Educational R esearch

Implementation of Cognitive Load Theory for Students’ Learning and Educational Achievements: A Systematic Review

Vahid Ahmadi

The present study aims to review previous research on Cognitive Load Theory and its implementation for students’ learning outcomes and educational achievements in Iran and throughout the world from 2000 to 2024. To achieve this, a literature search was conducted in reputable domestic and foreign databases such as the ACECR Scientific Information Database, Magiran, Noormags, Comprehensive Portal of Humanities, ERIC, Science Direct, Francis & Taylor, Google Scholar, and some other websites using English and Persian keywords for Cognitive Load Theory, learning and educational achievements. The papers were qualitatively assessed using checklists. From the overall 120 sought papers, 25 papers were finally examined after reviewing their titles, considering their involvement criteria, and a detailed study of them. As the Literature Review sections showed, the analysis of the papers had focused on 23 core and 6 subsidiary factors. From the core group, the Impact of Teaching by Cognitive Load on Students’ Learning and the Impact of Teaching by Cognitive Load on Students’ Retention had the most frequencies. The major factors were organized and coded into six subtitles: Learning Improvement, Adjustment Dimensions, Cognitive and Metacognitive Skills, Educational Progress and Achievement, Educational Skills, and Motivational Dimension for the larger group of Implementation of Cognitive Load Theory for Students’ Learning and Educational Achievement.

Evaluation of the Electronics Curriculum in Secondary Education

Ahad Naveedy

This research was conducted to evaluate the electronics curriculum in secondary schools. To do this, five provinces were selected purposefully with the opinions of experts, and the required data were collected using written documents, questionnaires, and interviews. 406 people responded to the art student questionnaire and 1980 people responded to the student questionnaire. Members of the electronics program planning commission and several knowledgeable experts, 15 people who implemented the electronics curriculum, and 14 people who implemented the art students were interviewed. The research findings show that the needs assessment, design, and curriculum planning of the electronics program have not been carried out according to scientific standards. Experts and art students acknowledge the ambiguity in the goals of the program. Standards for human resources, equipment, space, and the evaluation system are set in an abstract space and are out of reach. Due to the lack of equipment and training time, as well as the weakness of the program implementers, the developed program has not been implemented properly. Most experts, art school directors, art students and students have assessed the workshop facilities as inadequate and inadequate. The implementation of the internship curriculum is not in line with the objectives of this course. The competency-based evaluation guidelines have not been implemented properly. Experts, teachers and students have conditioned the success of the program to creating favorable conditions through reforming the input, process and output of the system.

Comparing the effectiveness of group training based on schema therapy and imago therapy on improving attachment styles and emotional styles of couples

samad eslamimehr

The present study is an applied and semi-experimental study conducted to compare the effectiveness of group training based on schema therapy and imago therapy on improving attachment styles and emotional styles of couples. The statistical population includes couples who had referred to Razi Counseling Center in Karaj in the winter of 2018. The sampling was available and purposeful and included 45 women and men who met the necessary conditions to enter the sessions. Then, 15 people were randomly assigned to experimental group 1 (schema therapy), 15 people to experimental group 2 (imago therapy), and another 15 people to the control group. Hazen and Shaver (1978), Hoffman and Kashdan (2010) questionnaires were used to collect information. The results showed that there is a difference between the effectiveness of group training based on schema therapy and imago therapy on attachment styles of couples, so schema therapy has a greater effect on attachment styles. There is also a difference between the effectiveness of group training based on schema therapy and imago therapy on couples' attachment styles, so imago therapy has a greater effect on emotional styles.

The mediating role of academic boredom in the relationship between school climate and academic engagement in high school students

maryam mohsenpour

The present study aimed to identify the mediating role of academic boredom in the relationship between school climate and academic engagement of high school students. This was a descriptive correlational study (structural equation model). The statistical population was female high school students in public schools in Mashhad in the academic year 1403-1404, of which 368 were selected through cluster random sampling. The research tools included the School Climate Scale by Lee et al. (2017), Sharp et al.'s Academic boredom (2021), and Rio's Academic Engagement (2013). The results showed that school climate and academic boredom have a direct effect on academic engagement, and school climate has a direct effect on academic boredom. Also, school climate can predict academic engagement through the mediation of academic boredom
. In addition, academic boredom and school climate explain 43% of academic engagement, of which 32% is explained by school climate and 11% by academic boredom (P<0.001). Based on the research findings, creating a positive atmosphere in schools can play an effective role in reducing academic boredom and increasing students' academic engagement; therefore, it is suggested that those involved in the education system, by improving the school atmosphere and strengthening positive relationships between students and teachers, provide conditions to reduce academic boredom and increase students' academic engagement.

