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Critical Thinking (CT) which has been defined as the employment of cognitive skills or strategies for obtaining sound conclusions (Halpern, 2013) has been the subject of different Second Language (L2) studies at national and international levels. The aim of the present study was to provide a meta-analysis on the (quasi) experimental studies of critical thinking in second language education in Iran. To this end, from a total of 168 studies published between 2011 and 2020, 24 studies were selected based on the inclusion-exclusion criteria. The included studies were coded to calculate the mean effect size of the studies. The results show that 1) L2 teaching was positively effective for the CT development in Iran; 2) the most beneficial aspects of L2 teaching on CT promotion were related to teaching L2 speaking and L2 rhetorical strategies; 3) concerning L2 proficiency level, L2 instruction was most advantageous for advanced students’ CT developments; 4) regarding the age groups, L2 teaching contributed the most growth in CT levels for learners in the age group of 10-14 years, and 5) L2 teaching was most effective for the undergraduate students compared to other educational levels. The findings can be beneficial for pursuing the next moves in L2 research, education, and planning educational policies in Iran.

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This article investigates the syntactic parameters of the agreement/case system in three northwest Iranian languages, including Tati, Talshi, and Vafsi. Baker (2008) shows that the close relationship between agreement and case that Chomsky (2000) formalized it as the Operation Agree is a parametric matter and in all languages, the agreement does not depend on the structural case of the noun phrase. In this regard, he considers the existence of two parameters:  parameter (1) Direction of agreement parameter (DAP) which is based on the c-commanding condition and The Case Dependency of Agreement Parameter (CDAP) or Operation Agree and he believes that the Operation Agree or parameter (2) is only one the agreement parameters in universal grammar, not a principle ones. Also, in a language, all functional heads, if they agree with a noun phrase, are homogeneously subject to the fixed agreement parameter in that language. In this regard, we evaluate how the two parameters of Direction of agreement parameter (DAP) and The Case Dependency of Agreement Parameter (CDAP) are fixed in the functional head (T) and moreover we deal with other functional heads including determiners (D), prepositions (P) and auxiliary verbs (AUX). The results show that in these three Iranian languages, the functional head (T) is subject to the CDAP parameter, not the DAP one and the c-commanding condition is not necessary for agreement. Moreover, in par with the functional head (T), other functional heads are homogenously subject to CDAP. The method of data collection was the library method and interview.

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Teaching and learning the Arabic language is of particular importance from a religious and legal point of view in Iran. Therefore, it is necessary to always maintain the position of this language both in the domestic and international arenas. The purpose of this article is to present a model for reforming the teaching and learning system of Arabic as a second language, relying on the identification of visible and hidden factors affecting it, as well as identifying the obstacles facing this issue. The basis of data collection was based on qualitative methods and specially conducting structured interviews with 10 professors of sociology of language. The analysis of the collected data has been done using the process of qualitative content analysis. AHP model and Expert Choise software have also been used to weight the research components.
 The results of this article show that the tendency to teach and learn Arabic as a second language is strongly influenced by basic factors such as social, psychological and economic factors. The value of AHP coefficient was obtained for social indicators (0.403), psychological indicators (0.364) and economic indicators (0.234). The results also show that the barriers and bottlenecks in the second language teaching and learning process in Iran were identified and classified in order of importance in six areas: legal barriers, political barriers, structural barriers, social barriers, cultural barriers and economic barriers.

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Waitance is a cognitive and psychological concept that reflects the tendency to anticipate the occurrence of good or bad events without the need for effort or specific activity in Iranian culture. The aim of this qualitative and applied research is to examine the waitance cultuling in light of the conceptual model of cultuling analysis in Iranian culture. To this end, 435 individuals were asked in April 2024 to express their views on sentences that represent the cultural aspects of waitance through semi-structured interviews. The results showed this cultural aspect is used with high frequency in both public and private formal and informal settings among individuals with informal relationships, by both genders, and more by middle-aged and elderly individuals and individuals from lower and middle social classes. Individuals with tones such as friendly and intimate, hopeful, desperate and hopeless, caring, angry, serious, humorous, and pragmatic use this cultural aspect with goals such as attracting attention, providing hope and comfort, encouraging patience, avoiding responsibility, seeking comfort, advising, referring problems to higher authorities, and so on. This mentioned cultural aspect, with high frequency and positive/negative emotions, indicates patterns of low trust, collectivism, short-term planning, idealism, and high waitance among Iranians. By analyzing these linguistic utterances, individuals can be made aware of the hidden culture within them and take steps toward euculturing and understanding the flawed genes of society.
 

