Iranian High School Students Research Articles

Promoting mental health literacy in female students: A school-based educational intervention

Background and objective:Considering the worldwide increase in mental health problems among adolescents and the hypothetical positive impact of mental health literacy (MHL) on mental health promotive behaviours, this study examined the effect of a MHL intervention in a sample of Iranian high school students.Design:Educational intervention with a pretest–posttest and control group design conducted among Iranian high school students in 2019.Setting:Four public schools in Shiraz, Iran.Methods:In this study, 220 students (110 in each intervention and control group) were selected using the cluster multi-stage sampling and participated in the study. Participants completed the adolescent MHL questionnaire at two stages (pretest and posttest). A training programme which comprised six 60- to 90-minutes sessions using collaborative learning techniques and printed materials was conducted with the experimental group. Data were subjected to covariance analysis.Results:No significant differences were found between study groups regarding demographic and MHL scores before the intervention. After completing the training programme, the intervention group showed a significant improvement in MHL and subscale scores ( p < .01). Covariance analysis confirmed an improvement of MHL in the intervention group after controlling for pretest scores but not in the control group.Conclusion:Study findings demonstrated the efficacy of the training intervention to improve adolescents’ MHL. Further research is recommended to examine the effects of the same intervention among boys and longer-term outcomes.

Smoking among High School Students in Iran: A Meta-Analysis Study.

Objective: Cigarette smoking is an important and preventable risk factor, especially for adolescents and high school students. This issue has become one of the challenges for health system. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of smoking among Iranian high school students. Method : This systematic review and meta-analysis study was done by searching PubMed, Scopus, Web Science (WOS), Science Direct, SID, and Google Scholar using the following keywords: “student” and “smoking” from 2000 to March 2018. After initial and critical appraisal, data were entered into a checklist and analyzed by a comprehensive meta-analysis software. Results: The prevalence of smoking was 7.9% by combining the results of 49 articles. Males and females had 10.6% and 4.5% smoking prevalence, respectively. The overall prevalence of smoking was higher in northern areas in Iran (22.4%). Males in the northern (22.4%) and females in western regions (5.3%) were more smokers. There was a significant relationship between the prevalence of smoking with the year of publication, sample size, and age (P < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study, Students' tendency to smoke was different in various regions of Iran, and had a high rate (7.9%). This figure indicates the necessity for planning some coherent educational programs for the public.

Conjuring up the correspondence of high-school students’ self-determination and classroom climate with reading achievement

A prevalent goal of education in schools is reading comprehension enhancement. Therefore, a critical issue in educational psychology is investigating the factors contributing to increase the reading achievement including both classroom climate and self-determination. This study explored the relationships of Iranian High School students’ self-determination and classroom climate with their reading achievement. 150 Iranian (male and female) students from Sama and Fazele high schools in Mashhad were selected through convenience sampling. The instruments were IOWA self-determination, Classroom Climate Questionnaires, and a validated researcher-made test. It was a type of quantitative and correlational research. Results revealed a significant and positive relationship between self-determination and reading ability. They also showed that among the six subscales of the self-determination, financial management had a significant relationship with the reading achievement scores of students. However, the emotional independence of peers had a negative correlation with the reading achievement scores of students. The results showed that teachers’ skill in orienting tasks can enhance reading achievement score and make the classroom climate more motivating. This study has potentially helpful implications for English language teachers, English institutes, and students. Teachers can enhance student’s self-determination by providing a friendly classroom environment and indirectly boost the students’ reading score.

Investigating the Relationship between Proficiency Level and Perceived Test Consequences: A Case Study of Iranian High School Students

Aimed at promoting the consequential validity of high-stakes test, unexpected aspects of assessment process which negatively affect the learning process have been investigated by researchers in the last decades. Since discovering those variables that contribute to adverse test consequences is necessary for any successful intervention, the current study was an attempt to shed light on the relationship between proficiency level of examinees and their perception of test impacts. To this purpose, 63 third grade male students studying for a high-stakes exam were selected through convenience sampling from three different high schools in the city of Birjand. A teacher developed proficiency test was then administered and participants were either assigned to high-proficiency group (N=34) or low-proficiency group (N=29). Then, using an interview protocol and conducting a content analysis of the interviews, students were either placed at social or psychological impact groups on the bases f the frequency of their answers to different items of the interview. The obtained data were entered into SPSS (version 21) and analyzed through Chi Square test to determine the goodness of fit. A significant interaction was found (X2 (1) = 6.647, p = 0.01). It was concluded that high proficiency students are more likely to perceive test consequences (54.0%) than low-proficiency group (46%). Besides, on the basis of Phi and Crammers’ V symmetric measures, the strength of the association between the variable was 0.325 which shows a medium effect of proficiency level on type of perceived test consequence. These findings have implication for language teachers, language learners, researchers and educational decision makers.

