Allameh Tabataba'i University
Recent publications
The present study investigates the application of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) as an innovative approach in second language teaching (SLT) to explore its impact on the professional identity of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, the research involved 148 Iranian EFL teachers of both genders. The quantitative phase employed NLP and Teacher Professional Identity questionnaires, with a selected group of 20 teachers participating in a four-week NLP training workshop designed to enhance their understanding and application of NLP in classroom discourse. A researcher-designed observation checklist measured teachers' use of NLP techniques. The subsequent qualitative phase involved two rounds of semi-structured interviews with the workshop participants. Spearman rho analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between NLP and the professional identity of EFL instructors. Thematic analysis of qualitative data further affirmed NLP's potential to enhance teaching quality and contribute to teachers' professional identity development. These findings underscore the substantial role of NLP in positively influencing teachers' professional development.
Uncertainty is a significant context to investigate when assessing entities. In the presence of imprecise and vague data, this study presents a novel method for evaluating the decision-making units (DMUs) performance utilizing a network structure consisting of two stages. Thus, for presenting the fuzzy network data envelopment analysis (FNDEA) model, two-stage data envelopment analysis (TSDEA), chance constraint programming (CCP), and possibilistic programming are utilized. Furthermore, the possibilistic network data envelopment analysis (PNDEA) method could be utilized under various returns to scale (RTS) presumptions. For measuring the investment firms’ (IFs) performance using a two-stage structure containing portfolio and operational management procedures, the developed fuzzy network DEA model is implemented. In addition, IFs like mutual funds (MFs) and investment organizations are extremely significant organizations to make investments in capital markets. Consequently, assessing the related performance in determining effective investment firms and proposing an appropriate solution for inefficient IFs is important. Finally, a real-world case study of the Tehran Stock Exchange is used, and findings indicate that the developed model is effective.
In this study, we report on how a group of teachers engaged in action research (AR) and navigated their emotions in the way of experiencing wellbeing. We collected data over one year from rounds of semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, classroom observations, and post-class discussions. Data analyses showed that the teachers experienced wellbeing in three major terms: From initial emotional tensions to subsequent emotional wellness, developing wellbeing through practicing collective care, and wellbeing and self-empowerment as learning. Collectively, the teachers moved from hedonic to eudemonic forms of wellbeing during and after the AR programme, spanning their programme, inter-individual, and intra-individual levels of empowerment. Based on the findings, we provide implications for teacher educators in how to systematise wellbeing in teacher education programmes so that teachers experience higher levels of wellbeing across their career span, especially through AR initiatives. Furthermore, the study concludes with insights into how pre-service and in-service teachers could be supported through anchoring AR into teacher education programmes in order to experience enhanced wellbeing.
It stands to reason to assume that children learn extensively from the literature they read, i.e., not only are they entertained by the books they are exposed to, but also, they are educated by them. Children’s literature, not surprisingly, is imbued with a plethora of different values and ideologies. It is also known for a fact that through the process of translation, ideologies transcend geographical boundaries to reach and impact a global readership. While there has been significant scholarly interest in exploring different ideologies within translated literature for adults and also children, neoliberalism and its values, despite their prevalence in Western literature, have received relatively little attention in Translation Studies, particularly in the context of children’s literature. To fill this gap, the present study attempted to find the manifestations within translated and domestically produced literature aimed at 6–12-year-old children in Iran. Theoretically, the study is based on Fairclough’s (Language and power (3rd edn). Routledge, 2015) notion of Critical Discourse Analysis. Using a random sampling method, forty books (twenty translated into Persian and twenty originally written in Persian) were selected from a list of best-sellers. Adopting a qualitative design, the texts and their peritexts and epitexts were scrutinized. The findings suggests that while the discourse of neoliberalism is present in both translated and domestically produced books (with a greater prevalence observed in translated works), the type of values promoted differs across the two categories. The study intends to raise awareness regarding neoliberal ideologies among publishers, authors, translators, and all those involved in the field of children’s literature, not to mention educators, parents, and caregivers.
