Journal of Research in Educational Systems

Abstract Objective: The declining of teachers’ professional status is a fundamental challenge in educational systems, with serious consequences for the quality of teaching–learning processes and teachers’ educational authority. This study aimed to represent the lived experiences of primary school teachers regarding the weakening of their professional status and to explain their proposed strategies for enhancing educational authority.
Method: This qualitative study adopted an interpretive phenomenological approach. Participants included 12 primary school teachers from different cities, selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using directed thematic analysis based on Hsieh and Shannon’s (2005) approach.
Results: The results indicated that the weakening of teachers’ professional status is a multidimensional phenomenon shaped by organizational, cultural, and professional factors. Major themes included institutional distrust, psychological and physical pressures, a culture of silence, customer-oriented schools, restricted innovation, and managerial interference in teaching, all of which undermined teachers’ status and authority. Proposed strategies included restoring respect for teachers, strengthening professional autonomy, enabling innovation, creating safe spaces for dialogue, and enhancing organizational trust. The findings suggest that improving teachers’ professional status and educational authority requires revising school governance policies, reforming managerial discourse, and providing structural support for teachers’ professional development.
Conclusions: Overall, the study shows that the professional status of primary school teachers is influenced not only by organizational conditions and school management but also by cultural and social factors; therefore, rebuilding this status requires simultaneous attention to all these levels.

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to design and validate a model of an ethical university in Iranian medical universities.
Method: The research was applied and mixed-method. In the qualitative phase, data were collected using the grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) through semi-structured interviews with 26 experts in professional ethics, educational management, and higher education. Data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. The qualitative sample included managers and administrators from medical universities in Zanjan, Qazvin, Qom, Saveh, Arak, and Alborz, faculty members, Ministry of Health experts, and specialists in ethics and medical education. In the quantitative phase, a 30-item researcher-made questionnaire based on qualitative findings was developed and distributed among 384 managers, deputies, experts, faculty members, and researchers. Data were analyzed using SPSS, AMOS, and Smart PLS.
Results: Second-order confirmatory factor analysis indicated satisfactory model fit: χ²/df = 2.081, RMSEA = 0.040, CFI = 0.948, GFI = 0.962, and TLI = 0.956. Key factors influencing the model included policies and structures, ethical education and research, ethical leadership, ethical artificial intelligence, ethical culture and behavior of actors, supervision, social responsibility, and ethical development. Thirty core indicators were identified, including a code of ethics, ethics committees, training courses, responsible research workshops, and ethical guidance for managers.
Conclusion: An ethical university is a multidimensional and dynamic phenomenon that integrates policymaking, culture, education, and ethical technology. It can serve as a framework for enhancing organizational health and professional ethics in medical higher education in Iran.

Abstract Objective: The present study aimed to examine differences in academic well-being, academic help-seeking, parent–child relationship, and emotional independence among elementary school students based on their mothers’ employment status (employed vs. stay-at-home)
Method: This applied study adopted a causal-comparative design using a quantitative approach. The statistical population consisted of fourth- to sixth-grade students in District 7 of Tehran during the 2024–2025 academic year. A total of 312 students were selected through cluster random sampling. Data were collected using validated questionnaires measuring academic well-being (Tuominen-Soini et al., 2012), academic help-seeking) Ryan & Pintrich ,1997(,emotional independence(Steinberg & Silverberg, 1986), and parent–child relationship (Fine, Moreland, & Schubel ,1983). Data analysis was conducted using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) in SPSS version 27.
Results: The results indicated statistically significant differences (p < 0/05)between students with employed and stay-at-home mothers in emotional independence, parent–child relationship, academic satisfaction, and school engagement. Students with employed mothers demonstrated higher performance in academic dimensions, whereas students with stay-at-home mothers obtained higher scores in emotional independence and relational components. No significant differences were found between the two groups in overall academic well-being, school value, academic burnout, or academic help-seeking.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that mothers’ employment status is associated with particular academic, emotional, and relational outcomes in elementary school students. These differences can be explained through the frameworks of socio-emotional development, autonomy, attachment theory, and ecological systems theory. These findings emphasize the importance of focusing on the quality of parent–child interactions and the mother’s role in children’s academic and emotional development.