The Correlation of Online Health Information-Seeking Experience With Health-Related Quality of Life: Cross-Sectional Study Among Non-English-Speaking Female Students in a Religious Community.

BackgroundGiven the increasing availability of the internet, it has become a common source of health information. However, the effect of this increased access on health needs to be further studied.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the correlation between online health information–seeking behavior and general health dimensions in a sample of high school students in Iran.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019. A total of 295 female students participated in the study. The data were collected using two validated questionnaires: the e-Health Impact Questionnaire and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. The collected data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficients using SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp).ResultsThe participants moderately used online information in their health-related decisions, and they thought that the internet helped people in health-related decision making. They also thought that the internet could be used to share health experiences with others. Participants had moderate confidence in online health information and stated that the information provided by health websites was moderately understandable and reliable and moderately encouraged and motivated them to play an active role in their health promotion. Nevertheless, the results showed that online health information–seeking experience had no significant correlation with health-related quality of life.ConclusionsThis study provides insights into the effect of using internet information on the health of adolescents. It has important implications for researchers and policy makers to build appropriate policies to maximize the benefit of internet access for health.

Development and validation of the tool for the evaluation of the behavioral factors affecting the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in Iranian students

BackgroundThis study was conducted with the aim of developing a standard and valid questionnaire to evaluate the behavioral factors affecting musculoskeletal disorders among adolescent students based on the educational and ecological diagnosis phase of the PRECEDE model.MethodsBased on the PRECEDE model and by using available resources and a panel of experts, a reservoir of items was proposed. The content validity of the questions was measured using content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI). 400 Iranian first-year female high school students completed the questionnaire. The construct validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient.ResultsThe age range of study students was 13.69 ± 0.86 years. The final developed questionnaire included 25 items in three dimensions: knowledge (9 items), attitude (10 items) and enabling factors (6 items). The mean scores of CVI and CVR were 0.97 and 0.92, respectively. The results of CFA confirmed the three-factor structure of the questionnaire. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of the dimensions of knowledge, attitude and enabling factors were 0.65, 0.80 and 0.71, respectively.ConclusionsThe present questionnaire had appropriate psychometric properties and could be used as a valid tool in evaluating the factors affecting the development of musculoskeletal disorders among adolescent students.

The Impact of Classroom Management on Students’ Communication Skills in English Language Classrooms

The way the teacher manages and controls the classroom plays an important role in enhancing students’ learning abilities. Teachers apply different styles of classroom management based on their attitude to student development and learning, each of which can have different effects on students. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of classroom management on students’ communication skills in English language teaching. Interventionist style, Interactive style and Non-Interventionist style are considered based on Wolfgang and Gleickman theory as three types of classroom management styles. The study population was all female secondary high school students in Iran, Bojnourd city in the academic year 2019-2020. The classroom management style of English language teachers was measured by using the Wolfgang and Gleikman Classroom Management Questionnaire in a sample of 20 teachers. Based on the results of the data analysis, the students of the interaction oriented teachers have higher and stronger communication skills compared to the students of the interventionist teachers.

Psychometric assessment of the Persian translation of the EPOCH measure among adolescent girls

The EPOCH measure was designed to assess well-being among Western adolescent populations. To this date, the psychometric properties of the EPOCH measure have not been assessed for its applicability to Iranian adolescents. The purpose of the current study is to first translate the EPOCH measure from the English language into the Persian language, and to subsequently examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the EPOCH measure among Iranian adolescent girls. A multi-stage cluster random sampling method was employed to select 373 girl high-school students (grades 11 and 12) from schools within District One of Tehran. The results of the face, content, and construct validity tests showed that the EPOCH measure had acceptable validity and suitable reliability (the composite reliability and the Cronbach’s alpha values were greater than 0.7). The results of confirmatory factor analysis supported the five factors of the EPOCH measure among Iranian girl high-school students. The overall results showed the validity and reliability of the EPOCH measure for assessing well-being in Iranian girl high-school students.

Transition in Cigarette Smoking Stages and its Relation with Parenting Styles of Parents among Iranian High School Students: A Longitudinal Study

Background: Smoking is increasing among adolescents, and family is a factor influencing it. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between transition in smoking stages and parenting styles of parents of adolescents. Materials and Methods: This was a longitudinal study in which 3968 high school students in Tabriz, Iran, were examined from November 2017 to June 2018. Sampling was multi-stage, with proportional and random clusters. A questionnaire containing demographic information and potential confounders were filled in by students, and the Parenting Style Inventory was completed by parents only in the first stage. Moreover, students twice (in the beginning of the study and six months later) completed a valid algorithm of stages of cigarette smoking. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: After the six-month interval, 429 students (11.7%) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) (10.68 - 12.76) progressed through the stages of smoking. By controlling potential confounding variables, the father’s permissive parenting style compared to the authoritative style increases the odds of progress through the stages of smoking by almost five times (OR=5.06, 95% CI: 2.58 - 9.93), and the father’s authoritarian parenting style compared to the authoritative style increases the odds of progress through the stages of smoking by almost four times (OR=4.01, 95% CI: 2.17 - 7.40). Conclusion: Inefficient parenting styles are an important risk factor for progress through the stages of cigarette smoking in adolescents. Desirable relationships between parents and children as well as parents’ awareness of parenting styles may prevent smoking in adolescents.

