The right to education and equal educational opportunities for all has been considered a 'univers... more The right to education and equal educational opportunities for all has been considered a 'universal entitlement'. Almost everywhere in the world, the main goal of a successful education system is to provide equitable educational opportunities to members of society to enable them to accomplish their diverse needs and interests. This book chapter provides a brief description and critical analysis on the status of educational opportunities and access in Iran. It focuses on two dimensions of 'quantitative' and 'qualitative' educational opportunities to all. The main questions are: Are educational facilities and resources allocated equally to students from different social classes, gender and minority groups in Iran? If not, why, and what comprehensive policy can be formulated/devised to promote equitable educational opportunities and access for all in Iran?
Quarterly Journal of Research and Planning in Higher Education, Dec 1, 2022
The purpose of this study was to understand and explain the competencies affecting the performanc... more The purpose of this study was to understand and explain the competencies affecting the performance of university departments in the age of networking, which was done from the perspective of department chairs and with an interdisciplinary approach in the field of educational management and communication sciences. The research method was qualitative and a case study type. The department chairs of Allameh Tabataba'i University of Tehran are the research field of this study to collect information. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used in sample selection. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10 department chairs was used to collected the required data. Data were analyzed through open and axial coding, which identified a total of 5 themes to improve the performance of the departments: "Leadership skills, information literacy, media literacy, digital intelligence and factors related to university strategy of universities and existing sociocultural platforms in higher education" regarding the qualifications and factors needed to improve the quality of management and performance of the educational departments in the information society were identified. Presence and effective performance of academic elites in media educational environments has created the need for attention and acquisition of competencies related to the age of communication by the leaders of educational institutions. Therefore, higher education and university support programs and futurology studies will be effective to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of educational departments. The findings of this study can be the basis for the development of higher education future programs.
Background: Today, quality of services is one of the main factors for the survival and growth of ... more Background: Today, quality of services is one of the main factors for the survival and growth of any type of organization, including educational organizations. Service providers and service recipients both play key roles in determining the quality of services. Aims: The purpose of this study was to compare the quality model of smart educational services from the viewpoint of recipients and service providers based on the HEdPERF model. Methods: The present research is from the perspective of exploratory-applied orientation and from the perspective of descriptive-survey goal. The statistical population of smart schools in region 2 of Tehran, which has 4 smart schools, has a total of 240 students and 83 teachers and teaching staff. The number of samples obtained for service recipients (students) is 148 and 64 people as a statistical sample of service providers (teachers and teaching staff). A questionnaire was used to collect research data. To compare the quality of smart educational services between these two groups, t-test with two independent samples was used. Results: For all 6 components of quality of education services including educational aspect, educational performance, program, non-educational aspect, access and reputation between service recipients and service providers, there is a significant difference of 99% confidence level. In other words, in all six mentioned aspects, the service providers evaluated the current situation better than the service receivers. Conclusion: From the perspective of service recipients, the average quality of services provided is lower than that of service providers. That is, there is a gap between the views of service providers and recipients Such a result was somewhat predictable, because most of the service providers evaluate the quality of their services more favorably than the service receivers, and the service receivers usually have more critical opinions about the various dimensions of the services provided.
Multidisciplinary journal of educational research, Feb 15, 2020
To be literate, students need to able to think critically and read between the lines to find the ... more To be literate, students need to able to think critically and read between the lines to find the implicit meanings and ideologies. To help Iranian English language learners learn writing as a social action and not independent of social (in)justices and (in)equalities, we included critical literacy in a writing course at the University of Kashan. We intend to illuminate teacher's narration about raising students' awareness towards (mal)practices, (in)justices, and (in)equalities of the society in their writings. To do so, all 52 undergraduate 3rd-year-EFL learners of English Literature and Translation participated in our writing class. The teacher was also an associate professor (50 years old) with critical literacy as his main area of research. Students were required to write essays as mid-term and final exams. The teacher's reflection on the course in general and on the EFL learners' reflective essays highlighted that teaching writing through critical literacy helped students realize that writing is a process dependent on different social and political issues. Students' growth in critical consciousness through their writing reminds teaching practitioners, policy-makers, and teacher educators to provide innovation in their classrooms to empower language learners with teaching methodologies contrary to what they are accustomed to during their learning. It is rare to find such a practice in a higher education context in Iran where all K-12 school teachers and university instructors are highly advised to stick to the predefined syllabi while the world of teaching and learning practice is changing.
Highlights One of the main shortcomings of the Iranian educational system is its focus on trainin... more Highlights One of the main shortcomings of the Iranian educational system is its focus on training students to succeed in different testing/assessment practices. In this regard, primary emphasis is still placed on memorization rather than learning dialogue, collaboration, tolerance, and life expectation for today’s globalized communities. Few voices from Iranian teachers have been heard in international publications. This study collected focus group interviews from 84 Iranian primary school teachers in Tehran, Shiraz, and Yazd. Findings show that the interviewed teachers agreed on the urgent curriculum changes, including English, Law, and Entrepreneurship in the primary teaching. Additionally, the educational focus should be broadened from the current emphasis on assessment from the early years of schooling.
