Educational Technology
B.E. Zamani; S. A. Azimi; N. Soleimani; F. Parish
Abstract
Background and Objectives:The present study aimed to investigate and compare the extent of using educational technologies to enhance students’ critical thinking in Iranian and Russian first-grade elementary school experimental science textbooks. Methods:The research employs descriptive-analytical ...
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Background and Objectives:The present study aimed to investigate and compare the extent of using educational technologies to enhance students’ critical thinking in Iranian and Russian first-grade elementary school experimental science textbooks. Methods:The research employs descriptive-analytical method. Its sample consists of Iranian and Russian first-grade elementary school experimental sciences textbooks. The research instrument is a researcher-made checklist of critical thinking and soft and hard technology. The validity of this checklist was confirmed by experienced teachers and four professors in the field of educational sciences (educational technology and primary education). The reliability and validity of the tools have been calculated by using the formula of William Rumi. Findings: The results of analyzing the content of the experimental sciences textbooks showed that the first-grade textbooks of both countries used hard and soft technologies to teach critical thinking. The percentage of using soft technology was 75.65% and that of using hard technology was 24.35% to foster the critical thinking spirit in the Iranian first grade textbooks of experimental sciences. Moreover, the percentage of using soft technology was 51.64% and that of using hard technology was 48.35% to enhance the critical thinking spirit in the Russian textbooks. In addition, among the components of critical thinking, the highest percentage of 25.49% in Iran was related to the engagement component and in Russia, the highest percentage of 32.02% was related to the engagement component. In Iran, the lowest percentage of 2.87% among the critical thinking components was related to the judgment and evaluation componentand in Russia, the lowest percentage of 3.84% was related to the judgment and evaluation component. Combining soft and hard technologies in the contents of the first-grade textbooks of experimental sciences provides the possibility of learning more effectively and makes the process of learning more attractive for the students. The percentage of the other components of critical thinking in Russia and Iran has been as follows: the component of appropriate questioning in Russia was 18.33% and 11.60% in Iran; the collectiveness component in Iran was 10.01% and 10.04 % in Russia; the analytical component in Russia was 7.30 %and 5.15 % in Iran; the argument component in Russia was 7.63% and 5.15 % in Iran; the composition component was 7.95 % in Russia and 5.6 % in Iran. Conclusion: The composition of soft and hard technologies in the content of textbooks provide the possibility of more effective and attractive learning for the students. In fact, soft technologies complement and consolidate hard technologies and give rise to hard technologies and enable the growth and development of critical thinking and related areas. Hard technologies, as accessible and tangible tools, and soft technologies, as a set of ideas, plans, innovations, and initiatives which are crystaliized in educational design, determination and management of educational approaches and patterns, play an important role in increasing the effect of teaching and improving the students' learning. Hard technology in itself has no value; rather it is soft technologies that give credibility and value to hard technologies. It should be borne in mind that formal and superficial changes will not be responsive in revising the curriculum and fundamental logical changes are needed in all curriculum processes. As a result, researchers recommend the coherence and integration of critical thinking in educational textbooks. In this regard, the method of using hard and soft technologies and their implementation in the form of critical thinking components in the first year science textbook of Iran and Russia have been studied and emphasized.
Educational Technology
E. Badiee; M.R. Nili; Y. Abedini; B. E. Zamani
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The rapid growth of science and technology and the subsequent emergence of e-learning have revolutionized education. Also in this period, becoming aware of how the brain functions during the learning process has had important effects on training and learning. Educators are ...