Assessing the Links Between Parenting Practices, Moral Emotions, and Cyberbullying Perpetrations Among a Sample of Iranian Sports Fans.

Parenting practices have direct effects on children's moral development and delinquency. A growing empirical literature also documents the influence of morality on offending patterns. Yet, our understanding of the interrelationships among parenting practices, morality, and cyberbullying is limited. This study contributes to and extends this line of research by examining the extent to which moral emotions mediate the relationship between parenting practices and sports fans' cyberbullying. We used a sample of 384 Iranian high school students from the 35th Boys Sports Olympiad Tournament in Shiraz, Iran. The results from structural modeling analysis show that both parenting practices and moral emotions are associated with the likelihood of sports fans' decision to perpetrate cyberbullying and that moral emotions mediate the association between parenting practices and cyberbullying. The robust and consistent patterns of the results signify the importance of parenting and moral development in curbing the problem of cyberbullying.

Epidemiology and Determinants of Self-Injury Among High School Students in Iran: a Longitudinal Study.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents is a major health concern globally. The epidemiology and determinant of NSSI have not been studied extensively in Iran. Thus, this longitudinal study sought to investigate the prevalence, incidence and contributing factors of NSSI among adolescents in Iran. This study was conducted at high school students aged 14-18years old in the metropolitan city of Tabriz, located in north western Iran. Data were collected from 6229 10th-grade students at two time-points, with 12months interval in October and November 2017 and 2018. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on demographic, NSSI and cigarette and hookah smoking from the study participants. The results showed that lifetime prevalence of NSSI among students was 6.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.7 to 6.9) at the first assessment. Scratching and hair pulling were the most and least common methods of self-injury, respectively. Over the one year, 206 students (3.6% CI 95%: 3.1-4.1) reported the onset of NSSI. Tobacco smoking and previous year average grade were related to the incidence of NSSI. Although gender was significantly associated with the prevalence of NSSI, the relationship between gender and incidence of NSSI was not significant. Although the prevalence of NSSI was low among adolescents, the incidence rate was considerable. Further studies are required to understand the risk factors of NSSI in Iran.

Junk Food Consumption among High School Students in Iran: The Role of Food Advertising

Junk Food Consumption among High School Students in Iran: The Role of Food Advertising

Impact of Social Concern on Cyberbullying Perpetration in Iran: Direct, Indirect, Mediating, and Conditioning Effects in Agnew’s Social Concern Theory

ABSTRACT Social concern theory is an integrative theory that considers human nature in multiple dimensions. This study tested an aspect of social concern theory using self-reported data on cyberbullying. We collected original data from a sample of Iranian high school students and examined direct, indirect, mediating, and conditioning effects of social concern on the perpetration of cyberbullying. It was shown that the inclination to social concern has direct, indirect, mediating, and conditioning effects on cyberbullying perpetration. Furthermore, we found significant relationships between the four elements of social concern and moral intuitions contributing to sympathy and empathy, and we found that the desire for close ties to others contributes to the inclination to conform. These results provided strong support for social concern theory.

Child Abuse and Neglect Among Iranian High School Students

Background: Millions of children and families suffer from child abuse worldwide. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the related variables for different types of child abuse and their perpetrators. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted on high school students in Hamadan, Iran in 2016. Samples were selected by multiple cluster sampling method in which 571 students were enrolled in the study. A standard, valid and reliable self-reported questionnaire was used for recording child abuse and another part for demographic variables and perpetrators of child abuse (including: parents or other relatives, teachers, friends or classmates, strangers). After data collection, SPSS V. 21 software was used for data analysis. All P values less than 0.05 were considered as significant. Results: The most common types of neglect were students' discomfort and lack of welfare at home (51.0%), attention ignorance to students' demands (46.6%), and parent’s excessive expectations (39.2%). In physical abuse domain, corporal punishment conducing abrasion and burns scare (51.8%) was in top of the list and the most common forms of psychological abuse were parent’s strict behaviors (25.7%), insulting and disrespecting the students (25.4%) and humiliation of them (24.9%). Psychological and physical abuse in girls and private schools were significantly higher than others (P < 0.001). There was significant relationship between psychological abuse and smoking or substance experience in adolescents (P < 0.001). Addicted and low educated parents were reported as perpetrators for all kinds of abuse. Conclusions: Understanding related variables and perpetrators of child abuse could raise the society perspectives about the importance of the subject and help decision makers for intervention programming aimed at reducing child abuse.

