نشریه مسائل کاربردی تعلیم و تربیت اسلامی
سال یکم شماره 2 (بهار 1395)

This study was carried out to examine Shirazi high school students’ perceptions of extracurricular activities and their relationship with some demographic variables (gender, major and grade). The research method of this survey was descriptive. The population of the study comprised all Shirazi high school students in 2010-2011 academic year (58429 students). The statistical sample consisted of 303 students (148 males and 151 females) who were chosen through random cluster sampling method. The instrumentation included a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were approved by psychometric criteria. Both descriptive and inferential statistics such as t-test for dependent and independent samples, regression analysis and one-way analysis of variance were utilized for the purpose of data analysis. Results of the study revealed that students’ perceptions of extracurricular activities differed in the three domains of students’ interest in these activities, their participation, as well as their awareness of the threats to the abovementioned activities. More specifically, students’ interest in extracurricular activities was higher than their participation rate. However, their participation rate was higher than their awareness of the threats. The decline in students’ interest compared with their involvement in these activities is indicative of the gap between the theory and practice. Furthermore, results showed that there was no significant relationship between students’ gender and their perceptions of extracurricular activities in the three domains of interest, involvement and threats. Nevertheless, a significant association was observed between demographic variables such as major and grade and students’ perceptions of these activities.

The purpose of the present study was to conduct a content analysis of the seventh grade Payamhay-e-Asemani textbook based on the extent of focus on the methods of Islamic education. The research method was descriptive and of content analysis type. The population of the study included the seventh grade Payamhay-e-Asemani textbook in 2014-2015 academic year. Due to the nature of the research as well as the limited scope of the population of the study, no sampling was undertaken and the whole population was probed. Data collection tools were comprised of index cards and a researcher-made content analysis list. The obtained data were analyzed through descriptive indices of Shannon entropy. Results indicated that the methods of Islamic education had the frequency of 408 in Payamhay-e-Asemani textbook. More specifically, behavior modification methods with information load of 0.975 and significance coefficient of 0.340 had the highest frequency, contingency methods with information load of 0.951 and significance coefficient of 0.331 came second, and the lowest frequency was related to behavior formation methods with information load of 0.945 and significance coefficient of 0.329.

The present study aimed to investigate the role of adherence to saying prayers and spiritual intelligence in mental health of high school students in district seven of Tehran. The method of this descriptive research was correlational. The population of the study comprised all Tehrani high school girls in district 7 in 2014-2015 academic year (an estimation of 1148 students). Multi-stage sampling method was utilized and 320 students were selected as the statistical sample. The instrumentation consisted of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), King’s Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (2008), as well as Panahi's Adherence to Saying Prayers Questionnaire (2003). The questionnaires were found to have desirable reliability and validity based on psychometric criteria. The obtained data were analyzed through Pearson's correlation coefficient and multivariate regression. Results showed that there was a significant interrelationship among adherence to performing prayers, spiritual intelligence, and mental health. In fact, students’ mental health can be predicted based on their adherence to saying prayers and spiritual intelligence. Despite the fact that an association was observed between adherence to performing prayers and spiritual intelligence, students’ spiritual intelligence cannot be predicted on the basis of their adherence to saying prayers.

This study was undertaken to put forward a theoretical model for vocational education curriculum based on the philosophy of education of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The research method was qualitative and analytic-deductive. Accordingly, based on Frankena's deductive model, certain principles were derived from foundations and goals. The data collection tool included index cards. The research population comprised the philosophy of education of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the entire literature on vocational education. Purposive sampling was carried out according to the elements of vocational education curriculum. Data analysis methods included categorization, codification, and interpretation which were simultaneously carried out with data collection. Results indicated that the goals of vocational education are hygiene, health and physical strength, knowledge of acquiring skills and gaining insight on vocations, and fostering collaboration among students in vocational education. Additionally, some principles extracted from the theoretical model in the area of the content of vocational education are: boosting understanding of job safety principles, relationship between the content and subject matter, probing social and historical aspects of careers, relationship between the content and future career needs of students, as well as inclusion of knowledge, skills and insights on vocations. The extracted principles in the domain of learning are: paving the way for generating hypotheses, learners’ interaction with each other, and assisting peers. The extracted principles in the domain of teaching are: development of skilled actions and transformation in students’ perceptions of the career, incorporating Islamic notions on vocations, boosting students’ collaborative work, possessing a holistic perspective in the teaching process, educational fairness and equity in vocational teaching, and congruence between assignments and students’ capabilities. And finally the extracted principles in the domain of evaluation are: cultivating students’ sense of responsibility regarding evaluation of their own knowledge, skills and insights on careers, incorporating the levels of knowledge, skills and insights on careers in the process of evaluation, as well as considering students’ ability and capabilities in the process of evaluation.

The purpose of the present researchwas to examine eleventh graders’ perceptions of the attainment of religion and life curriculum goals inthe “behavioral domain”. According to the curriculum guidelines, this domain consists of seven main subdomains, i.e., religious principles, the Holy Quran, Sira [holy prophet Muhammad’s (P.B.U.H) lifestyle], the Islamic view of the human being, Islamic society, lifestyle, and religion in the modern world. The research method was survey and a goal-oriented evaluation of curriculum. The population of the study included the entire 11th graders in Tehran among whom 420 students were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling method. The instrumentation was comprised of a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were approved by psychometric criteria. The obtained data were analyzed usingboth descriptive (such as means and percentages) and inferential statistics (one-sample t test). According to the results,both girls and boysreported that the curriculum goals were attained at a desirable levelin the“religious principles, Holy Quran, and Islamic view of the human being”domains. In the domain of Sira, majority of the students adopted negative attitudes despite the fact that in several cases they stated that the curriculum goals were achieved at a desirable level.In the “Islamic society” domain, the students mainly adoptedpositive attitudesin spite of the fact that some of themcontended that there was an undesirable attainment of goals. In the “lifestyle” domain, majority of students maintained that the curriculum goals were attained at an undesirable level. It is worth mentioning that no significant difference was observed betweenthe perceptions of boys and girls in the seven aforementioned domains.

The aim of the present phenomenological study was to examine high school students’ experiences on the pilgrimage to the Razavi Holy Shrine. The research method was qualitative. The population of the study included the entire high school boys in district 3 of Tehran. In this district, one high school was selected through purposive sampling method and 40 boys who had a five-day trip to Mashhad were studied. The obtained data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method. Results indicated that attendance to the Razavi Holy Shrine had positive behavioral (repentance, refraining from sins, doing good deeds for family, friendship and kindness to others), psychological (spiritual transformation, calmness, happiness, refinement of the soul, being hopeful about the future), and religious (strengthening the faith, tawakkul [reliance on God], self-development, compliance with religious rites and rituals, commitment to spiritual accomplishments, sincerity, piety, Dhikr [remembrance], modesty and patience) impacts on the students.