barriers

Purpose- Due to its special geographical location in the arid and semi-arid climate belt of the world, Iran suffers from water scarcity and limited usable water resources, notably considering the population growth and increasing demand for water and food. High water consumption in agriculture as one of the main water use sectors is estimated as 90% of total water, thereby necessitating consideration of water conservation methods. However, there are a number of barriers to use the current water conservation practices. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the barriers to equipping agricultural lands with the new irrigation technologies in Shahrabaad rural district, Bardaskan city. Design/methodology/approach- This is an applied study in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method, carried out using the random sampling method. The sample size was 338 households in the research area which was determined using Cochran's formula. Data were collected based on field and library studies. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by university professors and experts. The reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.78 using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Moreover, the TOPSIS fuzzy model was used to rank the villages in terms of the effect of barriers to using the new irrigation technologies, and SPSS software was used for analyzing the research questions. Findings: Results showed that the economic dimension was the most important barriers to using the new irrigation technologies. In addition, low-socioeconomic status of the farmers and small loans are the most prominent barriers to equipping agricultural lands with the new irrigation technologies in the research rural district. Research limitations/implications - unavailability of statistical information when referring to the agricultural jihad and the governor’s office, and completing the questionnaire, depending on the subject at the village level, is one of the main challenges of the present study. Practical implications - Given the specific research findings, it is necessary for agriculture and water policy-makers take serious measures concerning the incentive (low-interest and long-term loans, micro-land integration and the like) and punitive (imposing restrictions on traditional land users and stipulating other supports to change the irrigation method) instruments, because otherwise water restriction and the consequences of water scarcity will be challenging in  many areas and even may lead to a serious crisis. Originality / value: This study is prima facie significant in terms of statement of the reasons for the barriers to equipping agricultural lands with the new irrigation technologies from the users' perspective and then, in terms of a more detailed analysis of the research findings to change the implementation of traditional irrigation methods.

The present study aimed at investigating English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ level of reflection and the barriers to their reflection. To do so, based on an experimental research method, 98 EFL teachers were recruited and the English language teacher reflection inventory (ELTRI) was distributed among them. To consolidate the findings of the inventory, 20 volunteers from the same pool were interviewed. As the next phase of the study, to investigate the barriers to the teachers’ reflectivity, the same participants were given an open-ended questionnaire to probe their ideas about barriers to reflective practice. Based on the obtained data and the related literature, a Barriers to Reflective Practice Questionnaire (BRPQ) was developed and distributed among the participants. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, one sample t-test, and content analysis were employed. The findings revealed that EFL teachers did not practice reflection at high levels. They considered top-down curriculum, disrespect for teachers’ authority, teachers’ inclination to the conventional teaching practice, lack of appropriate context for reflection, teachers’ workload, and lack of appropriate training courses as the most important factors which bar their reflection. Teacher education programs should raise EFL teachers’ awareness regarding the concept and use of reflective practice.

It is important to investigate the status of women's presence in different economic sectors and formal and informal economies. Also, considering the special situation of Iran in terms of increasing number of women with higher education and economic sanctions, identifying the effective factors for recognizing barriers to women's presence in economic, social, and cultural dimensions and providing solutions for removing those barriers is the need of the present time to obtain practical results for the field of employment policy. Accordingly, this study, after identifying the effect of these barriers on women's economic participation, intends to provide solutions to eliminate and reduce the effect of barriers and suggest appropriate solutions for creating opportunities and increasing women's economic participation. Based on the results, using a correlation test and multivariate regression, it was shown that three of them, economic, social, and occupational barriers had a negative and significant effect on women's economic participation in Iran's labor market, while the effect of institutional barriers was not statistically confirmed.

