Universities

Purpose: Theorizing chairs play an important role in improving theories and the position of the university in compared to other universities. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of providing a model of promoting theorizing chairs in universities and higher education centers. Methodology: This research in terms of purpose was applied and in terms of implementation method was mixed (qualitative and quantitative). The research population in the qualitative part was the university experts of the theorizing chairs in Tehran province and in the quantitative part were the faculty members of Tehran province. The research sample in the qualitative part were 17 people who according to the theoretical saturation principle were selected by purposive sampling method and in the quantitative part were 343 people who according to Cochran's formula were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method. The research instrument in the qualitative part was a semi-structured interview and in the quantitative part was a researcher-made questionnaire (32 items), whose psychometric indices were confirmed. Data were analyzed with using methods of coding in MAXQDA software and exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling in SPSS and AMOS software. Findings: The results showed that for the promoting theorizing chairs 32 indicators, 9 components and 3 categories were identified. The leadership factors category were included six components of open-mindedness, rationality, driving force, religious debates, specialized debates and moderation, administrative category were included one component of administrative and university category were included two components of innovation and productivity. Also, the factor load of all components on the relevant categories and categories on the model of promoting theorizing chairs was significant. In addition, the fit indices of the mentioned model indicate the appropriate fit of the model and the component on the relevant categories and the categories on the model of the present study had a significant effect (P <0.05). Conclusion: Considering the approval of the model of promoting theorizing chairs in both qualitative and quantitative parts, planning seems necessary for the implementation of theorizing chairs in universities and higher education centers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of physical activity of faculty members at Allameh Tabatabai University during the coronavirus pandemic. This applied research has been done by a descriptive method. The statistical population of the study was the Allameh Tabatabai University faculty members in Iran. 284 people were selected through the available sampling method. A valid and reliable researcher-developed questionnaire was used for data collection, and a T-test was conducted for data analysis. The results of this study showed that the faculty members of the university do not have intense and moderate activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the general knowledge about the benefits of exercising during the coronavirus period has increased. In a general conclusion, COVID -19 crisis has created inactivity among university faculty members. Therefore, it is necessary to design and implement plans to increase the physical activity level among faculty members.

Pedagogical competence plays a crucial role in teachers’ qualifications in different contexts. Teachers’ pedagogical competence in teaching different language skills has a great influence on students’ achievement. As a result, having enough information about teachers’ pedagogical competence may determine the quality and efficacy of teaching. Therefore, the present study was an attempt to examine Iranian EFL teachers’ perception of their levels of pedagogical competence in English language teaching. A mixed methods design was utilized for data collocation. The data were collected from 375 EFL teachers in the quantitative and qualitative phases, respectively. The participants were selected through convenience sampling among those who were teaching English at different institutes (N=125), high schools (N=125), and universities (N=125) in Tehran and Khuzestan, Iran. In order to reach the purposes of the current research, the participants were required to fill out one questionnaire, namely English language teachers’ pedagogical competence, and one interview. To analyze the raw data, descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Findings revealed that there were not any significant differences among the high school, language institute, and university EFL teachers’ overall means of pedagogical competence. The results of the current study may be beneficial to language institute administrators, EFL teachers, teacher trainers, and materials developers.

Objective:After nearly three decades since the formation of the Council for the Islamicization of Universities, it is necessary to examine the policy of Islamicization of universities from various angles and dimensions. In this regard, the research question is: what theoretical and practical challenges does the policy of Islamicization of universities face in Iran?Method: To answer this question, qualitative analysis and content analysis of available sources, especially the views of policymakers and experts in this field, have been used, and the necessary investigation has been conducted by analyzing the themes of these views.Results:After nearly three decades since the formation of the Council for the Islamicization of Universities, it is necessary to examine the policy of Islamicization of universities from various angles and dimensions. The research hypothesis is that "the lack of a common understanding of the necessity and possibility of religious science and the Islamic university and its negative policy consequences, the accumulation of policies and the multiplicity and overlap of the duties of decision-making institutions in the matter of Islamicization of universities, the abstract nature of executive assignments, the weak communication between policymakers and stakeholders and actors at the operational level, and the lack of an efficient mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the policy of Islamicization" are among the most important theoretical and practical challenges of the policy of Islamicization of universities.Conclusion: The results indicate that stakeholders do not have adequate participation in decision-making related to this policy. Furthermore, five different institutions are responsible for guiding and overseeing the implementation of the policies, which this institutional multiplicity and policy density creates problems. It is also unclear exactly what guidance and oversight each of these institutions should provide. In reality, there is no clear distinction between the different natures of oversight, for example, macro oversight, executive oversight, etc. At the level of monitoring and evaluation, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, the Council for the Islamization of Universities, and the Steering Committee for the Comprehensive Scientific Map of the Country have not yet published any monitoring reports or evaluations of the policies for the Islamization of universities. This approach prevents the strengths and weaknesses from being revealed and hinders the possibility of benefiting from the corrective suggestions of researchers and scholars.