Journal of Research in Educational Systems

Abstract Objective: The aim of the present study was to present and validate a model for promoting participation of elementary school students.
Method:The research method was qualitative-quantitative, using qualitative content analysis in the qualitative part and survey method in the quantitative part. The participants in the qualitative part of this study were 16 experts in the field of education who were selected using theoretical saturation criteria and criterion-based purposive sampling. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. In the quantitative part, according to the Krejci Morgan table , the sample size was determined as 384 people who were selected by the available sampling method.
Results:The findings obtained in the qualitative part included 106 conceptual codes that were categorized into 5 main concepts and 14 sub-concepts. The model was developed with five main components: reforming the education system (4 sub-concepts: reforming educational policy and improving teacher recruitment and retention, empowering human resources, and effective monitoring and evaluation), school-related reforms (4 sub-concepts: utilizing the capacity of the parent-teacher association and redefining the role and duties of schools, improving the learning process, and reforming the classroom), strengthening the family system (2 sub-concepts: reforming parenting practices, educating the family), individual empowerment (2 sub-concepts: strengthening skills and resolving psychological and behavioral problems), and social development (2 sub-concepts: increasing collective awareness and improving social welfare).
Conclusions: This model and its components can be used to promote participation in elementary school students.

Abstract Psychological capital can be improved through educational interventions, but its improvement through learning empowerment has received less attention. The purpose of this research was to explain the lived experiences of school principals in improving the psychological capital of female high school students through learning empowerment. This study was based on a qualitative approach and a descriptive phenomenology method, with the study of 23 participants from among the principals of secondary schools for girls in the second year of secondary school in Tabriz city in the academic year of 2022-2023. Purposive sampling method was used for sampling and 23 semi-structured individual interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation was reached. the data analysis was done based on the seven-step strategy of Colaizzi. the findings show that the managers' lived experience of improving the psychological capital of female high school students through empowering learning in 3 themes and 23 sub-themes including: improving skills (self-confidence, self-esteem, self-development, self-leadership, self-regulation, self-evaluation, absorbing feedback, study skills, life skills), raising awareness and supportive learning atmosphere (counseling, psychological training, opportunities for interpersonal interactions in the classroom, positive classroom climate, independent learning, improving the quality of learning, need-based learning process, synergy in learning, meaningful learning), participation in class and school (participation in classroom management, participation in school management, team learning, team innovation, collective activities) can be categorized. It can be concluded that empowering learning through creating positive cognitive models in students provides improvement of their psychological capital.

Abstract The aim of this study was to extract the basics and objectives of the curriculum for teaching creative and critical thinking skills in the elementary course of the Iranian educational system. In order to conduct this research, a qualitative approach and contractual content analysis method were used. The participants of the study were 12 experts in the fields of curriculum planning, philosophy of education and psychology who were selected by purposive sampling. The instrument used was a semi-structured interview. According to the research findings, first the basics of the thinking skills training curriculum (creative and critical) were examined, which were divided into three sections: philosophical and value basics, psychological basics, and sociological basics. In the section on philosophical and value principles, the main categories were the emphasis on formal and public education, the emphasis on the values of thinking, and the emphasis on the merits of thinking. The main categories extracted for psychological foundations were emphasis on rationality, application of emotional and social dimensions, and attention to participation and cooperation. Finally, the main categories selected for the sociological foundations were scrutiny, social critique, and self-criticism. For the appropriate purposes of teaching creative and critical thinking, based on the opinion of experts, two main categories of intrapersonal skills and extrapersonal skills were selected. In the category of intrapersonal skills, principles such as technical skills, problem-solving skills and moral skills, and in the category of extrapersonal skills, the principles of emotional competence, cognitive competence and social competence are extracted.