Journal of Birjand University of Medical Sciences, 2018
Background and Aim: A third generation university is characterized by three significant missions,... more Background and Aim: A third generation university is characterized by three significant missions, including the protection and dissemination of human knowledge, research, and paving the ground for the university to play a role in economic and social development. The purpose of this paper was to identify the structural components of medical universities in transition to third generation university. Materials and Methods: This study is a systematic review. The search for the present study was carried out with the keywords of organizational structure, the organizational structure of universities, third generation university, entrepreneurial university, and organizational structure of the third generation university on databanks including ISI, SID, Magiran, ProQuest, sagepub, and PubMed as well as Google Scholar from 1990 to 2017. Afterward, all reviewed articles that had inclusion criteria were studied. Results: A total of 42 articles that were related to the topic were employed. The m...
Background: In today's competitive world, it is hardly possible to achieve strategic goals wi... more Background: In today's competitive world, it is hardly possible to achieve strategic goals without having a well-structured organization. Therefore, universities need to focus on improving their organizational structure in order to achieve their goals and sustain their activities. The purpose of this study was to assess the current status of organizational structure dimensions in universities of medical sciences for transition to the third-generation university. Methods: This was a descriptive-analytic study. The statistical population included all managers and healthcare management specialists in universities of medical sciences of the 9th Planning Macro-Region of the country totaling 614 individuals. Using Cochran’s formula, 265 people were selected randomly via stratified random sampling method. To collect data, a researcher-made questionnaire was used, which held 52 items on the 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was confirmed by faculty members in terms of formal and c...
The purpose of this study was to design an appropriate model for reducing educational inequality ... more The purpose of this study was to design an appropriate model for reducing educational inequality in elementary schools in Tehran and it is a combination of exploratory research. The statistical population of the study was all public primary schools in Tehran. The statistical sample in the qualitative section consisted of 14 experts and experts in the field of public education who were selected through snowball sampling and in the quantitative section of Tehran elementary school principals, deputies and experts who were selected by multistage cluster sampling. . Data collection tools included semi-structured interview, questionnaire and researcher-made checklist. The results showed that educational inequality in elementary schools in Tehran includes 7 components, 28 indicators; including: input component including 4 indices, school process component including 6 indices, family context component including 6 indices, output component including 8 indices, individual context Inequality i...
The right to education and equal educational opportunities for all has been considered a 'univers... more The right to education and equal educational opportunities for all has been considered a 'universal entitlement'. Almost everywhere in the world, the main goal of a successful education system is to provide equitable educational opportunities to members of society to enable them to accomplish their diverse needs and interests. This book chapter provides a brief description and critical analysis on the status of educational opportunities and access in Iran. It focuses on two dimensions of 'quantitative' and 'qualitative' educational opportunities to all. The main questions are: Are educational facilities and resources allocated equally to students from different social classes, gender and minority groups in Iran? If not, why, and what comprehensive policy can be formulated/devised to promote equitable educational opportunities and access for all in Iran?
Quarterly Journal of Research and Planning in Higher Education, Dec 1, 2022
The purpose of this study was to understand and explain the competencies affecting the performanc... more The purpose of this study was to understand and explain the competencies affecting the performance of university departments in the age of networking, which was done from the perspective of department chairs and with an interdisciplinary approach in the field of educational management and communication sciences. The research method was qualitative and a case study type. The department chairs of Allameh Tabataba'i University of Tehran are the research field of this study to collect information. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used in sample selection. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10 department chairs was used to collected the required data. Data were analyzed through open and axial coding, which identified a total of 5 themes to improve the performance of the departments: "Leadership skills, information literacy, media literacy, digital intelligence and factors related to university strategy of universities and existing sociocultural platforms in higher education" regarding the qualifications and factors needed to improve the quality of management and performance of the educational departments in the information society were identified. Presence and effective performance of academic elites in media educational environments has created the need for attention and acquisition of competencies related to the age of communication by the leaders of educational institutions. Therefore, higher education and university support programs and futurology studies will be effective to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of educational departments. The findings of this study can be the basis for the development of higher education future programs.
Background: Today, quality of services is one of the main factors for the survival and growth of ... more Background: Today, quality of services is one of the main factors for the survival and growth of any type of organization, including educational organizations. Service providers and service recipients both play key roles in determining the quality of services. Aims: The purpose of this study was to compare the quality model of smart educational services from the viewpoint of recipients and service providers based on the HEdPERF model. Methods: The present research is from the perspective of exploratory-applied orientation and from the perspective of descriptive-survey goal. The statistical population of smart schools in region 2 of Tehran, which has 4 smart schools, has a total of 240 students and 83 teachers and teaching staff. The number of samples obtained for service recipients (students) is 148 and 64 people as a statistical sample of service providers (teachers and teaching staff). A questionnaire was used to collect research data. To compare the quality of smart educational services between these two groups, t-test with two independent samples was used. Results: For all 6 components of quality of education services including educational aspect, educational performance, program, non-educational aspect, access and reputation between service recipients and service providers, there is a significant difference of 99% confidence level. In other words, in all six mentioned aspects, the service providers evaluated the current situation better than the service receivers. Conclusion: From the perspective of service recipients, the average quality of services provided is lower than that of service providers. That is, there is a gap between the views of service providers and recipients Such a result was somewhat predictable, because most of the service providers evaluate the quality of their services more favorably than the service receivers, and the service receivers usually have more critical opinions about the various dimensions of the services provided.