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Background and Objectives: The rapid growth of science and technology and the subsequent emergence of e-learning have revolutionized education. Also in this period, becoming aware of how the brain functions during the learning process has had important effects on training and learning. Educators are looking for ways to the most usage of technology-based facilities and new findings in educational neuroscience to obtain the optimal learning, especially in difficult subject matters such as computer programming course, which are associated with the problem-solving process. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of electronic courseware designed based on the brain based learning principles on problem-solving performance and motivation of the students in computer programming course. Methods: This research is a quasi-experimental study, and was conducted with a pretest posttest control group design. In this study, sampling was done by cluster sampling method and thus 60 female students of the eleventh grade of computer fields of vocational schools in Isfahan were selected to participate in the study. Participants were randomly divided into 3 groups of 20 (experimental, control 1 and control 2). A literature review was conducted to identify the brain based learning strategies. Based on the lesson objectives and the strategies derived from the principles of brain based learning, an electronic courseware was designed and developed by the researcher and the expert team. The validity of this courseware was confirmed by experts. The intrinsic and extrinsic motivation subscales of Pintrich et al.'s questionnaire as well as a teacher-made computer programming problem-solving test were used as data collection tools, which were used as a pre-test and post-test, before and after the training, in all 3 groups. The same content from the computer programming course was taught in all three groups. In the experimental group, in addition to the conventional method, an electronic courseware based on brain based learning strategies was used. In the first control group, in addition to conventional method, a non-brain based electronic courseware was used. The second control group was trained only in the conventional method. Findings: The research data were analyzed using univariate covariance analysis on problem-solving performance test scores and multivariate covariance analysis on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation scores. The results of the study showed that the problem solving performance of experimental group was significantly better than the control 1 and control 2 groups (P <0.05) in computer programming course. Also, the extrinsic motivation of the experimental group was significantly higher (P <0.05) than the first control group. Based on these findings, the use of non-brain based courseware significantly (P <0.05) reduced the extrinsic motivation of control group 2 students compared to control group 1. Conclusion: The use of electronic courseware designed and developed based on brain based learning principles has a significant impact on increasing student computer problem solving performance. Also, the application of brain based learning principles in designing and developing the electronic courseware makes more external motivation in the users of this courseware than the users of typical courseware while learning.
Education technology - Evaluation and testing
B.E. Zamani; R. Parhizi; H. Kaviani
Abstract
This study was performed aims to Identification challenges of evaluating Virtual College students' perceptions of electronics courses. Statistical population was consisted of all students of Virtual University. For samples, 140 students were selected using stratified random sampling. Research instrument, ...
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This study was performed aims to Identification challenges of evaluating Virtual College students' perceptions of electronics courses. Statistical population was consisted of all students of Virtual University. For samples, 140 students were selected using stratified random sampling. Research instrument, researcher made questionnaire was a valid and reliable. The obtained data were analyzed. The mean, standard deviation, variance analysis and paired t-tests to measure t. The results showed that the greatest challenges to the evaluation of students' views of electronic Respectively Technical problems with mean 3/71 , Pedagogical difficulties, with a mean 3/20, And Mental health problems with an average of 3.Also, the students' perspective. In the terms different And various disciplines. There was a difference. In the particular challenges of of evaluation. Yet from the perspective of students And in terms different academic, technical problems as the most important challenge of evaluating students' academic performance was introduced.
Electronic learning- virtual
S.M. Abdollahi; B.E. Zamani; E. Ebrahimzadeh; B. Zandi; H. Zare
Abstract
Main purpose of this research is to comparative study of point of views of faculty members and administers Isfahan university about major barriers of faculty participation in e-learning courses. Second purpose of this research is to study probably relations between these barriers h n order to suggest ...
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Main purpose of this research is to comparative study of point of views of faculty members and administers Isfahan university about major barriers of faculty participation in e-learning courses. Second purpose of this research is to study probably relations between these barriers h n order to suggest some advises for rising level of faculty collaboration on this field. Type of this research is qualitive -quantitive. At the beginning of research, researcher designed a conceptual model based on literature and classified deterrents on three groups include personal, attitudinal and contextual inhibitors. Then, a researcher-made inventory provided based on this model and distributed on a sample include 50 faculty members of educational groups which present virtual courses in this university. Method of sampling was census. Friedman analysis Result indicated between the barriers, contextual inhibitors have the most inhibition against faculty participation. In qualitive part of research, researchers performed some semi-structured interview with five administers who were supervisor of holding courses. Analysis of this part was done by coding and categorization of interviews. Result of comparative study indicated being of contextual inhibitors reinforce effect of personal and attitudinal inhibitors.
