فصلنامه خانواده و پژوهش
سال نهم شماره 1 (بهار 1391)

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the importance, role and function of family from Islam’s perspective and elaborate on parental responsibilities in the upbringing of children. Furthermore, this study aimed to examine the status attributed to family in Education Fundamental Reform Document which was passed by the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council. This document, whose aim is to accomplish content-wise and structural reforms, comprises theoretical principles, objectives, standards, missions, and practical strategies and it serves as the primary basis for making critical decisions and steering education system at national level. The method of data collection in the first phase was descriptive and in the second phase analysis of documents was utilized. The findings of the study showed that in the Education Fundamental Reform Document adequate attention has not been paid to family as the fundamental institution which transfers moral and educational values to the next generation. In addition, in this document practical strategies for parents’ involvement in children’s education have not been proposed. Undermining the family status and holding only the government and schools responsible for education can lead to numerous social abnormalities and immoral acts.

The purpose of the present research was to predict high school students’ achievement motivation based on their family functioning. The statistical population of the study comprised all high school girls in district 17 of Tehran. The sample which consisted of 312 individuals was selected through multi-stage sampling method. The instrumentation included Hermans’ achievement motivation questionnaire (assessing 10 components through 29 multiple-choice items) and Bloom’s family functioning questionnaire (a 75-item scale consisting of 15 components). The collected data were analyzed through descriptive as well as inferential statistics (multivariate regression analysis). The obtained results indicated that students’ achievement motivation can be predicted based on their family functioning components. Cohesion, expressiveness, recreational orientation, intellectual-cultural orientation, religious emphasis, organization, family sociability, external locus of control, and family idealization were the components which had the highest correlation with and greatest impact on students’ achievement motivation.

The present study was conducted to examine the interrelationship of parenting styles, self-efficacy, and students’ academic achievement. In this research, ex-post-facto design was used. The statistical population of the study comprised all Hamedani eleventh graders in 2010-2011 academic year. The sample consisted of 400 boys and girls who were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling method. For the purpose of data collection, Schaefer’s Family Environment Questionnaire and Sherer’s Self-Efficacy Scale were used. In addition, students’ GPAs in the first semester of 2010-2011 academic year were used as the criteria for assessing academic achievement. T-tests (for comparing means), Pearson product moment correlation coefficients, ANOVA, and chisquare test were used for the analysis of the collected data. Results of the study revealed that there was a significant relationship between parenting styles, selfefficacy, and students’ academic achievement. In addition, the findings indicated that there was a significant association between self-efficacy and academic achievement. There was a significant difference between girls and boys in terms of self-efficacy. Moreover, no significant relationship was observed between parents’ educational level and parenting styles. Due to the fact that the findings of the study were indicative of a positive and significant association between parenting styles, self-efficacy and academic achievement, providing parents with adequate training in how to establish more effective relationship with their children can be of utmost importance.

The present research was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy in treatment of depression among middle and high school students in Bandar Abbas. Pretest,posttest,follow-up research design (with control group) was utilized in this experimental study. The subjects of the study comprised 26 students suffering from depression. These students were randomly selected and assigned to experimental and control groups. The instrumentation consisted of Children’s Depression Inventory as well as diagnostic interview for depression disorder developed based on DSMIV- TR. The experimental group participated in 16 sessions of family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy. The obtained results showed that in the posttest (P<0.01) and follow-up (P<0.01) stages family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy reduced depression scores of the experimental group significantly. Hence, it can be concluded that this method is effective in treatment of depression disorder and its application is important for students and their families.

The aim of the present study was to compare attachment styles among normal and delinquent adolescents. The sample comprised 47 delinquent (18 girls and 29 boys) and 90 normal adolescents (30 girls and 60 boys). These individuals were in the 14 to 18 age group. It is worth mentioning that convenience sampling method and random multi-stage cluster sampling method were utilized for the purpose of selecting delinquent and normal adolescents, respectively. The instrumentation consisted of “Attachment Style Scale for Childhood and Adolescence’” developed by Ronaghi, Delavar and Mazaheri (2009). Results of one-way ANOVA and chi-square test revealed that normal adolescents mostly had secure attachment style, whereas delinquents mostly had insecure attachment style. Considering attachment styles, no significant difference was observed between boys and girls in each group and in the total sample. The most frequently observed attachment styles among delinquent adolescents were preoccupied, secure, fearful, and dismissing, respectively. Delinquent boys had mostly been arrested for theft and delinquent girls were runaway ones who had committed adultery. Compared to other criminals, delinquents who had committed the afore-mentioned offenses significantly had pre-occupied style of attachment. The findings of the present study which are consistent with those of previous research indicated that there is a relationship between insecure attachment style and juvenile delinquency. In general, in can be stated that possessing secure style of attachment has a profound effect on adolescents’ social adjustment and it serves as a deterrent to juvenile delinquency.

This study aimed to determine the role of parenting styles in moral development of adolescent girls. The statistical population of the research consisted of all fifth, eighth, and eleventh graders in Tehran (11, 14, and 17- year-old students) as well as their parents. Multi-stage cluster sampling method was used and as a result 90 students were selected (30 students in each grade). The parents of the selected students (180 individuals) comprised the other sample of the study. The instrumentation included parenting styles questionnaire as well as Kohlberg’s moral development test. Results of the study were consistent with Kohlberg’s theory according to which moral development has a universal pattern and its sequence is invariant in all cultures. More specifically, adolescent girls moved through the stages of moral development in the same constant order. In addition, there was a significant relationship between moral development and parenting styles in the 10 to 11 age group. However, this association was not observed in the other two age groups. Furthermore, the findings of the study indicated that students’ moral development was affected more by maternal parenting style in the 10 to 11 age group.

Within the administrative organization of the Iranian educational system, the Parents - Teachers Association (PTA) is overseen by the municipal and provincial Parents and Teachers Councils. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of the latter (these councils) in 2008. This study is descriptive and it was undertaken through analysis of documents as well as surveying viewpoints of members of the councils. The utilized documents comprised the acts passed by the councils and the reports read in the councils’ meetings. In the study of documents and for the purpose of sampling, country’s 31 provinces were classified into three categories of privileged, semi-privileged and deprived and in each category, 2 provinces were randomly selected. In the next step, in each selected province one privileged, semi-privileged and deprived city were chosen. Hence, 6 provinces and 18 cities comprised the sample of the study. On the other hand, in the survey of members of the councils the population of the study consisted of 10136 individuals out of whom 753 members were selected. Results of the study revealed that in 2008 PTA councils held 2067 meetings and passed 5549 acts out of which 4139 were implemented. The acts mostly included common topics such as expansion of families training courses, helping students who live in poverty, and visiting high-performing schools. Furthermore, the most significant obstacles to the implementation of the acts were insufficient budget and lack of facilities, lack of executive power, lack of support to the councils, and lack of legal obligation of other organizations for cooperation with the Ministry of Education as well as PTA councils. Fifty percent of the members believed that the councils have achieved their objectives. However, the most unattainable goals included “enhancing parents’ involvement in planning and decision-making in accordance with PTA missions” and “paving the way for monitoring the performance of PTA by parents and teachers”. Councils’ members believed that the most important problems of the councils respectively were “staff shortages for implementation of programs”, “members’ being unfamiliar with rules and regulations”, and “lack of cooperation between parents and schools”.