Multidisciplinary journal of educational research, Feb 15, 2020
To be literate, students need to able to think critically and read between the lines to find the ... more To be literate, students need to able to think critically and read between the lines to find the implicit meanings and ideologies. To help Iranian English language learners learn writing as a social action and not independent of social (in)justices and (in)equalities, we included critical literacy in a writing course at the University of Kashan. We intend to illuminate teacher's narration about raising students' awareness towards (mal)practices, (in)justices, and (in)equalities of the society in their writings. To do so, all 52 undergraduate 3rd-year-EFL learners of English Literature and Translation participated in our writing class. The teacher was also an associate professor (50 years old) with critical literacy as his main area of research. Students were required to write essays as mid-term and final exams. The teacher's reflection on the course in general and on the EFL learners' reflective essays highlighted that teaching writing through critical literacy helped students realize that writing is a process dependent on different social and political issues. Students' growth in critical consciousness through their writing reminds teaching practitioners, policy-makers, and teacher educators to provide innovation in their classrooms to empower language learners with teaching methodologies contrary to what they are accustomed to during their learning. It is rare to find such a practice in a higher education context in Iran where all K-12 school teachers and university instructors are highly advised to stick to the predefined syllabi while the world of teaching and learning practice is changing.
Highlights One of the main shortcomings of the Iranian educational system is its focus on trainin... more Highlights One of the main shortcomings of the Iranian educational system is its focus on training students to succeed in different testing/assessment practices. In this regard, primary emphasis is still placed on memorization rather than learning dialogue, collaboration, tolerance, and life expectation for today’s globalized communities. Few voices from Iranian teachers have been heard in international publications. This study collected focus group interviews from 84 Iranian primary school teachers in Tehran, Shiraz, and Yazd. Findings show that the interviewed teachers agreed on the urgent curriculum changes, including English, Law, and Entrepreneurship in the primary teaching. Additionally, the educational focus should be broadened from the current emphasis on assessment from the early years of schooling.
Journal of Birjand University of Medical Sciences, 2018
Background and Aim: A third generation university is characterized by three significant missions,... more Background and Aim: A third generation university is characterized by three significant missions, including the protection and dissemination of human knowledge, research, and paving the ground for the university to play a role in economic and social development. The purpose of this paper was to identify the structural components of medical universities in transition to third generation university. Materials and Methods: This study is a systematic review. The search for the present study was carried out with the keywords of organizational structure, the organizational structure of universities, third generation university, entrepreneurial university, and organizational structure of the third generation university on databanks including ISI, SID, Magiran, ProQuest, sagepub, and PubMed as well as Google Scholar from 1990 to 2017. Afterward, all reviewed articles that had inclusion criteria were studied. Results: A total of 42 articles that were related to the topic were employed. The m...
Background: In today's competitive world, it is hardly possible to achieve strategic goals wi... more Background: In today's competitive world, it is hardly possible to achieve strategic goals without having a well-structured organization. Therefore, universities need to focus on improving their organizational structure in order to achieve their goals and sustain their activities. The purpose of this study was to assess the current status of organizational structure dimensions in universities of medical sciences for transition to the third-generation university. Methods: This was a descriptive-analytic study. The statistical population included all managers and healthcare management specialists in universities of medical sciences of the 9th Planning Macro-Region of the country totaling 614 individuals. Using Cochran’s formula, 265 people were selected randomly via stratified random sampling method. To collect data, a researcher-made questionnaire was used, which held 52 items on the 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was confirmed by faculty members in terms of formal and c...
The purpose of this study was to design an appropriate model for reducing educational inequality ... more The purpose of this study was to design an appropriate model for reducing educational inequality in elementary schools in Tehran and it is a combination of exploratory research. The statistical population of the study was all public primary schools in Tehran. The statistical sample in the qualitative section consisted of 14 experts and experts in the field of public education who were selected through snowball sampling and in the quantitative section of Tehran elementary school principals, deputies and experts who were selected by multistage cluster sampling. . Data collection tools included semi-structured interview, questionnaire and researcher-made checklist. The results showed that educational inequality in elementary schools in Tehran includes 7 components, 28 indicators; including: input component including 4 indices, school process component including 6 indices, family context component including 6 indices, output component including 8 indices, individual context Inequality i...
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Papers by Ali K. Taskoh