Education

This bibliometric analysis explores the integration of semiotics within educational contexts, highlighting a transformative shift towards multifaceted understandings of knowledge construction through language, multimodality, and educational transformation. Drawing on 1823 publications from the Web of Science database, this study employs both co-citation and co-word analysis to reveal prevalent themes and keywords in the field of semiotics in education. The co-citation analysis highlights the evolution of semiotic theories and their application in educational practices, from foundational concepts introduced by pioneers such as Saussure and Peirce to modern interpretations that consider the impact of digital technologies on semiotic resources. Co-word analysis, on the other hand, uncovers key research topics such as multimodality, multiliteracies, and the role of technology in mediating semiotic learning processes. This investigation is novel in its comprehensive approach to mapping the semiotic landscape in education through bibliometric methods, offering insights into how semiotic theories shape educational practices and outcomes, especially in language teaching and learning. By synthesizing findings from diverse research clusters, this study emphasizes the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary approach to understand the dynamic interaction between semiotics, technology, and learning. It contributes to advancing educational research by highlighting the transformative potential of semiotics in crafting more engaging, inclusive, and effective learning environments in the digital era.

The present study examines the teachers' experience of teaching "environmental protection" to elementary school students. Qualitative research has been done using the phenomenological method. The research population includes all teachers working in primary schools in Ahvaz. Sampling was purposeful, and after semi-structured interviews with 30 teachers, theoretical data saturation was obtained. The condition for selecting teachers was their desire to participate in research and interest in environmental topics. Interview data were analyzed using the Van Manen method to explore teachers' experience of environmental protection education. Findings include five main themes: ethics education in environmental protection, elements of environmental protection education, knowledge in environmental protection, attitude in environmental protection, and skills in environmental protection, and 15 sub-themes. According to teachers' experience, promoting and increasing students' sense of responsibility towards the environment and teaching environmental ethics is essential. It is also necessary to pay attention to human interaction and the two-way relationship with the environment and teach students that there is a kind of trade between us and nature, and if humans do not fulfill their obligations to nature, they face dangerous and unsolvable consequences. The teachers believed that, to increase students' understanding of how to preserve the environment, its harmful factors, and the consequences of polluting it, some lessons should mention environmental issues and problems and their solutions. Also, teaching aids should be prepared and used for environmental protection education. Improving students' attitudes toward the environment can motivate them to react to right and wrong environmental behaviors, make them aware of the value of nature, and ultimately lead to environmental protection.

Considering the unbreakable links between human behavior, environmental health, and the well-being of all species, education for citizenship behavior, the environment, and sustainable development has emerged as a beacon of hope, leading humanity towards a more harmonious relationship with our planet. This research aimed to compare the effectiveness of face-to-face and virtual education using a comprehensive package of citizenship education on the environmental and sustainable development behaviors of students. The experimental method employed a four-group design, including two test groups (face-to-face and virtual) and two control groups, with a pre-test, post-test, and two-month follow-up design. Among the students of Azad University of Isfahan in the winter and spring of 2023, 25 individuals who met the desired entry criteria were selected for each group and randomly assigned to 4 groups. Citizenship education was implemented using a researcher-made package with a specialized reliability of 0.93, delivered in person for one group and virtually for another group. Data were collected using the Irannezhad et al. (2023) questionnaire. The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni's post hoc test in SPSS software version 26. The findings of this research showed that both face-to-face and virtual education were effective in enhancing environmental behaviors and sustainable development. There was no significant difference between the outcomes of the behaviors resulting from the two educational methods.

The aim of this research was to validate an educational model for environmental etiquette that was designed based on the Islamic-Iranian progress model. To this end, a descriptive survey method was employed, and the perspectives of 111 specialists were collected through purposive sampling using the snowball technique and a researcher-made questionnaire. The reliability of the tool was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha, and its validity was established through convergent and divergent validity tests, as well as the Fornell-Larcker criterion. The results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. After examining the fit of the measurement models, the fit of the confirmatory factor analysis model was assessed, and the proposed model was presented using structural equation modeling techniques and SmartPLS software. The overall model fit was evaluated using the GOF criterion, and the comprehensive validity of the model from the specialists' perspective was also examined. Ultimately, the validity of the model and its comprehensive validity from the specialists' viewpoint were confirmed.

