maryam ghafouri; Fatemeh Mosadeghi Nik
Abstract
Extended AbstractAbstractThe aim of this study was to determine the mediating role of school bonding in the relationship between psychological toughness and aggression. The method of this study was descriptive-correlative. The statistical population of the study was the second female high school students ...
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Extended AbstractAbstractThe aim of this study was to determine the mediating role of school bonding in the relationship between psychological toughness and aggression. The method of this study was descriptive-correlative. The statistical population of the study was the second female high school students in Ramsar. A total of 217 students were selected as the statistical sample size by cluster sampling. Data collection tools were Rezaei Sharif and Hajiloo School Connection Questionnaires (2016), Long and Golett Psychological Hardiness(2003), and Eiseng and Glenn Wilson Aggression (1975), which were validated by academic experts and their reliability was confirmed by Cronbach alpha coefficient test. The structural equation technique was used to analyze the data, using Lisrel statistical software and Spss statistical software. Quantitative findings of testing the research hypotheses showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between psychological toughness and school bonding. There is a negative and significant relationship between school bonding and students' aggression. There is a negative and significant relationship between psychological toughness and student aggression, and finally, the link with school has played a mediating role in the relationship between psychological toughness and aggression of the student.IntroductionToday, education, either in general or specific, is an important part of every person's life, and the quality and quantity of education also plays an important role in the future of the individual. Therefore, the psychologists have spent nearly one century to identify exhaustively the predictive factors of academic achievement. Awareness of students' psychological aspects can act as a powerful teaching aid tool. For example, understanding how students behave in certain situations can increase effectiveness of educational tools as well as teacher training methods and education system and finally students' progress (Hamedi Nasab., & Asgari, 2020). Students' academic achievement is one of the important indicators and criteria for the efficiency of the educational system, and therefore the analysis of related factors is one of the most basic research topics in the education system. The study and review of already-done researches shows that academic achievement is not the result of one single factor but several factors affect this variable. Communication with the school can be defined as the extent to which students feel satisfied with being in school; Relationship with the school is defined as students' perception of school support that has a favorable atmosphere and a supportive culture (Rezaei Sharif, Hajloo, 2016). On the other hand, connection with school includes the definition of participation in school, commitment to valued principles, and beliefs to school, and the mental feeling of being accepted, encouraged by others in the classroom, and the feeling that one is an important part of classroom activity. Also, the concept of connection with the school includes the connection of students' experiences with the school, the feeling of security in it, receiving respect from teachers, attachment to the school, the level of participation and involvement in the school and commitment to school values and beliefs (Jafari Harand & et al. 2019). Meanwhile, aggression among children and adolescents is a serious social problem rapidly spread in recent years (World Health Organization, 2015). Aggression and violence exist from childhood and are kept on over time and continue into adolescence and adulthood; so that the highest emergence of aggression is in adolescence (Shakeri, et al., 2019). Aggression weakens the regulation and management of emotions, expressing inappropriate behaviors and emotions, slowing down mental processing and hasty and inappropriate decision making (Jalil, et al., 2017). Hardiness is a set of personality traits introduced by Cubasa (1979) and acts as a source of resistance to stressful life events. This personality variable consists of three interrelated components including commitment, control, and challenge. People with high stubbornness feel more committed to whatever they do, and dedicate themselves to the goal (commitment) in addition to feeling in control of the situation (control) and considering the challenges and limitations of life as an opportunity to grow (challenge) (Hashemi, et al., 2019). Psychological stubbornness creates a certain inner attitude that on the one hand affects a person's view of his abilities and on the other hand has a positive effect on how a person performs among peers and the community. The characteristics such as significant curiosity, the desire to have interesting and meaningful experiences, the belief in the effectiveness of what is mentally imagined, the expectation that changing is natural, and any important stimulus can lead to growth and development can affect academic and social performance. (Azimi, et al., 2018). Based on the above, the researcher tries to answer the question of whether there is a significant relationship between psychological stubbornness and aggression of high school female students with the mediating role of bonding with school.Theoretical frameworkZhang (2010) states that stubbornness is associated with five major personality factors; So that the three components of stubbornness (commitment, control and challenge) have a negative and significant relationship with neuroticism and a positive and significant relationship with the other four personality factors (extraversion, delightedness, pleasantness and conscientiousness). Psychological toughness also reduces depression and anxiety. Psychological hardiness