Journal of Research in Educational Systems

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the positive psychology intervention program based on culture, on the Self-Handicapping and Academic Risk-Taking in Students with low academic performance.
Method: This research employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test and a control group. The statistical population consisted of high school students with low academic performance in Tabriz in 2024–2025.The study sample consisted of 30 students who had high scores in academic self-handicapping and low scores in academic risk-taking. They were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 participants each). All participants completed the Academic Self-Handicapping Scale developed by Midgley et al. (2000) and the Academic Risk-Taking Assessment Tool developed by Kilgus et al. (2015). The experimental group received 12 sessions of culturally adapted positive psychology interventions.
Results: Data were analyzed using SPSS24statistical software. The results showed a significant effect of the positive psychology intervention program based on culture, on the Self-Handicapping and Academic Risk-Taking in experimental group (P≤ 0/01).
Conclusions: Based on the findings, it is recommended that school counselors and relevant authorities utilize the current intervention program, if necessary, in both clinical and educational contexts.

Abstract Objective: This study was conducted to elucidate the position, analyze the applications, and develop a practical guide for the abductive reasoning approach in behavioral sciences research. By offering an innovative framework, this approach enables a deeper understanding and more meaningful explanation of the complex and multidimensional problems in behavioral sciences.
Method: This study was conducted as a systematic documentary review, adhering to the PRISMA (2020) guidelines. A systematic search of resources in the ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases was performed using a comprehensive set of keywords, leading to the initial identification of 1,526 records. A four-stage screening process was conducted with independent review by two researchers, ultimately resulting in the selection and analysis of 62 eligible articles.
Results: The data analysis resulted in the identification and classification of the applications of abductive reasoning into six principal dimensions: cognitive, methodological, practical, philosophical, critical, and emerging interdisciplinary. The results confirm its high efficacy in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research. Key strengths include its capacity for creative theorization, in-depth analysis of phenomena, and methodological flexibility, though challenges such as interpretive subjectivity remain.
Conclusions: Based on the findings of this review, it can be argued that the integration of abductive reasoning with novel analytical technologies constitutes an essential step in advancing the methodology of behavioral sciences research. This convergence not only unveils new horizons for exploring complex behavioral issues by providing a unified framework, but also significantly mitigates the inherent limitations of purely quantitative or qualitative approaches when confronting ambiguous, multidimensional research questions.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the HOPS (Homework, Organization and Planning Skills) educational program on academic procrastination of procrastinating students.
Method: The method of the current research was semi-experimental including pretest and posttest designs with a control group. All female students of secondary education of Ardabil city in the academic year of 2025-2026 comprised the population of this research. 40 procrastinating students were recruited through randomized cluster sampling which were randomly assigned to experimental group (n=20) and control group (n=20). The participants of the experimental group, received 12 sessions of the HOPS educational program while the control group sticked to their normal routine. The Solomon and Ruth Bloom's Academic Procrastination Scale (1984) were taken to collect data. The data were analyzed using statistical method of covariance in SPSS software.
Results: The results demonstrated that the academic procrastination of procrastinating students in posttests of the experimental group were significantly lower that the control group and the research hypothesis based on the effect of the HOPS educational program on academic procrastination of procrastinating students was approved.
Conclusions: Thus, it can be concluded that the HOPS educational program is indeed effective on academic procrastination of procrastinating students; therefore, applying this program for decreasing student's academic procrastination in schools is suggested.

Abstract Objective: “This study aimed to explain academic well-being based on perseverance with the mediating role of character strengths among university students.”
Method: The research was applied in purpose and descriptive–correlational in nature, using structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of students in Tehran in 2025, and 408 participants were selected through convenience sampling. Standardized questionnaires assessing perseverance, character strengths, and academic well-being were used as measurement instruments and were distributed online. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 and AMOS version 24. Skewness and kurtosis indices confirmed the normal distribution of data, and the correlation matrix served as the basis for testing the structural model.
Results: The findings indicated that perseverance had a significant direct effect on academic well-being, and character strengths significantly mediated the relationship between perseverance and academic well-being.
Conclusions: These results suggest that strengthening character-related attributes can enhance the connection between perseverance and students’ academic well-being.

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to design an integrated model of the conditions, processes, and outcomes of educational quality in universities of medical sciences.
Method: This applied, descriptive, and qualitative study was conducted using the grounded theory approach based on the Strauss and Corbin (1990) model. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 experts. Purposeful sampling was employed and continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis was carried out in three stages: open, axial, and selective coding. To ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, credibility, transferability, confirmability, and dependability criteria were applied. The reliability of the coding process was confirmed using Cohen’s kappa coefficient (0.808).
Results: The findings indicated that educational quality is a multidimensional, dynamic, and systemic phenomenon shaped through continuous interaction among conditions, strategies, and outcomes. In total, 90 initial concepts were extracted and organized into 30 major categories and 10 core categories, including curriculum quality, comprehensive educational services, faculty competencies, educational evaluation, clinical learning, educational governance, digital education, internal evaluation, educational ethics and justice, and educational data intelligence. These categories were integrated into a comprehensive model entitled the “Integrated Educational Quality System,” encompassing five main dimensions: causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, interactive strategies, and consequences.
Conclusions: Achieving educational quality in universities of medical sciences requires adopting an integrated and systematic approach that simultaneously addresses structural, managerial, procedural, value-based, and outcome-oriented dimensions. The proposed model provides a context-based and evidence-informed framework for policymaking, performance improvement, enhancement of clinical learning, and strengthening social accountability.

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 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.