Journal of Research in Educational Systems

Abstract This study aimed to determine the overall effect size of project-based learning (PBL) on the development of critical thinking and to examine its effectiveness across different educational levels through a systematic meta-analytic approach. The present research employed a quantitative meta-analysis conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 17 experimental and quasi-experimental studies published between 2019 and 2025 were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pooled effect size was calculated using Hedges’s g under a random-effects model (REML). Publication bias was examined using Egger’s and Begg’s tests as well as the trim-and-fill method.The results indicated that project-based learning had a positive and statistically significant effect on critical thinking (g = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.83 to 1.01), representing a moderate-to-large effect size. Overall heterogeneity was low and non-significant (I² = 0%), although substantial heterogeneity was observed in certain subgroups, particularly at the university level. Subgroup analyses revealed variations in effect sizes across educational levels; however, these differences were not statistically significant. Tests for publication bias provided no conclusive evidence of serious bias, and the trim-and-fill analysis did not alter the overall effect size. The findings support project-based learning as an effective, evidence-based instructional approach for enhancing critical thinking within educational systems. Nevertheless, given the limited number of eligible studies and variations in conceptualization and contextual factors, the generalizability of the results should be interpreted with caution

Abstract The purpose of the present study is to design an integrative model based on Philosophy for Children (P4C) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) to enhance the quality of primary education in Iran. These two approaches respectively emphasize fostering critical and caring thinking through philosophical dialogue and improving teachers’ ability to connect subject content with appropriate teaching strategies. The main problem addressed in this research is the lack of localized and integrative frameworks in primary education for the simultaneous development of students’ cognitive, moral, and conceptual skills.



This study adopts a qualitative and applied research design employing the Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology. Data were collected through document analysis, theoretical framework review, and semi-structured interviews with 10 experts in the field of education. Thematic analysis was used to examine the collected data.



Based on the findings, an integrative model was designed comprising six core components: objectives, content, teaching strategies, teacher’s role, learner’s role, and assessment methods. The proposed model was validated by experts and demonstrated the potential to effectively combine content-based instruction with the cultivation of students’ thinking skills.



Furthermore, the model promotes dialogue-centered classrooms, enhances meaningful learning, and fosters active student participation. Given its flexibility, the model is adaptable to localized contexts and can be widely implemented in concept-oriented subjects in primary education. It can also serve as a practical guide for teachers, curriculum designers, and teacher training programs seeking to integrate philosophical inquiry with pedagogical content knowledge in the classroom.

Abstract Objective: Despite the substantial empirical evidence supporting the benefits of classroom storytelling, this method has not received sufficient attention in schools. Accordingly, the present study aimed to identify the barriers and strategies for fostering storytelling in Iranian primary schools.
Method: Philosophically grounded in the interpretivist paradigm, this research employed a qualitative approach with conventional content analysis as its strategy. The study was conducted in primary schools in Sanandaj City in the academic year 2024-25, with 11 primary school teachers selected as participants through purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, each lasting approximately 45 minutes. The textual data were analyzed through coding and categorization, and the credibility of the analyses was ensured using analyst triangulation.
Results: Findings revealed 52 barriers to the development of storytelling, categorized into 12 components across 4 dimensions: individual, cultural, organizational, and educational. Additionally, 34 strategies for promoting storytelling in schools were identified and classified into 9 categories: storytelling schools, narrative pedagogy, storytelling education systems, storytelling students, festivals and events, storytelling-friendly communities, storytelling and technology integration, storytelling workshops, and therapeutic storytelling.
Conclusions: According to research findings, implementing strategies such as teacher professional development, re-designing education policy, creating supportive structural and cultural settings, institutionalizing narrative approach in curricula, and developing the culture of storytelling can guide the education system towards reaping benefits from the cognitive, affective, linguistic, and social advantages of storytelling.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of emotional creativity in the relationship between multicultural personality traits with English language anxiety in bilingual students
Methods: The statistical population of this research was made up of all bilingual third year of high school students based on the sampling method in structural equations, according to 11 apparent variables in the model and assigning a coefficient of 20, and including incomplete questionnaires, 225 students were selected, and answered to Van der Zee et al.’s Short-form Multicultural Personality questionnaire (2013), Averill’s Emotional Creativity questionnaire (1999), and Horwitz et al.’s Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (1986). Data analysis was performed by structural equation modeling based on multivariate regression and SPSS18 and Amos24 software.
Results: The findings of the analysis showed that multicultural personality traits and emotional creativity have a direct effect on English language anxiety. Also, emotional creativity mediates multicultural personality traits and has an indirect effect on English language anxiety. The research model was also confirmed which shows that 31% of the variance of the English anxiety variable can be explained by research variables at a significant level of 0.05.
Conclusion: According to the research findings and the role of research variables in language learning, and the relationship between language and cultural and cognitive-emotional factors, it is recommended that their importance be emphasized in educational centers and language teaching institutions in order to increase the level of language learning.
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Abstract Objective: Nowadays, acquiring the necessary skills to learn self-regulation is one of the goals of educational programs and turning "teaching" into "learning" is considered essential. Therefore, educational environments should seriously emphasize the importance of acquiring these skills. The current research was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of the flipped classroom based on cognitive load on students' self-regulation learning.
Methods: The research method was semi-experimental, of pre-test-post-test type with experimental and control groups. The statistical population included all female undergraduate students in the elementary education field of Farhangian University of Chabahar in the first half of the academic year 1402-1403, numbering 402 people. The sample required for the research was selected purposefully from among the students who had taken the research and professional development course that randomly replaced by lottery in experimental and control groups (30 people in the experimental group and 30 people in the control group). The data were analyzed using the method of variance analysis with repeated measurements.
Results: The findings showed that there is a significant difference between the average scores of the post-test and follow-up self-regulation learning in the experimental and control groups. This means that teaching in a flipped classroom based on cognitive load had a positive effect on students' self-regulation learning (p < 0.05). According to the findings of this research, it can be concluded that the flipped classroom based on cognitive load can be effective in increasing students' self-regulated learning.
Conclusion: Therefore, using this educational method in universities can make classrooms inclusive and encourage students to be active in their learning.