reduces test anxiety and increases students' academic achievement (Azimi, et al., 2018). Social psychologists define aggressive behavior as conscious behavior aimed at inflicting physical or mental suffering. This behavior should not be confused with the prove-oneself-to-others, although many people roughly call others aggressive (Sharifi, S.2017).MethodologyThe research method is descriptive-correlative in nature and applicable in terms of purpose. The statistical population of the study consists of 1774 female students studying in the second secondary school of Ramsar city in the 1300-1400academic year. Due to the large size of the statistical population, three schools were randomly selected and one classroom was selected from each school, which included the tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades. A total of 9 classrooms were selected with a student population of 250. Accordingly, the sampling method was cluster random. Library and field methods were used to collect data. Considering that all the questionnaires used in the present study have been reviewed by university professors and experts and their validity and reliability have been measured; the researcher personally took action on the validity and reliability of research tools to improve the validity of the questionnaires.Discussion and ResultsStructural equation modeling has been used for analysis. Since the root mean index of the mean squared is approximately 0.037, the model has a good fit. Other goodness-of-fit indicators have also been accepted in the range. The strength of the relationship between psychological toughness and school bonding has been calculated to be equal to (0.79), indicating that the correlation is favorable. The t-test of the test (8.83) was obtained which is greater than the critical value of t at the 5% error level (1.96) and shows that the observed correlation is significant. Therefore, it can be said that there is a positive and significant relationship between students' psychological toughness and their connection to school. Also, the calculated strength of the relationship between school and aggression is equal to (-0.83), which indicates that the correlation is favorable. The t-test of the test (-9.72) was also obtained, which is smaller than the critical value of t at the 5% error level (-1.96) and shows that the observed correlation is significant. Therefore, it can be said that there is a negative and significant relationship between students' connection with school and their aggression. Also, the strength of the relationship between psychological toughness and aggression has been calculated equal to (-0.52), which indicates that the correlation is favorable. The t-test of the test (-6.62) was obtained which is smaller than the critical value of t at the 5% error level (-1.96) and shows that the observed correlation is significant. Therefore, it can be said that there is a significant negative relationship between students' psychological stubbornness and their aggression.In order to investigate the mediating effect of school connection goals on the relationship between psychological toughness and student aggression in the hypothesis in question, the direct effect of two structures with indirect effect on the involvement of the mediating variable should be investigated in order to consider the mediator acceptable provided that the effect increases. In the present hypothesis, the direct effect is equal to (-0.52). The indirect effect if there is a mediator variable of school connection is: (0.83-) × (0.79) = (0.655-)Due to the fact that the direct path effect is less than the indirect path effect, so the existence of the mediating variable of the link with the school increases the strength of the relationship and the mediating role in the present hypothesis is confirmed.ConclusionThe results of this main hypothesis are explained by the fact that the characteristic of psychological toughness creates a certain inner attitude in students that affects the way they deal with various academic problems and causes patience and learn to struggle in the face of adversity and to endure difficult and stressful events (et al.2016.Behroozy). Psychological toughness also causes students to have a positive attitude towards their abilities and capabilities and consider challenging situations in the school environment as an opportunity for learning, growth and academic success, not a threat to their safety and comfort. In fact, they do not ignore or underestimate the importance of problems, but face various problems actively, especially educational problems, and try to solve them (Murray. Et al.2014). Psychological toughness is rooted in concepts such as having a purpose and meaning in life, being valuable, power and responsibility resulting from individual freedom and ability to select, the importance of mental experience and the effective role of the individual in building society. The connection with the school also represents an important arena for students in which they feel safe and valued at school, feel free to face social and academic challenges, and explore new ideas in the school environment. These results are consistent with the findings of Martinez-Ferrer et al. (Martinez-Ferrer et al. 2018).According to the results of the present study, it is suggested that in order to improve the school-student connection, workshops and guidance sessions and even group and individual counseling be organized by counselors and school officials for students, in which the necessary training related to psychological toughness for students are provided. It is also suggested that those involved in the education system in the needs assessment of in-service education programs and the development of cognitive standards using international experiences and local conditions of the country to pay more attention to these issues, and teachers benefit from the acquisition of abilities, how students grow, information about the subject of teaching, how to produce and organize subject knowledge, use of knowledge and technology skills in the learning process.