Background Fatigue leads to an acute decline in muscle strength, altered patterns of lower extremity muscle activation, changes in hip and knee kinematics. In terms of the effects of fatigue on knee joint kinematics during plyometric training, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding kinematic differences between athletes who passed the ACL reconstructions rehabilitation period and healthy athletes. Therefore, this study aimed to compare lower limb joint kinematic parameters between reconstructed cruciate ligament and healthy control soccer players during jump landing in a fatigued setting. Methods Lower limb kinematic parameters were recorded in 20 professional soccer players (age, 24.95 ± 2.92 years; body mass, 77.20 ± 12.88 kg; height, 1.77 ± 3.19 m) during jump landing task before and after the fatigue protocol. The control group consisted of healthy subjects and the experimental group consisted of subjects with ACL reconstruction by thigh transplantation. Kinematic data was recorded with 4 cameras to measure lower limb angles at first foot contact and maximum range of motion. Results The results showed that before fatigue, there was only a significant difference between the two groups in the maximum range of motion of the non-involved hip joint (P = 0.022) and angle of the involved hip at first contact (P = 0.049). In other data on joint range of motion or initial contact angle, no significant difference was observed between the two groups (P > 0.05). After fatigue protocol, there was a significant difference in initial foot contact in non-involved (P = 0.030), and involved (P = 0.020) hip joint angles between the two groups. However, no significant difference in initial contact angle or range of motion of other joints was observed between the groups. Conclusions This study shows that plyometric fatigue does not contribute to numerous changes in contact angles and range of motion in lower extremity joints in healthy soccer players and those with a history of cruciate ligament repairs.
The importance of love in education has long been emphasized in the literature. However, a pedagogy based on love in second/foreign language (L2) education context has recently captured scholarly attentions. The existing studies have mostly dealt with the theoretical underpinnings of loving pedagogy in L2 education. Nevertheless, the ecological constellation of this teaching approach has remained unaddressed by L2 researchers, to date. To address the gap, this study drew on Bronfenbrenner’s (American Psychologist, 32, 513–553, 1977) ecological systems theory to map out the micro, meso, and macro-systemic factors influencing the adoption of loving pedagogy in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. To this end, a transcendental phenomenological design was employed to examine the perceptions of 20 Iranian EFL teachers via semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, and autobiographical narratives. The results of content and thematic analyses indicated that “teachers’ emotional literacy”, “teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and skills”, “teachers’ and students’ beliefs and attitudes”, and “classroom culture/climate” were the most frequent micro-systemic factors influencing loving pedagogy practice. At the meso-system level, “institutional policies and regulations”, “institutional culture”, and “collaboration and collegiality” were found to determine the implementation of loving pedagogy. Concerning macro-systemic factors, the findings revealed that “religious ideology”, “sociocultural norms and values”, and “educational system policies” were the most influential factors in adopting loving pedagogy. Conclusions and implications for each ecological level are presented to cultivate the practice of this developing pedagogy in language education.
Introduction: Adaptive behavior, defined as a critical set of skills learned and performed throughout daily life to cope with society's age-appropriate expectations, is a central concept for people with disabilities in both clinical and research contexts. As AB is an essential component of daily functioning, assessment is necessary both for the diagnostic process and for intervention, as it enables scores to be compared with the developmental norm, identifies strengths and weaknesses of the persons and monitors the progress of interventions. AB assessment is common in children with developmental delays but less common in children with visual impairment (VI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the AB of young children with VI through a pilot study and descriptive data. Methods: The participants were recruited through an early childhood special needs education service specialized in VI in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Overall, 10 families gave their consent for their child to be assessed using the Vineland Adaptative Behavior Scale-II (VABS-II) completed by their early childhood educator. Results: Globally, the results showed that participants were rated between the Adapted to Moderately High levels. The highest domains were in the areas of communication, daily living skills and socialization. Discussion: The results showed a trend that is superior to previous studies assessing the AB of a similar population. As a result, one obvious perspective would be to adapt the scale to ensure that the items assessed are more consistent with the specificities of their development and the intervention priorities, enabling them to achieve adaptive behavior and independence in carrying out activities of daily living.