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Purpose: Talent management plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of education and learning, especially within education organizations. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship between the categories of talent management implementation in the education organization. Methodology: This research was applied in its objective and descriptive-correlational in its execution. The study population consisted of managers and employees of the Basra province education organization, from which 385 individuals were selected as the sample using Cochran's formula and a convenience sampling method. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire on talent management implementation in the education organization, comprising 63 questions. The data obtained from its administration were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and partial least squares regression in SPSS and Smart PLS software. Findings: The findings indicated that the implementation of talent management in the education organization comprised six categories: causal conditions (with two components), contextual conditions (with three components), intervening conditions (with three components), the central phenomenon (with one component), strategies (with two components), and outcomes (with one component). The factor loading of all components was above 0.50 and significant, the content validity ratio above 0.70, and the Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability above 0.80. Moreover, the correlation coefficients of causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, the central phenomenon, strategies, and outcomes were less than 0.45, indicating their distinctiveness. Additionally, considering the indices of communality and redundancy, the talent management implementation model in the education organization fitted well, and the effect of causal, contextual, and intervening conditions on the central phenomenon, the effect of the central phenomenon on strategies, and the effect of strategies on outcomes were significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The designed model of talent management implementation in the education organization can assist managers, officials, and education planners in designing programs suitable for implementing talent management within the education organization.

Purpose: One of the methods of curriculum design is based on the positive education approach. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design and validate a curriculum model based on the positive education approach in Iran's secondary education. Methodology: This study was applied and mixed-methods in terms of objective and implementation, respectively. The research population in both design and validation parts consisted of experts and scholars in the fields of educational studies, educational management, educational psychology, and research and planning experts for the compilation of secondary education textbooks. The sample of this study, based on the principle of theoretical saturation, included 22 individuals who were selected through purposive sampling and were subjected to semi-structured interviews and completion of a researcher-made questionnaire. The data obtained from the interviews and questionnaires were analyzed using coding methods based on grounded theory, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. Findings: Coding findings revealed that for the curriculum model based on the positive education approach in Iran's secondary education, 50 components were identified in 4 categories: causal factors (16 components), contextual and intervening factors (18 components), strategies (8 components), and effects and outcomes (8 components). Validity was confirmed through triangulation method and peer review, and reliability was calculated at 77 percent using the inter-rater agreement method. Findings from the exploratory factor analysis showed that the factor loading of each of the 50 components was appropriate, and 11 components were able to explain 86.4 percent of the total variance of the curriculum based on the positive education approach in Iran's secondary education. Structural equation modeling findings indicated that the curriculum model had a suitable fit and significantly impacted all four categories: causal factors, contextual and intervening factors, strategies, and effects and outcomes. Conclusion: Curriculum specialists and planners, based on the categories and components of this study, can take effective steps towards improving the curriculum based on the positive education approach in Iran's secondary education.

Purpose: The education system plays a crucial role in the growth and progress of any society and, as one of the main institutions developing intellectual capital and specialized human resources, it holds a sensitive responsibility in achieving sustainable development. Therefore, it should focus on improving the quality of its service delivery to meet people's expectations and increase their satisfaction. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to design a superior service delivery model in the field of education to enhance public satisfaction. Methodology: This research is applied in purpose, exploratory in nature due to its qualitative research approach, and descriptive-survey in terms of data collection and implementation. In the first phase, the population consisted of scientific documents and records, from which 38 studies were selected as the research sample based on inclusion criteria and purposive sampling method. In the second phase, academic and organizational experts were chosen based on the principle of theoretical saturation and purposive sampling technique, totaling 16 individuals. The data collection tool in the first phase was a systematic review of scientific documents and records through meta-synthesis, and in the second phase, semi-structured interviews with experts through thematic analysis. Validity through the CASP tool and reliability through Cohen's kappa coefficient were obtained at 0.56. The validity and reliability of the interview tool were also examined based on criteria of accuracy, credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability, which were ultimately confirmed. Finally, the data were analyzed using thematic analysis in MAXQDA software. Findings: The findings of this research identified 69 indicators, 13 components, and 3 dimensions for superior service delivery in the field of education to enhance public satisfaction. The dimensions of superior service delivery included: quality of educational services (with 9 components: tangibles, accountability, assurance, empathy, courtesy, dynamism, diversity, citizen-centricity, and monitoring and control), productivity of educational services (with 2 components: service efficiency and effectiveness), and intelligence of educational services (with 2 components: digitalization and the use of modern technologies). Ultimately, considering these dimensions, components, and identified indicators, the final model of the study was presented, which was found to be of suitable validity. Conclusion: Considering the results obtained from the current study, it is possible to create conditions for the realization of superior service delivery in the field of education to enhance the level of public satisfaction.

