نشریه پژوهش و نگارش کتب دانشگاهی
سال هجدهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 34، پاییز 1393)

The research at hand discusses about the mode of text and textual properties in a university textbook from a systemic linguistic point of view. The corpus of the study includes the texts of a book titled General Biochemistry (by Maleknia and Shahbazi) and the research was carried out through an analytic method. The results indicate that the textual properties of the book are such that in theme position, different constituents were used to express different meanings. In this position, constituents from different grammatical categories are present and change the meaning of the clause by themselves. Some of these themes are textual themes, with a high frequency (52.77%). They have a textual function and hence have led text development and more cohesion. Other themes (17.55%) are marked and are topicalized to express emphasis, intensity or contrast of meanings. Thus, such structural clues are tools for handling meanings, and clarify the intended purpose of the authors of the book. It means that, meaning has been affected by mode. The main message of textual metafunction, which is mode, is to regard and apply such special structural elements that are very effective in perception. In this study, the findings confirmed the importance of theme-rheme structure and its role in text writing and a change of meaning. Such findings can be considered by authors and particularly by editors in writing academic books and can help improve the quality of university textbooks.

This paper examines the curriculum theory university textbooks of Iran. In introduction, some definitions of curriculum, the status of theory and theorizing in curriculum as a scientific discipline and also the history, nature and functions of curriculum theory have been examined. Then, by a purposeful selection of Iran's university textbooks in curriculum theory courses, some criteria have been developed to evaluate the content of these textbooks. The results showed that the textbooks, regarding 11 criteria of evaluation, are in an average or low average level and none of them can fully cover curriculum theory subject matters. The most common subject matters that have been presented in the relevant textbooks include the nature of curriculum theory, typology of curriculum theory, relation between curriculum theory and foundations of curriculum design, and relation between curriculum theory and elements of curriculum. Finally, the article proposes compilation of a comprehensive university textbook for curriculum theory, and presents its features.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Persian font types on reading speed, accuracy and comprehension of textbook readers. The research plan includes pretest-posttest experimental design with control group. The population of study includes the third grade elementary students of Bakharz city in 2014-2015 academic year. Using clustering sampling, 4 classes with 60 students were selected and assigned in 4 groups: 19 students in a control group and 41 students in 3 experimental groups. Data were gathered through presenting 2 texts from Let's Read Persian Book to the students; these two texts were written with 4 different fonts. The student's reading speed was measured with chronometer, their reading accuracy was assessed with the number of their incorrect answers, and their reading comprehension was assessed with their responses to a teacher-made test. Validity of the test was confirmed by several third-grade teachers, and the test reliability estimated 0.85 by test-retest method. Covariance test was used to analyze data. Results revealed changing font type had no effect on “reading speed” and “reading comprehension” of students, but it affected their “reading accuracy” significantly. Based on findings, Zar as a Persian font type, improved accuracy of reading. According to system approach, students and their study habits are the inputs of higher education system and university textbooks. Based on the findings, this study presented suggestions for university textbooks designing.

Employment hope has been an important issue in recent years due to the economic conditions of the country, the growing number of universities, and the development of higher education. Therefore, this research, with an aim to study the internal and external forces that affect employment hope, analyzes the effect of textbook content and self-leadership on employment hope independently and also in terms of intermediary variables of self-efficacy and self-determination. The population of study consists of 3rd and 4th year students of Business Management through all the universities of Iran. Thus, this study is descriptive, survey-oriented, and questionnaire-based respectively in terms of research objective, research strategies, and data gathering. In order to measure the effect of independent variable on the dependent one, the questionnaires were distributed through personal and internet media to 450 students who were selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling method, and finally, 402 properly and completely answered questionnaires were gathered and analyzed. Data analysis, carried out by structural equations and Smart PLS2 software, showed that textbook content and self-leadership were effective on employment hope both independently and with the intermediary effects of self-efficacy and self-determination. All the hypotheses of the research were positively supported.

This research aims to study the future of the academic field of Persian Language Teaching to Non-Persian Speakers on the basis of causal layered analysis model. In this study, 43 participants were selected by the purposeful sampling method. The population of study consists of proficient expert professors of several fields, including linguistics, Persian language and literature, and English language teaching, as well as the graduates of Persian Language Teaching to Non-Persian Speakers. Semi-structured interviews – including six classified questions and informal talks with the participants – were used as tools for gathering research data. The results showed that there are some problems in the current body of this field, i.e. Persian Language Teaching to Non-Persian Speakers, and the relevant curriculum should be reviewed seriously. After scrutinizing the current problems that were introduced by the practicing specialists and educators of this field, the relevant instructional requirements were extracted to form the basis of course planning for such a field. It is hoped that the MA students of this field, after passing the relevant courses will gain the necessary qualifications to respond to the expectations of the beneficiaries; moreover, the practitioners of this field are expected to use the suggestions made to improve the quality of this field.

One of the major topics and subject matters of Philosophy of Education as an academic discipline is ''philosophical schools and educational ideas''. Therefore, many books have been written under the mentioned title. One of the very recent books in this area is Philosophical and Ideological Perspectives on Education by Gerald L. Gutek, translated to Persian as "Philosophical Schools and Educational Ideas". Gutek applied deduction through the book as a well-known method in philosophy of education. In deduction method, different (philosophical) themes are used for (educational) deductions. Deduction method is based on the deduction of educational significations from philosophical themes. But application of this method to study philosophical schools is methodologically problematic. One of these problems is that in a specific philosophical school there may be different voices about the same matter. This is an important obstacle against deduction, and without some considerations, it will not be resolved. Gutek's book was criticized for this defect too. This article discusses the practical defects of Gutek's book and his deductive approach through several references to the text of the book. Finally, it mentions some strengths of the book and proposes suggestion for its improvement.