Human resources slack refers to more human resources than the organization needs, which can have different and even contradictory effects on organizational performance. The objective of the present study is to investigate the effect of this new concept on organizational performance. The methodology adopted was qualitative and fundamental, with a systematic review in the case of purpose. Therefore, the systematic search to identify and extract articles was limited to two databases, Elsevier (Scopus) and the Scientific Network Information Sciences Institute (Thomson Reuters). The Critical Appraisal Skills Programs standard checklist was used to assess the study validity, and a Cohen kappa index equal to 0.731 was applied in SPSS software to assess the study reliability, which was confirmed. Having investigated the existing articles, a model was suggested to clearly state the effect of human resources slack on the organization’s performance. Referring to the articles, the model introduces the different types of human resources slack, which could range from value-oriented to knowledge-oriented to surplus-oriented to accumulation-oriented (relative or absolute), and could also be knowledge-based or non-knowledge-based and short-term or long-term period. The model presented in the research can be the basis for future research that aims to optimize human resource slack in human resource management measures such as training, rewarding and compensating, evaluation and so on. In the proposed pattern, value-oriented and knowledge-based human resources slack with positive effects were evaluated. Surplus-oriented human resources slack and, to some extent, accumulation-oriented human resources slack with negative effects were also evaluated. It was concluded that having too many of each type can prove detrimental to an organization’s performance.
In the competitive business environment, organizations face challenges such as rapid customer needs changes and uncertainty, necessitating continuous adjustments in business processes to maintain competitive advantage. Fundamental changes can lower service costs, reduce time, and ultimately increase profitability. Organizations increasingly leverage information technology to convert traditional processes into web-based systems, enabling detailed data collection that enhances process analysis through a method known as process mining. This study focused on redesigning the logistics process at a private bank, utilizing three process mining techniques: discovery, adaptation, and improvement, with Disco 2.14 software. Data was extracted from the bank’s automation and administrative correspondence systems, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of the software outputs. The study identified process indicators, evaluated the adaptation of existing processes, and extracted values using an optimal process. Finally, the research provided suggestions to improve these processes, highlighting the potential of process mining in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness within organizational frameworks. The findings underscore the importance of adapting business processes to meet evolving market demands and leverage technology for improved operational performance.
Microglia, the immune-competent central nervous system (CNS), have long been suspected of causing many CNS diseases. However, microglia are neuroprotective, so we must reconsider their role in CNS and peripheral nervous system (PNS) illnesses. In this review, data sources including Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Science Direct were searched for publications with no particular time restriction to get a holistic and comprehensive view of the research. Recent study shows that microglia are vital to the CNS and have complicated effects on astrocytes and myeloid cells. The pathophysiology of many disorders, including peripheral nervous system ailments, requires an understanding of microglia activities. The impact of microglia on neuronal survival in CNS and PNS diseases and bloodborne macrophages on CNS and PNS injuries is examined in this article. Metabolic changes in glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation are crucial in understanding the activation of microglia as they are strongly linked to reactive oxygen species formation and variations in pro- and anti-inflammatory phenotypes. Macrophages play a crucial role in tissue homeostasis, inflammation, and regeneration. They are divided into pro-inflammatory (M1) and pro-repair (M2) subtypes, each with distinct functions. M2-polarized exosomes have anti-inflammatory properties and can be used to treat various diseases, including autoimmune diseases, heart, kidney, lung, liver, brain, muscle, and skin conditions.
This study examined the responsible decision-making competence of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers with the objective of developing a practical model to promote ethical classroom practices. Drawing on the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning’s (CASEL) definition of responsible decision-making (making caring and constructive choices), this research investigated the perceptions and strategies employed by 19 Iranian EFL teachers, selected through convenience sampling, to promote it in their classrooms. The analysis of data collected through semi-structured written interviews and focus group discussions employed a three-stage grounded theory approach: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The findings revealed three core perceptual elements guiding teacher responsible decision-making: consequence consideration, ethical grounding, and proper decision-making. Furthermore, four key strategic approaches emerged as essential for responsible decision-making: inquiry-based problem-solving, reflective thinking, reciprocal decision-making, and optimal resource-finding. Significantly, the study found a strong alignment between teachers’ perceptions and strategies, highlighting the critical need for equipping prospective EFL teachers with a comprehensive understanding of their ethical responsibilities. This understanding empowers them to make informed choices that promote a positive and responsible learning environment for their students.
Background Considering the importance of cognitive and motor functions of the elderly people, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive exergame, called Neurolight compared to computerized cognitive games, in enhancing core executive functions and motor performance. Methods A total of 36 individuals in the age range of 60 to 69 years were studied in the form of three groups: The control group continued their daily activities, while the Neurolight group underwent a cognitive-motor training and the Maghzineh performed a computer-based cognitive training program for 24 sessions. Before and after interventions, working memory, inhibitory control, and balance were measured respectively by the N-back, Stroop, and TUG tests. Results The results showed that cognitive-motor exercises using Neurolight, for 24 sessions, were able to significantly improve working memory, inhibitory control, and balance in individuals in this age group. Conclusion This finding supports the other studies suggesting combined cognitive and physical exercises for better effect. Based on its findings, the use of this exercise system can be suggested to coaches and therapists working with the elderly.