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Considering the main role of listening comprehension in second language learning, it seems that providing listening strategies to language learners is necessary. New technologies are used to facilitate learning and podcast is one of the new tools used in language teaching today. The purpose of this descriptive-analytical study is to investigate whether metacognitive training with the help of podcasts can be used as an effective tool in enhancing listening comprehension. The research problem is caused by the lack of sufficient knowledge of language learners about metacognitive strategies, and in this regard, the role of the teacher in teaching these strategies is very important. This study can help French language teachers to include metacognitive strategies in improving listening skills and conventional methods. Revise yourself. For this purpose, 30 language learners were divided into two experimental and control groups based on the pre-test results. The experimental group received the podcasts through Vandergrift's metacognitive training, while the control group was taught the podcasts without any additional instructions or strategies. The results with the help of note taking, self-assessment questionnaire, direct observation and using spss software (t-test) showed that the metacognitive strategy has a positive effect on students' listening comprehension.

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Cet article examine l'approche de la mise en œuvre des compétences de compréhension de l'écrit dans les cours de langue française en Iran. Les données étudiées dans cette recherche ont été recueillies par le biais de questionnaires, d'entretiens et d'observations en classe. Les objectifs de cette étude sont de comprendre les perspectives et les opinions des apprenants et des enseignants concernant les compétences de compréhension de l'écrit, d'examiner les approches pédagogiques utilisées et d'identifier les obstacles existants dans ce domaine. En conséquence, des suggestions spécifiques pour améliorer l'approche pédagogique de la compréhension de l'écrit sont fournies. Les résultats de cette étude indiquent que les apprenants ont des compréhensions différentes de divers éléments liés à la compréhension de l'écrit, y compris la nécessité de lire rapidement pour accomplir les exercices, de passer du temps pour une compréhension approfondie des textes, etc. De plus, les réponses des enseignants soulignent l'importance de la flexibilité, de l'utilisation de ressources diversifiées et de l'implication active des apprenants. Les résultats obtenus de ces conclusions sont discutés pour l'enseignement de la langue française, mettant en évidence la nécessité de sensibiliser les apprenants et les enseignants à l'importance de la mise en œuvre de stratégies efficaces de compréhension de l'écrit.
 

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Flood spreading stations were constructed in Iran with different objectives such as groundwater recharge and vegetation recovery. Accumulation of sediment can be a major problem in flood spreading stations. According to generally accepted theories, floods and salt pollution can reduce gradually the infiltration rate. In order to investigate this issue, 13 flood spreading stations were selected across the country and infiltration rate changes were monitored over five years in the flood spreading areas. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze the abnormally distributed data. Based on the soil properties of the spreading stations, stations were first classified into three groups separately by cluster analysis; next, studies were conducted in three separate groups. Results in stations group 1 showed that, in the first year, the infiltration rate among spreading lines was not significantly different, but data for the second year showed a significant difference at α = 0.05. For stations group 2, in the third year, the difference in the infiltration rate was significant at α = 0.05. In addition, changes in the infiltration rate were significant at α = 0.05 in stations groups 1 and 2 in the second spreading line. For stations group 3, significant changes among lines have been detected. Results also showed that changes in the infiltration rate in different years were somewhat different among the three groups of stations. Although infiltration rate changes were low, there was a general decreasing trend.

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Species diversity is an index for sustainability of rangeland ecosystems. We studied the effect of environmental factors (soil properties and aspects) on plant species diversity in Zagros mountainous rangelands (vegetation type: Festuca ovina-Astragalus parrowianus) in the west of Hamadan in March–July 2009. For this purpose, four aspects were defined in the study area. Vegetation types were studied by physiognomic-floristic method in the field. The factors of vegetation were measured by transects using a systematic-randomized method. Five transects (100 m) and five plots along each transect were used. One soil sample (composition, 0–40 cm) in each plot was collected by a randomized method and assessed the following factors: pH, OM, N, EC, P, K and texture in the laboratory. The multiple regression method was used to investigate the relationship between species diversity (dependent variables) and soil and topographical factors (independent variables). Results showed that soil characteristics and aspects had significant effects on diversity in which north, east and west aspects as well OM, N, EC and clay were the most prominent factors influencing diversity.

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The relationship between topography, soil factors, and distribution of ecological vegetation groups in the Nodoushan arid rangelands of Yazd province (Iran) was investigated. The present species were recorded in each vegetation group using a randomized-systematic sampling method. Plant cover and density were estimated quantitatively using the transect and quadrate methods, and the two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN), after which vegetation was classified into different groups. Soil samples were taken from 0–30 cm in each quadrat. In each vegetation group, 20 environmental variables including altitude, slope, aspect, percentage of bare rock, grazing intensity, percentage of gravel, soluble ions (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+), total nitrogen, organic matter, lime, gypsum, EC, pH, and percentage of sand, silt and clay were measured. Multivariate techniques including detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) were used to analyze the collected data. The results showed that the vegetation distribution was related to elevation, slope, and soil characteristics such as texture, organic matter, gypsum, acidity, lime, and gravity percentage.