Purpose: The present study aimed to design a curriculum model for citizenship rights for students in the second period of elementary education. It sought to examine the components of the citizenship rights curriculum, introduce the main components and categories forming this field, and ultimately provide an ideal model in line with needs assessment and educational context. Methodology: The methodology of this study was qualitative, utilizing a grounded theory approach. The collection and formulation of model categories involved 21 structured interviews with experts and teachers in the field of citizenship and civil rights education, followed by the validation of the proposed model using a member checking method. Findings: The findings of this research presented a model comprising 11 main categories including causal conditions, performance-based planning, contextual conditions, contextually oriented performance-based planning (political, economic, cultural, legal, and citizenship orientations), interveners (characteristics of teachers and learners), strategies (initial, educational, and feedback), and outcomes (enhancing student performance levels and creating a sustainable curriculum). Conclusion: Specialized multi-faceted planning was identified as the core category of the model. Finally, recommendations were provided.

Purpose: The present study aimed to design a framework for recruiting non-teaching educational staff in Iran’s Ministry of Education. Method: The present study pursues a qualitative approach. The statistical population of the research included experts and professors in the field of specialization and the senior managers of the General Department of Education of Semnan province in the academic year of 2023-2024, among which 15 were chosen as the samples using theoretical saturation sampling and targeted sampling. The research instruments were a semi-structured interview and a review of the existing documents on this subject. The collected data were validated using member checking. The data validity was evaluated and confirmed using the quality criterion (reliability). The research data analysis method was thematic analysis in three levels: basic themes, organizing themes and Global Themes. Findings: The data analysis led to the identification of 393 basic themes, 33 number-one organizing themes, and 13 number-2 organizing themes in the field of specialization in recruiting non-teaching educational staff in the Ministry of Education. These themes were categorized under 4 global themes including expertise management with two organizing themes (expertise management and performance management), resource management with four organizing themes (human, time, material, and information), change management with three organizing themes (change in organizational structure, change in competitive atmosphere, and change in attitude), and management of organizational development with four organizing themes (managerial capabilities, human resource planning, creation of specialization culture, and organizational interactions). Conclusion: The use of elite and expert employees in the nonteaching sector of the educational system, as a leading institution in providing extensive services to the general public, depends on the presence of a specialization pattern in the recruitment of non-teaching staff. Identification of specialization criteria in the non-teaching sector, which has been done in this research, helps with the formulation of an appropriate specialization model to employ skilled and specialist staff in this sector.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to examine and model the structural equations of educational sustainable development within the education system of East Hormozgan Province. The study aims to identify key factors and relationships that contribute to the effective integration of sustainable development principles in education, based on a theoretical framework derived from existing literature. Methodology: This applied research employs a survey method, targeting all secondary school managers and teachers in East Hormozgan Province, totaling 7,444 individuals. Using stratified random sampling, a sample size of 365 participants was determined through Cochran's formula. Data were collected using a questionnaire based on the theoretical framework and analyzed using SPSS 27 and LISREL 8.80 software. The study employed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the proposed model and assess the fit of the data. Findings: The analysis revealed that all dimensions, including central phenomenon, causal factors, strategies, contextual factors, intervening factors, and outcomes, were effectively represented in the educational sustainable development model. High factor loadings and significant path coefficients indicated strong relationships between the variables. The findings also highlighted the critical role of economic, social, and environmental education in fostering sustainable development. The model demonstrated good fit indices, confirming its robustness and applicability for evaluating ESD initiatives. Conclusion: The study confirms the importance of integrating sustainable development principles into the educational framework of East Hormozgan Province. The validated model provides a comprehensive approach to assessing and implementing ESD, emphasizing the need for holistic educational strategies and continuous professional development for educators. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners aiming to promote sustainable development through education.

