance on self-report measures, and the focus on one city, suggesting directions for future longitudinal and multi-context research.

Abstract Objective: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a multisensory educational intervention based on the Fernald method on the information processing speed of elementary school students with processing speed deficits.

Method: This applied research used a quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest control group. The population included all third- to sixth-grade students in public schools in Kerman during the 2024–2025 academic year. After screening with the Processing Speed Index of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fifth Edition (WISC-V), 30 students were selected through multistage cluster sampling. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) or a control group (n = 15). The experimental group received the Fernald multisensory intervention over one and a half months, consisting of 15 sessions of 45 minutes each, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS 26.

Results: After controlling for pretest scores, MANCOVA indicated a significant difference between groups in posttest information processing speed scores (F = 96.52, p < 0.01). The adjusted mean of the experimental group (M = 105.72) was higher than that of the control group (M = 84.67), and the effect size (η² = 0.598) indicated a strong intervention effect.

Conclusion: The Fernald multisensory intervention effectively enhances information processing speed in elementary students with deficits in this domain. By simultaneously engaging visual, auditory, tactile, and motor modalities and leveraging neural plasticity, it provides a practical, evidence-based strategy for improving core cognitive functions in educational and rehabilitation settings.

Abstract The present study investigated the role of male and female EFL learners’ reflection, autonomy, grit, and Foreign Language Engagement (FLE) in the prediction of their Emotional Beliefs (EBs) in their Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) courses. In addition, it strived to determine the difference between male and female learners’ EBs. Accordingly, first, the researchers used convenience sampling to select 109 male and 125 female intermediate-level EFL learners at a language institute in Urmia (Iran) as the participants based on their results on a proficiency test. Second, they used Google Forms to administer the EB, reflection, autonomy, grit, and FLE questionnaires of the study to the participants in a five-week period. Third, the researchers used SPSS 25 to perform the statistical data analysis of the study and to answer the raised research questions. The results showed that male learners’ reflection and grit and female learners’ autonomy and FLE were the main factors in their EBs. Moreover, based on the results, female learners’ EBs were more satisfactory than that of male learners in their CALL courses. The results are likely to provide EFL teacher education course-developer, syllabus designers, and teachers with guidelines on the management of learners’ EBs in CALL courses.

Abstract Objective: This research aimed to study the components of wisdom in the content of Persian textbooks for the first grade of primary school based on the three wisdom models of Ardlet, Webster, and Sternberg.
Method: The method was a descriptive-qualitative systematic review through content analysis. In this regard, the text of all lessons related to the first, second, and third grade Persian textbooks was examined using the explicit content analysis method.
Results: The results showed that the components of wisdom include academic knowledge, cultural and historical identity, spirituality, ethics/compassionate love, love of homeland and national responsibility, learning from nature with an aesthetic perspective, acquiring knowledge, openness to experience, public good, reflective perspective, recognizing emotions, social/group interactions, family-orientedness, practical intelligence, learning and teaching, awakening and learning from history, and applicant of cognitive tools. Comparing these components with three theoretical models including Ardlet's three-dimensional model of wisdom (2011), Webster's five-factor model (2003), and Sternberg's balance theory (1998) showed that the components of wisdom in the Persian textbooks of the first grade overlap with many theoretical dimensions of wisdom, and in some cases, such as humor, reviewing memories and revising them.
Conclusions: However, it is noteworthy that components such as having an aesthetic view of nature and learning from it, spirituality, and learning from history have been given attention, which are not seen in the models of wisdom of Ardlet, Webster, and Sternberg, and this is one of the strengths of the Persian textbooks.