The Effect of the Task- based Language Teaching Method on the Comprehension Ability of Iranian High-School Students

The Task-Based Approach has obtained popularity in the part of language teaching since the last decade of the 20th Century and significant scholars have joined the discussion and increased the amount of analytical studies on the issue. Teaching the English language is based on a task-based language teaching is an effective way to improve linguistic knowledge and learners' comprehension. Reading and comprehension is one of the essential things to get meaning from the text. The emphasis on reading comprehension skills of foreign languages is one of the most important issues in language teaching. This research has investigated the impact of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on reading comprehension ability and performances of Iranian students. For this purpose, 60 high school students in the third district of Tehran were selected as the participants. The two groups took a pretest to test reading ability. In the next step, they were divided to experimental and control group. The results showed that by t-test analysis, the experimental group with three reading task types in comparison to the control group with traditional method, showed better performance. Finally, the scores were compared by ANOVA test and the students in creative tasks performed better.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Career Feedback Inventory in an Iranian High School Students Sample

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Career Feedback Inventory in an Iranian High School Students Sample

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Its Relationship with Family Psychological Function and Perceived Social Support among Iranian High School Students.

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has become one of the serious public health concerns among adolescents. Factors like family and social environment of adolescents may be important determinants of the NSSI. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between family psychological function and perceived social support with the NSSI experience among adolescents. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: Overall, 4216 high school students (15-18 yr old) of Tabriz City, northwestern Iran were selected using multi-stage cluster random sampling method in October and November 2017. Participants completed survey including demographic characteristics, NSSI status, Iranian family psychological function, and perceived social support. After six months, NSSI status was reassessed. The data were analyzed using logistic regression model. Results: 8.5% of the students had NSSI experience. In addition, the weak family psychological function increased the odds of experiencing the NSSI by 13 times compared to the strong psychological function (OR = 13.15, 95% CI: 7.19, 23.80). Besides, the low level of perceived social support increased the odds of experiencing the NSSI by about 7 times compared to the high perception of social support (OR= 6.67, 95% CI: 4.01, 11.11). Conclusion: Low levels of psychological functioning of the families and perception of social support significantly can increase the odds of experiencing the NSSI among adolescents. Therefore, special attention should be paid to these factors in the development of relevant preventive programs in adolescence period.

Epidemiologic assessment of self-concept and academic self-efficacy in Iranian high school students: Multilevel analysis

INTRODUCTION:In social cognitive theory, self-efficacy and self-concept (SC) have been introduced as important constructs that associate with adolescents’ achievements. The aim of this study was to investigate the determinant factors of academic self-efficacy (ASE) and SC in Iranian high school students based on the multilevel analysis.MATERIALS AND METHODS:In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, 1740 students from 53 high schools selected with stratified random sampling method in 2018 in Qazvin, Iran. Data collection tools were the Morgan and Jinks Self-Efficacy Scale and the Piers-Harris Children's SC Scale-Second Edition. The association between some of the students and school variables with ASE and SC was analyzed by hierarchical linear regression models.RESULTS:The score of the students’ standardized ASE was lower than SC. ASE and SC had a strong positive significant association with economic status, grade point average, and the educational period of high school. Sex had no association with any of them. Physical activity had a positive significant association with SC but was no found association by ASE.CONCLUSION:These findings revealed that for improving the adolescents’ ASE and SC should be attention to the adolescents’ family condition and school-related factors. Proper educational, sports, and supportive programs can be effective on the adolescents’ self-efficacy and SC.

The Impact of Telegram on Learning of Collocational Knowledge among Iranian EFL High School Students

The Impact of Telegram on Learning of Collocational Knowledge among Iranian EFL High School Students

The impact of life domains on cyberbullying perpetration in Iran: A partial test of Agnew's general theory of crime

PurposeThis study extends prior research by examining the direct and indirect effects of four of Agnew's life domains (i.e., self, family, school, and peer) through constraints against and motivations for cyberbullying as well as the interaction effects among these life domains using an Iranian sample. MethodsUsing self-report data on cyberbullying from a sample of 785 high school students in Iran, a series of multivariate models were estimated to examine direct, indirect, and moderating effects discussed in Agnew's integrated theory. ResultsThe results showed that the four life domains have direct and indirect effects on cyberbullying. Interaction effects among the life domains are also detected.Conclusions: This research finds strong support for Agnew's integrated theory with respect to cyberbullying.