Studying students' actions in the SHAD system's virtual technical and vocational training with a post-phenomenological approach, emphasizing the concepts of multistability and transparency.

Saeid Zarghami-Hamrah

Aim: This research aimed to study the students' actions in the virtual technical and vocational training of the SHAD system, emphasizing the concepts of multistability and transparency.
Method: The method of this research was post-phenomenological.
Sample and Instruments: The lived experience of several students of girls' and boys' art schools in Malard city was analyzed using interviews.
Results: Factors such as sedimentation and digital distraction have been effective in strengthening multistability and have led to appropriate and inappropriate habits such as self-management and reducing learning time, and the various functions of the SHAD system have been emphasized. Regarding transparency, issues such as the normalization process; repetition and practice, and a sense of immersion; are reinforced by positive ambiguity. Identifying and overcoming distractions and communication strategies such as closing messages enhance focus.
Conclusion: The mediation of the SHAD system has expanded the temporal and spatial possibilities and the degree of freedom of action of the students. Increasing the efficiency of learning in the group to understand actions and the difference in the type of knowledge of the content presented has been in line with reducing multistability and increasing transparency.

A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Student Teachers at Farhangian University of Academic Procrastination and Its Educational Implications

Esmat Motaharnezhad

Objective: Academic procrastination is a common challenge among students that can affect their quality of learning, motivation, and future professional performance. The aim of the present study was to analyze the lived experiences of student teachers of academic procrastination and identify the factors affecting it. Method: This study was conducted with a qualitative approach and Van Manen's analytical phenomenological method. The field of the present study included all student teachers of Farhangian University in the academic year 1403-1404, and 10 student teachers were selected using purposive sampling and data saturation criteria. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was conducted in six steps based on Van Manen's perspective. In this process, 127 initial codes were extracted and after removing repetitive codes, 96 basic themes, 14 organizing themes, and finally 3 overarching themes were obtained. Findings: The results of the analyses showed that the three overarching themes of this study included internal pressures and academic self-concept, environmental and structural factors, and coping strategies and reactions. The findings of this study showed that a combination of individual factors (such as low self-efficacy and performance anxiety), environmental factors (such as educational structure and social relationships), and lack of skills in applying effective coping strategies play a role in the emergence and persistence of academic procrastination. Conclusion: The results of the study emphasize the necessity of designing educational and counseling programs at Farhangian University that can help improve self-regulation skills, time management, promote academic motivation, and use effective coping strategies to eliminate or reduce procrastination in student teachers with a multi-level approach.

Investigating the effectiveness of cultural programs emphasizing religious occasions in improving elementary school students' attitudes toward religious concepts

Masoomeh Matoor

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cultural programs emphasizing religious occasions among female students in the second level of primary education in Qarchak County. A quasi-experimental comparative design was used. The statistical population consisted of all female students at the second level of primary education in Qarchak County. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan sampling table and through random cluster sampling, 215 individuals were selected as the sample and responded to the Religious Attitude and Religiosity Scale by Khodayari et al. The data were analyzed using frequency distribution tables, mean and standard deviation, and the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test. Based on the findings, there was a significant difference between the group that received cultural program training and the comparison group in the variables of religious belief and religious behavior, with the trained students showing higher mean scores. However, in the variables of religious affect and social pretense, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.

Effect of teachers’ self-concept on (de)motivating teaching styles: a study based on self-determination theory

Hamidreza Hassanabadi

Although previous studies have examined motivating and demotivating teaching styles within the framework of the circumplex model of teaching, the link between teachers’ self-concept and these styles has remained understudied. The present study aimed to investigate how teachers’ self-concept and gender can predict motivating and demotivating teaching styles. Based on a priori power analysis for multiple regression with a medium effect size, a sample of 80 secondary school teachers in Tehran during the 2022–2023 academic year was selected through multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected by using the School Situations Questionnaire by Aelterman et al. (2019) (α = 0.77), the Teacher Self-Concept Questionnaire Retelsdorf et al. (2014) (α = 0.86). Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. The findings showed no significant gender differences except for the controlling style, in which male teachers scored higher. Furthermore, teachers’ self-concept was positively and significantly related to motivating teaching styles (autonomy-supportive and structured) and explained 13–24% of their variance, whereas it was not associated with demotivating styles (controlling and chaotic). The results highlight the importance of self-concept in shaping motivating teaching and provide practical implications for teacher education aimed at strengthening teachers’ positive self-perceptions.