اکبر محمدی

Purpose- Initial and preliminary review of distribution of rural settlements of Qazvin province indicates a special pattern in this province (the densely populated villages in some areas of the province and being devoid of population in some other villages) which has been changed during different census periods and it raises the following questions: what factors have created such a pattern? Do ecological factors play a role in the formation of this pattern? Hence, the purpose of the present study is to answer these questions.Design/methodology/approach- The present study was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. First, the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic was used to review the spatial pattern of rural residents' network in Qazvin province, then k'luster analysis method through edge removal (SKATER) was used for grouping rural areas based on ecological conditions, and finally using the obtained results, the correlation coefficients between the ecological factors and the spatial distribution of the population in the obtained ecological groups were calculated. Findings- examining the spatial distribution pattern of rural settlements of Qazvin province according to Getis-Ord statistic indicates a cluster pattern of population spatial distribution in rural areas of Qazvin province. This pattern has high density in some areas and low density in other areas. The central parts of the province which include the Qazvin plain, have hot spots, and the northern areas of the province which include the mountainous areas, have cold spots. Based on the ecological grouping of villages through SKATER method and calculated correlation coefficients, the highest impact belonged to the grouping related to access to underground waters (existence of aquifer) and the next ranks belong to the distance from the river and slope. This shows the high impact of ecological variables on the distribution of rural population of the province during different periods.

This study aimed to investigate mindfulness's effectiveness on the problem-solving styles of secondary school students of Garmsar city. The statistical population of this research was all second-year high school students of Garmsar city in the academic year 2022-2023. The sample included 341 students who were selected by random cluster sampling. The research tools included a standard questionnaire on mindfulness and a questionnaire on problem-solving styles. The data was analyzed by Lisrel and SPSS software. Considering that the effect of the mediator variable is considered, structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The results showed that the five components of observation, description, action, awareness, non-judgment, and non-reaction affected the problem-solving styles of secondary school students of Garmsar city. Based on the obtained results, mindfulness can affect problem-solving techniques. Based on the obtained results, mindfulness can influence problem-solving styles. Therefore, the results of this study can have important implications in the field of education, such as the effectiveness of mindfulness on problem-solving for educational professionals.

Background: In today's evolving world, employees of organizations must have professional and ethical skills and competencies to perform their jobs and professions. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of developing a model of professional competence of faculty members according to the ethical components in the Islamic Azad University. Method: The combined research approach (qualitative and quantitative) was exploratory and confirmatory. In the qualitative part, the foundation data approach was used. Society, professional qualification experts, professors of Islamic Azad University, evaluation experts in higher education and policy makers in the field of higher education were selected by snowball sampling of 16 people. The interview tool was semi-structured. For data analysis, the open and pivotal and selective coding process was used. In a small part of the community, there were teachers, teaching assistants, specialized personnel and specialists in the field of professional competence of Islamic Azad University, from which 385 samples were randomly selected. The questionnaire was made by a researcher. For data analysis, the second type of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis method and Pearson correlation coefficient matrix and structural equation model were used using SPSS 22 software and AMOS 24 software. Results: The results showed that in general, the professional competence of the faculty members can be classified into three areas: knowledge (general, individual, internal and external), ability (cognitive, sensory and motor) and skill (basic, management and social). Conclusion: The present study identified three main categories of competence that were related to the work of Azad University teachers. Therefore, the information provided in this study can be used to assess the qualifications of newly hired teachers in different stages of their teaching and activities and to develop a curriculum accordingly.

Purpose : As regards the effect of creativity and models for the growth of it, this study endeavors to develop a pattern model for the purpose of growing creativity in the structure of the elementary school curriculum based on the fundamental reform document of education (FRDE) Methodology : As for the purpose of this study, it was conducive. Furthermore, in view of the procedure of methods, it could be considered as qualitative. 10 individuals of statistical society were chosen by targeted and snowball sampling methods in 2019. We utilized methods of reviewing the fundamental reform document of education and Semi-structured interviews. Validity and Validity of these methods were desperately examined by triangulation methods of data collection which were suitable for assessment and the coefficient of the agreement was estimated to be 0.76. Ultimately coding method was used in order to analyze the gained data of reviewed documents and interviews. Findings : Results demonstrated that 25 codes belonged to the growth model of creativity in the structure of the primary school curriculum based on the fundamental reform document of education while 15 codes are known to be relevant to this model based on interviews that have gotten done with some experts of the elementary school curriculum. Consequently, the model for the growth of creativity in the structure of the elementary school curriculum was designed based on these codes. Conclusions : Results of the present study contain some practical functions. Moreover, identified codes and designed models were used in order to improve the model of growth in creativity.