Background: Even though replication research has gained traction within academia over the recent years, it is not often well-received as a stand-alone thesis topic by supervisors and university administrators. Methods: In this qualitative investigation, we delve into the perspectives of academic supervisors on the feasibility of replication as a thesis topic within the field of applied linguistics (AL). Drawing on Institutional Theory, administrative pressures facing supervisors on what to be considered permissible for a thesis were also explored. By conducting semi-structured e-mail interviews with a global cohort of AL supervisors and a thematic analysis of their responses, a nuanced landscape was brought to light. Results: Supervisors outlined numerous benefits associated with replication including fostering academic advancement as well as providing opportunities for reevaluating prior research. Nonetheless, they also pointed to several obstacles along the way, such as concerns over originality, constraints on time and resources, and the necessity for mentorship. Moreover, supervisors emphasized their pivotal role as decision-makers in accepting or rejecting replication for a thesis project, while acknowledging the partial influence of institutional pressures. Conclusions: Lastly, some implications and recommendations on allocating more resources to replication research are provided.
Given much importance associated with willingness to communicate (WTC) in foreign language learning, many researchers have carried out studies to explore antecedents of second language (L2) WTC. To contribute to this research domain, this study sought to test a model of ideal L2 self, growth language mindset, boredom and WTC among English major students. In so doing, we recruited a total number of 437 undergraduate English major students from different universities in Iran, who were requested to complete an online survey containing the questionnaires of these four variables. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to confirm the construct validity of the questionnaires. In addition, structural equation modelling was performed to test the hypothesised structural relations among the variables. Results showed that ideal L2 self and boredom significantly influenced (English as a Foreign Language) EFL students' WTC directly. Nevertheless, the growth language mindset influenced WTC indirectly, through the mediation of boredom. The findings suggest notable implications for teaching and learning EFL.
Background Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is common and presents as lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Understanding patient concerns and treatment preferences is essential for effective management. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes, preferences, and expectations of Iranian patients with BPH, and compare them with those of urologists in addressing this condition. Methods A cohort of patients diagnosed with BPH underwent assessment during their initial visit. Before any counseling, their attitudes, concerns, and expectations regarding benign prostate enlargement were evaluated using semi-structured interviews. Patient responses were analyzed based on educational levels and age. Additionally, correspondence was initiated with thirty urologists who graduated within the past twelve years to assess their attitudes toward BPH, concerns, and treatment approaches. Interview questions were constructed using the Delphi method, and their validity was confirmed. Responses from both groups were analyzed and compared. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, Chi-squared test, Mann-Whitney U, and principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation were used for statistical analysis. Results The study comprised 261 patients and 30 urologists. Findings revealed that 86.2% of patients and 86.7% of urologists perceived a lack of sufficient patient knowledge about BPH. Patients across all educational levels and age groups expressed a desire for more information about their condition. Primary concerns among patients included exacerbation of urinary symptoms, potential malignancy, and sexual dysfunction. While patients generally preferred pharmacological treatments, those older than 75 years showed a significantly higher preference for surgical options. Conversely, urologists exhibited greater concern for long-term clinical complications associated with BPH. Results indicated significant parallels between the attitudes of urologists and patients in assessing the multifaceted impact of BPH on patient well-being. Conclusion This study enhances our understanding of patient attitudes and concerns regarding BPH, thereby facilitating more effective treatment strategies. Our findings encourage urologists to enhance patient perspectives by delivering comprehensive information. Furthermore, the comparison between patient and urologist attitudes towards BPH underscores the importance of tailored care and patient-centered approaches in optimizing outcomes for individuals with BPH.
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Mohammad Fayaz
  • Eco College of Insurance
Ali Khatami Firouzabadi
  • School of Management and Accounting
Seyed Morteza Tayebi
  • Exercise Physiology
Rahman Sheikhhoseini
  • Sport injuries and corrective exercises
Seyed Hossein Razavi Hajiagha
  • School of Management and Accounting
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