Purpose: One of the critical issues in addressing migrant students is the improvement of cultural adaptation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the drivers for enhancing cultural adaptation in addressing migrant students through education. Methodology: This study was applied in terms of its objective and utilized a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) in terms of execution. The study population in both sections consisted of managers and teachers familiar with the research field, from which 18 individuals were selected as samples based on the principle of theoretical saturation using purposive sampling. The research instruments included literature review, semi-structured interviews, and a researcher-made questionnaire. Initially, experts were interviewed, and then 15 of those who expressed willingness evaluated the importance of the extracted drivers. In this study, the coding method was used to identify the drivers for improving cultural adaptation in addressing migrant students through education, the importance and uncertainty method to identify key drivers, and the structural analysis method using MICMAC software to understand the influence of the drivers. Findings: The findings indicated that the most important drivers for enhancing cultural adaptation in addressing migrant students through education were, in order, training managers on how to interact with migrant students, short-term training for teachers, training all students on how to interact with migrant students, training parents on how to teach communication principles with different cultures, training teachers by school managers, short-term training for school managers, training managers on how to deal with errant teachers, training migrant students on how to handle other students' behaviors, in-service training for teachers, training teachers through brochures, and training migrant parents to enhance their children's communication skills. Additionally, the drivers' impact levels were ranked, with the training of parents on communication principles with different cultures, training managers on interacting with migrant students, training managers on dealing with errant teachers, training migrant parents to enhance their children's communication skills, training all students on interacting with migrant students, short-term training for teachers, in-service training for teachers, training teachers by school managers, short-term training for school managers, training teachers through brochures, and training migrant students on handling other students' behaviors being the most influential. Conclusion: Cultural specialists and planners in the country can utilize the identified drivers from the present study, considering their importance and impact, to improve cultural adaptation in addressing migrant students through education.

The present research studied the disciplinary use of cohesive devices across academic writing, comparing Native English Writers (NEW) with Arab Writers of English (AEW). It centers around the research articles in the fields of Medicine and Education. The researchers adopted corpus-based analysis, presented by Halliday and Hasan's framework, 1976, in the exploration of cohesive device types—grammar and lexical ones—while considering frequencies along with discourse contexts. The results indicated significant disciplinary differences in cohesive strategies use among the NEW, i.e. additive conjunctions, which appear in the educational writing and facilitate argument development and logical flow between ideas (e.g., and, further); the collocations in medical writing reflect the exactitude of the subject and clarity to be expected in any sort of scientific discourse, no less with causal conjunctions. AEW also exhibited discipline-specific patterns, but their cohesive strategies are colored by the Arabic rhetorical traditions. AEW in education relied heavily on repetition to achieve thematic unity, which sometimes results in redundancy by the norms of English academic writing. AEW in medicine make more use of additive and causal conjunctions to achieve logical relations, although overuse sometimes led to long, unwieldy sentences. These findings have significant pedagogical implications for EAP instruction. They call for training in cohesive strategies specific to disciplines, especially for learners from an Arab background, as this helps learners adjust their writing practices in ways that will meet expectations in the English academic conventions while managing cultural influences.

The study aimed to investigate the Iranian EFL teachers’ knowledge of educational ethical codes in academic settings through the employment of a newly-designed questionnaire, developed by the researchers. To this end, six university professors as experts were invited to participate in an unstructured interview related to the issue under study. The preliminary themes were extracted from the relevant literature and the experts’ opinions through qualitative analysis. Next, the initial questionnaire items were generated and approved by three experts. The reliability of the constructed questionnaire was calculated using Cronbach's alpha. Afterwards, the 40-item questionnaire was administered to 400 EFL teachers resulting in the elimination of eleven items through exploratory factor analysis. Five factors were drawn from the responses of teachers through EFA representing their knowledge of educational ethical codes. Additionally, the confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the five extracted components of the newly developed questionnaire including educational, affective, socio-cultural, behavioral, and professional ethics factors were all acceptably loaded on their constructs at an acceptable level, and the scale can successfully determine EFL teachers’ knowledge of ethical codes in educational settings. The findings of the study have valuable implications for teachers, students, teacher trainers, educational policymakers and administrators.

