International Journal of Education and Cognitive Sciences

Purpose: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Young’s Schema Therapy and Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy on alexithymia in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Methods and Materials: The study employed an experimental design with pretest–posttest and a three-month follow-up, including a control group. The statistical population consisted of patients with chronic kidney disease in the city of Mashhad in 2023. A total of 45 participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three groups of 15 participants each (two experimental groups and one control group). The first experimental group received Young’s Schema Therapy over eight sessions, while the second experimental group underwent Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy over fifteen sessions, whereas the control group received no intervention. The research instrument was the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) (Bagby, Parker, & Taylor, 1994). The data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance.

Findings: The results indicated that both therapeutic approaches were significantly more effective than the control group in reducing alexithymia among patients with chronic kidney disease, and these effects remained stable at the three-month follow-up. However, comparison of the two interventions showed that Schema Therapy demonstrated significantly greater effectiveness than Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy at the follow-up stage (p < .001).

Conclusion: The findings suggest that both therapeutic approaches are beneficial and durable for patients with chronic kidney disease, with Schema Therapy exhibiting a statistically significant superiority.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of relevant and irrelevant humor in the science curriculum on the academic engagement of fourth-grade elementary school students.

Methods and Materials: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a multi-stage cluster sampling method. A total of 88 fourth-grade students from non-public schools in District 5 of Tehran participated in the study. Students were randomly assigned to three groups: the relevant humor intervention group, the irrelevant humor intervention group, and a control group. A humor-infused educational package combining relevant and irrelevant humor with science content was developed and implemented. Academic achievement was measured using a pre- and post-test design, and data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

Findings: The findings indicated a significant difference in academic achievement between the relevant humor group and the control group, with the relevant humor group showing greater improvement in academic performance (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the irrelevant humor group and the control group (p > 0.05). The eta squared value of 0.14 indicated that 14% of the variance in academic achievement was explained by the humor interventions.

Conclusion: The study concluded that incorporating relevant humor into the science curriculum can significantly enhance academic achievement by increasing student engagement, motivation, and understanding of the material. In contrast, irrelevant humor did not yield significant academic benefits, suggesting the importance of aligning humor with the curriculum content. Future research is needed to explore the long-term effects and broader impacts of humor interventions in education.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to design and validate a comprehensive education model for student-teachers based on the Holy Quran and the Fundamental Transformation Document of Education in Farhangian University.

Methods and Materials: This applied study employed an exploratory mixed-method design consisting of qualitative and quantitative phases. In the qualitative phase, 20 experts in teacher education, Farhangian University administrators, and faculty members were selected through purposive sampling based on the saturation principle. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis and three-stage coding (open, axial, selective) in MAXQDA. In the quantitative phase, the population included managers, faculty members, and student-teachers, from whom 821 participants were selected using Cochran’s formula and cluster sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire with 74 items was used, and its validity was examined through CVR, CVI, and construct validity via CFA; reliability was confirmed with Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability. Quantitative analyses were conducted using SPSS-21 and LISREL-8.

Findings: Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the Quran-based model contained 33 indicators grouped into 6 significant components with excellent model fit (RMSEA=0.066, CFI=0.97, GFI=0.94). Similarly, the model grounded in the Fundamental Transformation Document included 41 indicators organized into 8 components with strong fit indices (RMSEA=0.070, CFI=0.95, GFI=0.93). One-sample t-tests indicated that the final model significantly met criteria of alignment, comprehensibility, generalizability, and theoretical control.

Conclusion: The results confirmed that a coherent and validated student-teacher education model—grounded simultaneously in Quranic principles and the Fundamental Transformation Document—can effectively guide the enhancement of teacher education processes in Farhangian University, offering a reliable framework endorsed by experts and supported by robust statistical evidence.

Purpose: This causal-comparative study compared perceived parenting styles (parental warmth and autonomy support), anxiety sensitivity, and ego strength among female victims of domestic violence seeking divorce, differentiating between those with and without generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Methods and Materials: The sample included 80 women (40 with GAD, 40 without GAD) from Qom Province, Iran, selected via convenience sampling in 2024-2025. Participants were screened using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders (SCID-5-RV) and completed the Grolnick Perceived Parenting Scale, the Taylor & Cox Anxiety Sensitivity Index, and the Markstrom Ego Strength Scale. Data were analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA).

Findings: MANOVA revealed a significant overall difference between the two groups (Pillai’s Trace = .88, p <.001, η² = .88). The non-GAD group reported significantly higher levels of parental warmth (p <.001), parental autonomy support (p <.001), and ego strength (p <.001). Conversely, the GAD group exhibited significantly higher anxiety sensitivity (p <.001).

Conclusion: The findings indicate that a lack of parental warmth and autonomy during development, coupled with high anxiety sensitivity and low ego strength, is strongly associated with GAD in women experiencing the dual trauma of domestic violence and divorce. Interventions should focus on restructuring maladaptive cognitive schemas, enhancing emotion regulation, and building ego strength.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to design and validate a comprehensive model of spiritual education derived from the Fundamental Reform Document of Education (FRDE) to identify its core dimensions, influencing factors, and structural validity within the Iranian educational context.

Methods and Materials: This applied qualitative study employed a content analysis approach. The research population included experts in education, school principals, and vice-principals. Using purposive non-random sampling and the principle of theoretical saturation, 20 experts were selected for semi-structured interviews. Data were gathered through both library (academic sources, theses, and databases from 2000 to 2022) and field methods. Thematic analysis was conducted using MAXQDA 2020 software, identifying basic, organizing, and overarching themes. The resulting model was further validated by 22 education specialists using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and evaluated through a one-sample t-test to determine its fit, comprehensibility, generalizability, and controllability.