Abstract Objective: The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, despite its vast potential to enhance teaching and learning, has introduced critical challenges to maintaining academic integrity. This study aimed to systematically identify AI-related challenges to academic honesty, explore influencing factors, and review educational interventions addressing these issues.
Method: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA model. The Scopus database was searched using keywords related to “artificial intelligence,” “academic dishonesty,” “formal education,” and “intervention.” Out of 322 initially identified studies, 33 empirical papers met the inclusion criteria after screening and full-text evaluation.
Results: The findings revealed five major categories of AI-related academic integrity challenges: (1) ambiguity policy, (2) weakness of tools and difficulty of detection, (3) excessive use of AI, (4) threats to educational fairness and trust, and (5) declining learning quality. Conversely, effective interventions reported by teachers and instructors encompassed assessment and task redesign, ethical and skill-based empowerment, responsible AI integration, enhancement of human interaction, detection strategies, policy clarification, and prevention and punishment.
Conclusions: The study concludes that safeguarding academic integrity in the age of AI requires redefining the teacher’s role, developing techno-ethical literacy, and establishing coherent institutional policies that balance innovation with ethical responsibility.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this research was to analyze the sharing knowledge and experiences of teachers in virtual environments based on ethical norms and cognitive trust of teachers.
Method: This research is applied in terms of purpose and is a quantitative research. The statistical population of the research included 457 elementary school teachers working in education in Ahar city in the academic year 1402-1403, of which 201 were selected using the stratified sampling method. For data analysis based on structural equation modeling and one-sample t-test, SPSS20 and AMOS21 software were used. To assess the validity of the questionnaire, face validity and convergent validity were used. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the average variance extracted for the studied constructs was acceptable (AVE≥0.585). Also, the composite reliability value for all constructs was appropriate (CR≥0.88).
Results: The empirical results of the study using structural equation modeling showed that there is a significant relationship between the ethical norms variable and teachers' knowledge sharing in virtual environments (β-0.457, t=6.876, p≤0.001). Also, teachers' cognitive trust has a positive and significant relationship with their knowledge sharing in virtual environments (β=0.374, t=6.287, p≤0.001). These two variables explained 51% of the variance of the dependent variable. The ethical norms variable (r=0.46) was a stronger predictor for the knowledge sharing variable. Also, the results of the one-sample t-test (Test value = 3) showed that the characteristic of ethical norms among teachers was more appropriate than the characteristics of cognitive trust and knowledge sharing.

Abstract Objective: Positive development in early childhood can be a starting point for improving the level of the child's abilities in his subsequent development periods. The aim this study was to identify the concepts of positive developments in childhood in the Iranian context and to design a training package based on.
Methods: A qualitative approach and descriptive phenomenological strategy were employed. The participations consisted of parents, active educators, and professionals in this field in Tehran. In the beginning, 14 parents, early childhood educators, and experts who were selected using purposive sampling and responded to semi-structured interview. The data were analyzed and coded using the Strauss and Corbin method.
This analysis resulted in the development of a training package on positive development in early childhood.
Results: According to the findings of the research, eight main categories of contextual support, individual empowerment, rules and expectations, optimal time, motivation and learning, positive values, social and cultural competences and identity were extracted, and the training package is suitable for they were compiled. For its validation, two ratio coefficients and content validity index were used, and the coefficients in all items based on evaluation of ten experts, the CVI and the CVR index were higher than 0.79 and 0.62.
Conclusion: In general, it can be concluded that the positive development training package is based on developmental assets can strengthen children experiences and this would enable the child to achieve optimal growth and development in cognitive, social, and emotional areas, also being exposed to long-term positive outcomes.

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness training based on the poetry of Hafez on the comprehension of Persian literature among second-grade high school students.
Method: The research method was a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest and a control group. The statistical population included female high school students in the field of literature and humanities in district 5 of Tehran during the 2023-2024 academic year. A convenience sampling method was used to select 30 students, who were then divided into two groups of 15. The experimental group received a mindfulness training package based on Hafez's poetry (Mohseni Hanjani, 2025) for 10 sessions, each lasting 90 minutes, while the control group did not receive any training. A Persian literature comprehension test was conducted before and after the training period for both groups. The data were analyzed using a univariate analysis of covariance test and SPSS28 software.
Results: The results indicated a positive impact of mindfulness training on students' comprehension of Persian literature. This training helped enhance their analytical skills and comprehension, leading to increased learning. The results of the analysis of variance showed that the mean scores of the experimental and control groups were significantly different, with the mean of the experimental group being higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that mindfulness training can be utilized as an effective tool in enhancing the reading comprehension of Persian literature among students. Based on this, teachers and educational planners are recommended to incorporate mindfulness techniques into their curricula and use them to create a dynamic and interactive classroom environment. This initiative can improve the quality of learning.