Before the introduction of modern Western civilization, education in Iran was primarily under the control of the clergy and considered one of their main responsibilities. With the arrival of Western culture and civilization in Iran, particularly during the Pahlavi era, formal education, like many official governmental institutions, came to be managed by graduates of the new educational system. As a result, today some people view the clergy's involvement in official education as unconventional. The central question of this research is whether, with the formation of new schools and the informal status of old schools during the Pahlavi period, the clergy still played a role in formal education. The author's investigation indicates that a comprehensive and focused study on this topic has not been conducted. Although various academic works have touched upon the role of religious movements and clergy during the Pahlavi era, as well as memoirs related to active clerics in this area, these references are scattered and lack coherence. The present study, by descriptive and historical analysis methods, aims to explore this issue in historical documents. The findings indicated that after the reign of Reza Shah and with the opening of the political and cultural atmosphere, Shia scholars and clerics undertook two fundamental actions to play their role in education: The first was a gradual reform of the government’s new education system, conducted in four stages: Requesting the inclusion of religious subjects in schools, selecting suitable teachers for instruction, separating girls' and boys' schools, and the writing of textbooks by clerics with their presence to teach these books. The second action was the establishment and management of new private schools by clerics. This involvement of the clergy provoked a reaction from the Pahlavi regime, resulting in pressure on these schools and even the closure of some of them.

The present study examines the teachers' experience of teaching "environmental protection" to elementary school students. Qualitative research has been done using the phenomenological method. The research population includes all teachers working in primary schools in Ahvaz. Sampling was purposeful, and after semi-structured interviews with 30 teachers, theoretical data saturation was obtained. The condition for selecting teachers was their desire to participate in research and interest in environmental topics. Interview data were analyzed using the Van Manen method to explore teachers' experience of environmental protection education. Findings include five main themes: ethics education in environmental protection, elements of environmental protection education, knowledge in environmental protection, attitude in environmental protection, and skills in environmental protection, and 15 sub-themes. According to teachers' experience, promoting and increasing students' sense of responsibility towards the environment and teaching environmental ethics is essential. It is also necessary to pay attention to human interaction and the two-way relationship with the environment and teach students that there is a kind of trade between us and nature, and if humans do not fulfill their obligations to nature, they face dangerous and unsolvable consequences. The teachers believed that, to increase students' understanding of how to preserve the environment, its harmful factors, and the consequences of polluting it, some lessons should mention environmental issues and problems and their solutions. Also, teaching aids should be prepared and used for environmental protection education. Improving students' attitudes toward the environment can motivate them to react to right and wrong environmental behaviors, make them aware of the value of nature, and ultimately lead to environmental protection.

Considering the unbreakable links between human behavior, environmental health, and the well-being of all species, education for citizenship behavior, the environment, and sustainable development has emerged as a beacon of hope, leading humanity towards a more harmonious relationship with our planet. This research aimed to compare the effectiveness of face-to-face and virtual education using a comprehensive package of citizenship education on the environmental and sustainable development behaviors of students. The experimental method employed a four-group design, including two test groups (face-to-face and virtual) and two control groups, with a pre-test, post-test, and two-month follow-up design. Among the students of Azad University of Isfahan in the winter and spring of 2023, 25 individuals who met the desired entry criteria were selected for each group and randomly assigned to 4 groups. Citizenship education was implemented using a researcher-made package with a specialized reliability of 0.93, delivered in person for one group and virtually for another group. Data were collected using the Irannezhad et al. (2023) questionnaire. The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni's post hoc test in SPSS software version 26. The findings of this research showed that both face-to-face and virtual education were effective in enhancing environmental behaviors and sustainable development. There was no significant difference between the outcomes of the behaviors resulting from the two educational methods.

The aim of this research was to validate an educational model for environmental etiquette that was designed based on the Islamic-Iranian progress model. To this end, a descriptive survey method was employed, and the perspectives of 111 specialists were collected through purposive sampling using the snowball technique and a researcher-made questionnaire. The reliability of the tool was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha, and its validity was established through convergent and divergent validity tests, as well as the Fornell-Larcker criterion. The results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. After examining the fit of the measurement models, the fit of the confirmatory factor analysis model was assessed, and the proposed model was presented using structural equation modeling techniques and SmartPLS software. The overall model fit was evaluated using the GOF criterion, and the comprehensive validity of the model from the specialists' perspective was also examined. Ultimately, the validity of the model and its comprehensive validity from the specialists' viewpoint were confirmed.