Jafar Amiri
Abstract
Extended Abstract Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between teachers' professional development and academic performance with emphasis on the mediating role of link with students' school. The research method was descriptive-correlation. The statistical population of the ...
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Extended Abstract Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between teachers' professional development and academic performance with emphasis on the mediating role of link with students' school. The research method was descriptive-correlation. The statistical population of the study was teachers and high school male students in Shiraz. 250 teachers were selected based on Krejcie and Morgan table by simple random sampling method and 213 students were selected by cluster random sampling method as a statistical sample. In the present study, the Pham and Taylor (1999) Academic Performance Questionnaire, Ayubi Avaz et al. (2015) and the link with Rezaei Sharif et al. (2014) were used, the validity of which was confirmed by academic experts and their reliability also, through Cronbach's alpha coefficient test, 0.85, 0.89 and 0.79 were obtained and confirmed, respectively. In order to analyze the data, structural equation technique was applied using Lisrel statistical software and Spss26 statistical software. Quantitative findings of the research hypothesis test showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between teachers' professional development and students' academic performance linked with school. There is a positive and significant relationship between students' connection with school and their academic performance and the connection with school has played a mediating role in the relationship between teachers' professional development and students' academic performance. Introduction The progress of any country is inextricably linked with the development of its human resources. Although there is no precise agreement among experts on the word progress and its exact meaning, the development of a country is one of the main goals of politicians, which is not possible without the development of skilled manpower. Training of human resources is also formed in schools at first, so identifying the factors that improve students' academic performance is a priority (Sayadpour and Sayadpour, 2018) .Studies have shown that a weak link with the school is accompanied with low academic achievement, Absenteeism, dropouts, peer conflicts, and behavioral problems. On the other hand, high levels of school affiliation are associated with positive outcomes such as academic achievement, increased academic motivation, self-efficacy and high grades, and academic achievement (sheikholeslami and etal , 2018). Therefore, understanding the process of changes in connection with school, its causes and consequences can help researchers in school-based interventions. In other words, the importance of paying attention to the issue of school connection arises from the student's perception of school has important implications for their behavior in and out of school. It is worth noting, however, that the student's connection to the school is an important issue at all levels of education; this issue is very important in adolescence; so that over the past two decades, educators and school health professionals have increasingly emphasized that attachment to school is an important factor in reducing the risk of adolescents engaging in risky behaviors. Connection with school can be Defined as the level of students' satisfaction with being at school; relationship with the school as students' perception of school support that has a favorable atmosphere and a supportive culture (Waters and Cross, 2010). Considering the importance of professional development and connection with school in improving students' academic performance, recognizing the affective factors of it is one of the main necessities of our country's educational system. To this end, this study examines the question of whether there is a relationship between teachers' professional development and academic performance by emphasizing the mediating role of bonding with the school of high school male students? Case study In this study, all teachers and male high school students in Shiraz were engaged in employment and education; Has been examined as a case study. Theoretical framework Research on the relationship between professional development variables and academic performance has shown that there is a significant relationship between teachers' professional abilities and students' academic performance (Mohajeri and etal, 2012). In a qualitative study, the needs and methods of professional development of school principals were presented. These subjects included educational leadership, management and organizational leadership, ethical leadership, social participation and technology (Hayat and etal, 2015). Pourkarimi and Ramezanpour (1398) in a qualitative study showed that for the professional development of e-learning, faculty members should pay attention to the 5 main dimensions: knowledge development, skill development, ability development, attitude development and feature development (Pourkarimi and Ramezanpour, 2019). In another study, it was shown that there is a relationship between school