Findings: The thematic analysis identified three main dimensions of spiritual education—cognitive, emotional, and behavioral training—along with four influencing factors: societal moral values and norms, educational policy and planning, teacher characteristics, and curriculum design. Results from the one-sample t-test showed that all model parameters were significant at the 0.01 level, confirming the model’s strong structural validity. The mean ratings for model fit (M=3.66), comprehensibility (M=3.89), generalizability (M=3.71), and control (M=3.85) were all significantly higher than the expected mean (3), indicating expert consensus on the reliability and applicability of the proposed model.

Conclusion: The validated model demonstrates that spiritual education, as defined by the FRDE, is a multidimensional construct integrating moral cognition, emotional development, and ethical behavior. Its successful implementation depends on teachers’ spiritual competence, value-based curricula, and supportive educational policies.

Purpose: This study presents a randomized controlled trial examining the effectiveness of a multi‑session Motivational Interviewing (MI‑Supportive) intervention augmented with ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and adaptive SMS follow‑up (MI + EMA/SMS) compared with an active supportive counseling control in reducing marijuana use and enhancing motivation to change among clinical adolescents.

Methods and Materials: Adolescents (N = 240; ages 13–18) referred from outpatient and inpatient adolescent clinical services were randomized 1:1 to receive either four manualized MI sessions (45–60 minutes each) with EMA/SMS digital follow‑up or an active, time‑matched supportive counseling control with non‑adaptive digital contact. Primary outcome was days of cannabis use in the past 30 days assessed via Timeline Followback at baseline, post‑intervention (8 weeks), 3‑month, and 6‑month follow‑up. Secondary outcomes included motivation to change (Readiness Ruler, URICA), cannabis‑related problems (CUDIT‑R), craving, and urine drug screen (UDS) results. EMA captured momentary motivation, craving, and contextual risk, and triggered adaptive SMS messages in the experimental arm. Analyses used intent‑to‑treat mixed‑effects models with multiple imputation for missing data.

Findings: Compared with the active control, the MI + EMA/SMS arm demonstrated greater reductions in days of cannabis use across follow‑up (adjusted mean difference at 6 months = −3.9 days, 95% CI −5.6 to −2.2; Cohen’s d ≈ 0.42, p < .001). Secondary outcomes favored the experimental arm, with larger increases in readiness to change, greater reductions in CUDIT‑R scores, lower proportion of UDS‑positive participants at 6 months (31% vs. 46%), and modest improvements in craving and depressive symptoms. Mediation analyses suggested that increases in EMA‑measured momentary motivation and reductions in craving partially mediated the intervention effect. EMA adherence averaged 72%.

Conclusion: In this trial, integrating multi‑session MI with EMA‑triggered supportive SMS yielded clinically meaningful reductions in adolescent cannabis use and increased motivation to change relative to an active control. These findings support the potential of hybrid, just‑in‑time interventions that combine high‑fidelity psychotherapy with adaptive digital support for adolescent substance use treatment. Future empirical trials are needed to replicate these results, evaluate long‑term durability, and assess cost‑effectiveness and equitable implementation.

Purpose: The present study aimed to propose a causal model of the relationship between family functioning and perceived social support of students with internet addiction, considering the mediating role of stress coping strategies.

Methods and Materials: The research design was fundamental in nature and employed a descriptive-correlational method based on structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population included all students of Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, during the 2024–2025 academic year. From this population, a sample of 301 students was selected through multistage cluster sampling. Participants responded to the Young Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Epstein Family Assessment Device (FAD), the Zimet Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Endler and Parker Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-SF). The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with AMOS 26 software.

Findings: The results revealed that family functioning was negatively and significantly associated with internet addiction among students (p = .001). Perceived social support was also negatively and significantly associated with internet addiction (p = .001). Emotion-focused and avoidance coping styles were positively related to internet addiction, whereas the problem-focused coping style was negatively and significantly associated with it (p = .001). Moreover, both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping styles negatively and significantly mediated the relationship between family functioning and internet addiction (p = .001). All three coping styles negatively and significantly mediated the relationship between perceived social support and internet addiction (p = .001).

Conclusion: It can be concluded that positive family functioning and higher perceived social support are associated with lower levels of internet addiction. Emotion-focused and avoidance coping styles reinforce this association, whereas problem-focused coping weakens it.

Purpose: The present study aimed to clarify a structural equation model of health anxiety based on metacognitive beliefs, with anxiety sensitivity serving as a mediator among individuals with obsessive–compulsive symptoms.

Methods and Materials: This descriptive–correlational research utilized structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of all individuals exhibiting obsessive–compulsive symptoms who attended counseling centers, psychological clinics, and psychiatric clinics in Isfahan during 2024–2025. A convenience sample of 480 participants was selected. The research instruments included the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI) developed by Salkovskis and Warwick, the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30) by Wells and Cartwright-Hatton, and the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) by Floyd et al. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and AMOS software, and structural equation modeling with bootstrapping was applied to test the hypotheses.

Findings: The findings revealed that all direct paths among the study variables were statistically significant at p < 0.05. Anxiety sensitivity significantly mediated the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and health anxiety. The bootstrap analysis indicated that the indirect effect of metacognitive beliefs on health anxiety was 0.141, which was significant at the 0.05 level.

Conclusion: The results demonstrated that dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs contribute to the development of health anxiety by heightening anxiety sensitivity. Consequently, modifying maladaptive metacognitive beliefs and implementing interventions aimed at reducing anxiety sensitivity—such as interoceptive exposure and symptom reappraisal—can play a vital role in managing and alleviating health anxiety among individuals with obsessive–compulsive symptoms.