محمد محمدی

It is by now well established that materials may have an impact beyond simply learning a language they present. Hence, in this study attempts have been made to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of a textbook Summit 2B which is currently being widely used in Iranian EFL classes. The textbook has been evaluated based on criteria provided by McDonough and Shaw (1993) on the basis of two stages: an external and an internal evaluation. Efforts have been made to critically evaluate the textbook in terms of the layout, grading and sequencing of assignments, design, content, different activities, sort of texts utilized, and the skills emphasized in the book. The findings showed that albeit there appears to be some shortcomings, Summit 2B seems to be more efficient to meet the requirements of EFL learners as compared with the other textbooks which have hitherto been used at different language classes. Accordingly, investigating and evaluating the book proved to be very lucrative and valuable in terms of pedagogy as well as the efficient attributes that suits the context of the present study. Finally, the implications as regards the efficiency of this particular course book as the consequence of evaluating it have been put forward and the strengths and weaknesses related to it have been argued.

Recent research has shown that academic writing is not ‘author-evacuated’ but, rather, carries a representation of the writers’ identity. One way through which writers project their identity in academic writing is stance-taking toward propositions advanced in the text. Appropriate stance-taking has proved to be challenging for novice writers of Research Articles (RAs), especially those writing in a foreign language. To contribute to the literature on stance-taking, the present study compared the move-based use of evaluative resources in the introduction section of L1 (written by native English speakers) and L2 (written by Iranian, non-native writers) English RAs in the discipline of Applied Linguistics. To this end, 100 English Research Article Introductions (RAIs), 50 by L1 writers and 50 by L2 writers, were investigated as the corpus of the study. Categories of analysis were taken from Appraisal framework (Martine & White, 2005) and CARS model (Swales, 2004). The results revealed that the two groups of texts were not substantially different in the overall use of appraisal resources in the whole body of RAIs. However, more detailed analyses of the specific categories of appraisal in each of the rhetorical moves demonstrated that in some cases, especially in moves 1 and 3, L1 and L2 writers made different choices when taking a stance. The findings of this study can serve as a valuable source providing a practical and comprehensive understanding of the use of evaluative resources in RAIs for EAP researchers, teachers, and other professionals involved in the teaching of academic writing.

Background: Islamic ethics is a cultural and religious perspective that leads to meaning in the work and personal life of individuals and the need to study the relationship and its effect in our countrychr(chr('39')39chr('39'))s organizations is of great importance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of moderating Islamic ethics of employees on the relationship between meritocracy and individual consequences (perceived organizational justice, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior). Method: This study is an applied research and in terms of purpose and research method is a descriptive-correlation study. The statistical population of the study is the managers and experts of the selected executive bodies during the years 2015 to 2017. Due to the limited number of members of the statistical population, the census method was used and 386 were selected as the sample by the available sampling method. The research tool was a standard questionnaire and for statistical analysis of data, structural equation test and partial least squares method were used. Results: The results of this study showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between organizational competence and individual outcomes. Also, the moderating effect of employeeschr(chr('39')39chr('39')) Islamic ethics on the relationship between organizational competence and organizational justice has been understood and organizational commitment has been confirmed. Conclusion: Due to the obligation of commitment, organizational citizenship behavior and more perceived organizational justice, it is important to pay attention to attracting worthy individuals and employees who have Islamic moral values.Background: Islamic ethics is a cultural and religious perspective that leads to meaning in the work and personal life of individuals and the need to study the relationship and its effect in our countrychr(chr('39')39chr('39'))s organizations is of great importance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of moderating Islamic ethics of employees on the relationship between meritocracy and individual consequences (perceived organizational justice, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior). Method: This study is an applied research and in terms of purpose and research method is a descriptive-correlation study. The statistical population of the study is the managers and experts of the selected executive bodies during the years 2015 to 2017. Due to the limited number of members of the statistical population, the census method was used and 386 were selected as the sample by the available sampling method. The research tool was a standard questionnaire and for statistical analysis of data, structural equation test and partial least squares method were used. Results: The results of this study showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between organizational competence and individual outcomes. Also, the moderating effect of employeeschr(chr('39')39chr('39')) Islamic ethics on the relationship between organizational competence and organizational justice has been understood and organizational commitment has been confirmed. Conclusion: Due to the obligation of commitment, organizational citizenship behavior and more perceived organizational justice, it is important to pay attention to attracting worthy individuals and employees who have Islamic moral values.

This study is an attempt to find the realization of visual literacy in Iranian high school English textbooks. To this purpose, the density and number of the tags in the three volumes of the senior high school English textbooks were qualitatively investigated. The results showed that Book 1 emphasizes the Affective/Perceptual aspect of the visuals, whereas Book 3 puts more emphasis on Critical/Ideological aspect of the visuals. Furthermore, it was found that as grades of the books advance, the density and number of the tags decrease. The results based on Callow’s (2005) dichotomy also indicated that as the grade of the English textbooks advances, the visual literacy moves from the receptive aspect to more productive one. It can be inferred that in developing high school English textbooks, there seems to be no association between the visuals and the corresponding tags despite the variety of the visuals.  

State banks must find a way to adopt a different strategy from other banks in providing customer service. An important and key way to create a competitive position is to differentiate services from other competitors that create a good image of the bank and its services in the minds of customers. A topic that has been addressed in the present study is the necessity for state banks, like other companies and businesses, to follow a suitable model in order to achieve a suitable position in the banking industry. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to design a model for positioning the services of state-owned banks and its validation. The data for qualitative stage were obtained from Keshavarzi, Melli, and Maskan branches' managers of Khorasan Razavi province and university professors in the field of management. The quantitative sample were also the customers of aforementioned banks, that due to their large number, 384 people from each bank were selected as a sample size by simple random method and Cochran's formula. In order to collect data in the qualitative part, Deleted part, the interview was used and in the quantitative part, a researcher-made questionnaire was used, which obtained validity with expert opinions and reliability with Cronbach's alpha of 0.77. In order to analyze the data in the qualitative part, grounded theory and the method of Strauss and Corbin and Maxquda software were used, and in the quantitative part, the structural equation technique and PLS2 software were used. The results showed that the model presented in 6 dimensions of causal factors,contextual, intervening, pivotal, strategies an consequences has a good fit.

Background: Given the importance of entrepreneurship as a factor to increase job opportunities, the development of entrepreneurial schools as an approach to increase students' job skills has attracted much attention. However, not much research has been done on entrepreneurship schools. However, the introduction of physical education in the field of entrepreneurship can create many job opportunities for students in this field. Purpose: This study was conducted to develop a model for entrepreneurial physical education schools in Iran. Method: This is applied research conducted as a descriptive-survey. The statistical population of the study included managers and teachers of entrepreneurship centers in physical education vocational schools in Iran, from which a sample of 260 people was selected using the Cochran's formula. Research data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using the partial least squares technique and Smart PlS software. Results: Calculation of Cronbach's alpha, combined reliability and average variance extracted showed that the research questionnaire has good reliability and validity. The results of hypotheses test revealed that all three dimensions of entrepreneurship have positive and significant effect on innovation; it was also found that innovation has a positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial event. Conclusion: in general, the results of this study imply that taking an entrepreneurial orientation can lead to development of entrepreneurial physical education schools.