Research aims to identify barriers and problems in educational strategies implementation in schools. The current study is qualitative with an interpretive phenomenological approach. For the interview, the participants were selected by the purposive sampling method. The criteria for participating in the interview were managers' willingness to express their opinions on the research subject. The sampling process ended when data saturation was reached during the interview. Paul Colaizzi's method was used for data analysis. First, analysis data collection was continued until saturation. Several vital sentences were extracted and formulated. Participants' opinions were kept, making data reliability and their ability to be verified possible. After analyzing the findings, school problems and barriers were categorized into four categories: financial and credit, human resources, system problems, and multiple tasks. Components: lack of per capita, wear and tear of buildings, equipment, a debt of energy carriers, lack of allocation of specialized teachers, new teachers, reduction of cooperation and assistance of parents, forced teaching of administrative staff, the unwillingness of students, lack of allocation of staff based on the organizational chart, The number of sites and their continuous changes, textbook registration system, pre-registration, the existence of various projects and ceremonies, repetitive and voluminous circulars, intervention of unrelated organizations and departments were among the most critical challenges of school management

This research aims to develop a questionnaire that measures students’ attitudes toward collaborative course design and identifies any barriers that might hinder student participation in course design. The questionnaire was developed in four phases. First, an item pool was created based on experts’ opinions, relevant literature, and the researchers’ experience. Second, the items were classified into two main sections: “attitudes” and “barriers”, with the latter further divided into five subcategories (social and cultural, educational and institutional, individual, practical, and attitudinal). The content validity of the questionnaire was assessed, with all items and subcategories achieving CVR>0.59 and CVI>0.79, thus surpassing the minimum required threshold. Third, the questionnaire was piloted with 330 students. The construct validity of the Collaborative Course Design Questionnaire (CCDQ) was confirmed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) as the extraction method, along with Varimax rotation, which identified six factors explaining 71.536% of the variance in the data. Finally, Cronbach’s alpha was calculated, yielding reliability indices ranging from 0.971 to 0.627, indicating internal consistency and reliability of the items within each construct. The findings suggest that the Collaborative Course Design Questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument suitable for use with senior high school students.

The development of sports infrastructure is crucial for promoting sports culture in society; however, this process is challenged by a lack of financial resources. Donors can complement government resources by financing and accelerating sports projects, but utilizing their capacity faces obstacles. The present study aimed to identify barriers to utilizing donors' capacity in developing sports infrastructure in Iran. This study employed a qualitative content analysis method using the thematic analysis technique, which is exploratory in nature. The research population included sports experts, managers, and individuals active in the field of sports philanthropy. Sampling was conducted through purposive and snowball methods, reaching theoretical saturation after 17 interviews. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews conducted through direct communication and telephone calls. To assess validity and reliability, acceptability, transferability, confirmability, and test-retest methods were used. Data analysis yielded 52 open codes, categorized into 17 sub-themes and 6 main themes: organizational barriers, planning and management barriers, legal barriers, cultural barriers, economic barriers, and awareness and educational barriers. The present findings can serve as a crucial guide for sports organizations and the government in identifying barriers to utilize donors' capacity in developing sports infrastructure, thereby facilitating improved actual performance in this domain.

The objective of this study was to explore and develop effective counseling strategies to enhance self-advocacy among young adults with disabilities. This qualitative research involved semi-structured interviews with 22 young adults aged 18 to 30 with various disabilities, including physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities. Participants were recruited through disability support organizations, educational institutions, and social media platforms. The data collection focused on understanding participants' experiences, challenges, and strategies related to self-advocacy. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes and patterns in the data, with the goal of achieving theoretical saturation. The analysis revealed three main themes: understanding of self-advocacy, experiences with self-advocacy, and challenges and barriers to self-advocacy. Participants highlighted the importance of self-advocacy for personal empowerment and independence. Positive advocacy experiences were linked to increased self-esteem and better outcomes in education and employment. Support systems, such as family and counselors, were crucial in facilitating self-advocacy. However, significant barriers included societal attitudes, institutional policies, and personal limitations. Assistive technology and comprehensive leadership training were identified as effective strategies for enhancing self-advocacy skills. Enhancing self-advocacy among young adults with disabilities requires targeted counseling interventions that focus on building essential skills and addressing barriers. Collaborative approaches involving family and community support are critical. Policymakers should implement inclusive policies and ensure access to assistive technologies. Future research should explore the long-term impact of self-advocacy training and consider the intersectionality of disability with other factors such as race and gender.