connection and academic achievement as well as participation in extracurricular activities of students (Howard and Ziomek, 2009). In a meta-analysis, it was shown that there is a significant correlation between school connection and academic achievement and academic performance (Korpershoek and et. al, 2020). Methodology This research is of descriptive-correlation type. The study population includes all teachers (721 people) and male high school students in Shiraz (2726 people). To determine the sample size of the first part of the statistical population (teachers), Krejcie and Morgan table was used and 250 people were selected as a sample size, by simple random sampling. The sample size of students was done by cluster random sampling method. Based on this, three schools were randomly selected and one class was selected from each school, which includes the tenth to twelfth grade classes. A total of nine classrooms were selected with a student body of 213 students. To collect data, standard questionnaires of academic performance of Pham and Taylor (1999), professional development of Ayoubi Avaz et al. (2015) and link with Rezaei Sharif et al. (2014) are used. Discussion and Results After testing the measurement models, it is necessary to provide a structural model that shows the relationship between the latent variables of the research. All the research hypotheses had a good fit. Also, for investigating the mediating effect of the link with the school, the direct effect of the two structures with the indirect effect in the case of involving the variable of the link with the school should be examined in order for the mediator with the school connection to be considered acceptable when the effect incteases. In the present hypothesis, the power of the direct relationship between professional development and academic performance is (0.41). The indirect effect if there is a mediator variable of school connection is: (0.51) = (0.78) * (0.66) Due to the lower effect of direct path compared to indirect paths, therefore, the existence of the mediator variable of school connection increases the strength of the relationship and the mediating role of school link is confirmed in the present hypothesis. Conclusion The results of the first hypothesis of the research showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between teachers 'professional development and the connection with students' school. This hypothesis is explained in such a way that the professional development and increasing of the knowledge and skills of teachers is necessary for the success of efforts in the field of education improvement (Mohamadi and Hasani, 2019). Increasing teachers' ability to communicate with students can stimulate students' willingness to attend at school and prepare them to take lessons in the classroom (Kyndt and etal, 2016). These results are consistent with and supported by the findings of Jafary et al. (2017). Based on this, the first hypothesis of the research is also confirmed. The results of the second hypothesis of the research showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between students' connection with school and their academic performance. This hypothesis is explained in such a way that the performance and applying of the education is the most important criterion in measurement of the learners in the education process.Academic performance includes a set of academic behaviors that can be seen in two dimensions of academic achievement and academic regression in the field of knowledge acquisition (Kamaei and etal, 2020). The results of the third hypothesis of the research showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between teachers' professional development and students' academic performance. This hypothesis is explained by the fact that teachers' professional development is known as the cornerstone of all educational efforts. In order to make organized changes that ultimately lead to the increase of students' academic performance, all teachers must engage in effective, continuous, and appropriate professional development in the process of their working life as a career responsibility (Namdari and etal, 2017). Teachers cooperate and participate in the development of lesson plans, implementation and analysis of its results to improve students' learning and try to apply the necessary expertise in the optimal control of students' educational levels (Bakhtiari, 2016). These results are consistent with and supported by research findings (Mohajeri, et al., 2012; Korpershoek, et al., 2020). Accordingly, the third hypothesis of the research is confirmed. The results of the fourth hypothesis of the research showed that the connection with the school has a mediating role in the relationship between teachers' professional development and students' academic performance. This hypothesis is explained by the fact that teachers, in order to educate and expertise for focusing on their ability development, prepare the physical environment of the classroom according to the program they want to implement and use appropriate assessment strategies for students to improve academic conditions (Erfani and etal, 2016). These results are consistent with and supported by the findings of research (Picado and etal, 2017; Hayat. And etal.2015). Based on this, the fourth hypothesis of the research is confirmed.