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Sediment-related environmental problems pose a serious threat to sustainable land management in many developing countries, including Iran. Information regarding sediment sources represents a key requirement from the management perspective since identification of sediment sources is a precursor to the design of effective sediment management and control strategies. The fingerprinting approach has increasingly been adopted as an alternative to assembling such information. A wide range of fingerprint properties has been used as a means of discriminating potential sediment sources. However, determining the ability of these properties is very important in the design of cost-effective catchment management strategies before each study. This contribution addresses the ability of two acid extractable metals (Co and Cr) that were used extensively in previous studies to be used to differentiate sediment sources. The results of the statistical analysis demonstrate that no single property is capable of classifying the source material samples into the correct source categories at the Amrovan drainage basins. In the case of the Atary drainage basin, Cr and Co were found in only 47.5 and 43.8% of the source material samples respectively. According to the result obtained, it is recommended that acid extractable metals for sediment sources differentiation in conjunction with the composite of other properties to improve sediment source discrimination.

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We measured the impacts of coastal modification on beach erosion and beach retreat conditions, selecting the Miankaleh Region as an example of a complex high-pressure free zone with high levels of engineering and tourism activity. Nine sampling transects, stretching from the shoreline to a 10 meter depth, were defined and 36 sediment samples were collected from the sea bed at depths of 1, 3, 5, and 10 m. After conducting laboratory tests, data were analyzed in terms of sediment dynamic parameters such as grain size, sediment size distribution, mean, median, skewness, kurtosis, standard deviation, and mineral composition. Beach structure and morphodynamic conditions were assessed in the Miankaleh region, by means of satellite image interpretation and field surveys. Results show that from 1978 until the present the average rate of beach retreat rapidly increased due to sea level rise and coastal constructions that have resulted in a progressive increase in sea level height in this region. Erosion vulnerability hazards have also increased in the eastern part of the study area and deposition processes have developed in the western Amirabad region.

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The term degradation is used to specify the status of the environment. It is often associated with ‘improper use’. ‘Use’ also implies environmental aspects other than physical ones and implies that the more intensive the use, the more susceptible the environment is to degradation, particularly if proper care for the environment is lacking. The question is, and has always been, how to map something which, apart from the physical aspects of landscape, is also influenced by socio-cultural and economic issues? The common approach in mapping degradation is based on indicators and the intention of this paper is to present three case studies: the Tabernas-Sorbas area in Spain; Iran (at the country level) and the Pico de Tancitaro area in Mexico. The geopedological map is combined with the land use-based map to produce the basis for the extraction of a considerable number of indicators.

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Fungi associated with ascocarps of Terfezia claveryi, Tirmania nivea, T. pinoyi, Picoa lefebvrei and P. juniperi in Iran showed a wide range of genera and species in 94 samples collected during 2005–2009 from different regions including Fars, Systan and Baluchestan, Kerman, East Azarbaijan, Khuzestan, Kermanshah and Hormozgan provinces. Thirty two species belonging to 21 genera were recovered from ascocarps of truffles on two culture media. Penicillium chrysogenum, P. citrinum, P. griseofulvum, P. brevicompactum, P. crustosum, P. oxalicum, Aspergillus carbonarius, A. niger, A. flavus and A. terreus were the most common fungal species isolated on glucose–Czapek agar medium. The number of fungal species recovered on 20% NaCl–Czapek agar were less (4 genera and 10 species). The most abundant fungal genera belonged to Penicillium and Aspergillus. Also, Paecilomyces lilacinus and Scopulariopsis halophilica could grow on Czapek agar medium amended with 20 % NaCl. Other fungal species were not able to grow on this medium.

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Study area is located in West of Iran with relatively rough topography. Lithologic units in the region belong from Jurassic and Cretaccous till recent era. The study area of the Alvand mountain region is related to the tectonic zone of the Sanandaj-Sirjan region and the area dominant neo-tectonic regime appears to be compressional-extensional type. One of the identification tools to find out the existence of recent neotectonic activities is tectonic geomorphology evaluation. In this study, we tried to measure the required parameters using topographic maps with scales of 1:50000 utilizing AutoCAD software. In order to identifying the morphologic landform anomalies we use asymmetry factor, transverse topographic symmetry factor and mountain-front sinuosity index. The neotectonic activity of the study area investigated by considering geologic, seismic and remote sensing evidences and with establishing relationship between these evidences and morphologic landforms. Results indicated that tilting occurred around NW-SE axis. There is a remarkable correlation between active mountain front, fault and cleavage identified (from satellite images) and position of earthquake epicenters of study area. Hence all of these evidence indicating the activity of the study area from neotectonic and instability of sub watersheds point of view.

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Otters at the top of the food chain and feeding largely on fish are likely to be especially vulnerable to the effects of bioaccumulating pollutants. This research reports the first data on mercury levels found in hairs of river otters (Lutra lutra) from Iran. Between June and December 2007, we collected museum and recent collections of river otter hair. These samples were collected from several provinces of three major regions of Iran. The mean of mercury concentration for all samples (recent and museum) was 5.819±1.557 mg/kg with 95% confidence interval for the mean. The concentrations of Total Hg (THg) in hair ranged from 0.293 to 12.382 mg/kg. No significant variation among the sample regions existed. A comparison of THg concentrations between two decades (1986-1996 and 1996-2006) showed that these differences were significant (p