International Journal of Education and Cognitive Sciences

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.

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between metacognitive strategies and academic engagement, considering the mediating role of achievement goals and gender moderation in students.

Methods and Materials: The descriptive research method was correlation type. The statistical population included all the students of Maysan University in Iraq in the 2023-2024 academic year, and 300 of them were selected by available sampling and responded to research tools including School Engagement Scale (Fredericks & Blumenfeld, 2004), the State Metacognition Invertory (O'Neill and Abedi, 1996), and Achievement Goals Questionnaire (Elliott and McGregor, 1988). Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling and SPSS26 and PLS 3.2.8 software.

Findings: The results of the path analysis test showed that metacognitive strategies did not have a significant direct relationship with academic engagement. Still, indirectly and through the mediation of achievement goals, they had an effect on academic engagement, in such a way that Orientational progress goals led to an increase in academic engagement, and avoidance achievement goals led to a decrease in academic engagement. Also, gender played a moderating role in the relationship between metacognitive strategies and academic engagement.

Conclusion: According to the results of this study, teaching metacognitive strategies can increase students' academic engagement through a positive impact on their achievement goals.

Purpose: This study aimed to conceptualize, develop, and validate a reliable and context-specific questionnaire to measure Collaborative Continuing Professional Development (CCPD) among Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers.

Methods and Materials: A sequential mixed-methods design was employed. In the qualitative phase, thirty experienced EFL teachers from universities and language institutes participated in semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to identify key dimensions of CCPD. These findings informed the development of an initial questionnaire. In the quantitative phase, the instrument was administered to 312 EFL teachers selected via purposive sampling and Cochran’s formula to ensure adequate sample size. Construct validity was examined through confirmatory factor analysis using Partial Least Squares (PLS), while internal consistency and reliability were assessed via Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE).

Findings: Seven core dimensions of CCPD emerged: active stakeholder participation, needs assessment and content localization, collaborative learning methods, policy and legal framework, evaluation and feedback system, motivational and structural support, and sustainability and future orientation. All constructs demonstrated strong psychometric properties, with Cronbach’s alpha values above 0.83 and CR exceeding 0.84. Outer loadings were higher than 0.80, and AVE surpassed the 0.58 threshold, confirming convergent validity. Structural modeling showed significant predictive relationships, particularly between policy and legal framework and sustainability (β = 0.42, p < .001) and between needs assessment and learning (β = 0.40, p < .001), explaining 58% of variance in sustainability and 40% in learning.

Conclusion: The validated CCPD questionnaire is a robust, contextually grounded tool for assessing collaborative professional development among Iranian EFL teachers.

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.

Purpose: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a positive psychology–based intervention in reducing maladaptive perfectionism and enhancing quality of life among physicians with OCPD traits in Tehran, Iran.

Methods and Materials: Sixty physicians meeting criteria for OCPD traits (via SCID-5-PD) were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 30) that received an 8-week group-based positive psychology program or a waitlist control group (n = 30). Measures included the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) maladaptive subscales and the WHOQOL-BREF, administered at baseline, post-intervention, and three-month follow-up. Repeated-measures ANOVA and Jacobson–Truax clinical significance criteria were applied.

Findings: Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant group × time interactions for both maladaptive perfectionism (F(2, 116) = 36.09, p < .001, η² = .38) and quality of life (F(2, 116) = 31.62, p < .001, η² = .35). The intervention group demonstrated large effect size improvements (Cohen’s d = 1.57 for perfectionism; d = 1.88 for quality of life), which were maintained at follow-up. Clinically significant improvement was observed in 70% of participants for perfectionism and 67% for quality of life in the intervention group, compared to 10% and 7% in the control group, respectively (χ² values = 22.50 and 23.25, p < .001).

Conclusion: Findings provide strong evidence that positive psychology interventions can effectively reduce maladaptive perfectionism and improve quality of life in physicians with OCPD traits. These results highlight the potential of integrating structured positive psychology programs into physician wellness initiatives to reduce burnout risk and enhance overall functioning.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the association between personality traits and the occurrence of psychosis among methamphetamine users.

Methods and Materials: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 adults with confirmed methamphetamine dependence recruited from addiction treatment centers in North Khorasan Province, Iran. Methamphetamine-induced psychosis was diagnosed using structured clinical interviews based on DSM-5 criteria, initially by a clinical psychologist and then confirmed by a psychiatrist. Personality characteristics were assessed with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III), adapted and validated for the Iranian population. Demographic and background data—including age, gender, education, marital and employment status, housing, and concurrent substance use—were collected via structured questionnaires. Statistical analyses were performed using independent-samples t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, and chi-square test at a significance level of p < 0.05.

Findings: Significant differences were observed between psychotic and non-psychotic methamphetamine users across several personality domains. Psychotic individuals scored higher on schizoid, schizotypal, paranoid, avoidant, dependent, depressive, sadistic, negativistic, masochistic, and borderline traits (p < 0.05), while histrionic traits were significantly lower in the psychotic group (p = 0.016). Demographically, psychotic users were more likely to have lower education (p = 0.043) and to be unmarried or divorced (p = 0.048). Polysubstance use was common, with concurrent use of methamphetamine with opium (55.5%) and heroin (55%) being most frequent.

Conclusion: Specific personality patterns, particularly within Clusters A and B, are strongly associated with methamphetamine-induced psychosis. Incorporating personality assessment into addiction treatment may improve risk detection and enable personalized interventions to prevent or mitigate psychotic outcomes among methamphetamine users.

Purpose: The present study was conducted to explain epistemology in caring thinking from Matthew Lipman's perspective.

Methods and Materials: The research method, based on its objective, was fundamental; based on the type of data, it was qualitative; based on the data collection time, it was cross-sectional; and based on the data collection method and research methodology, it was a meta-synthesis in the qualitative section. The statistical population of this study included scientific documents and resources such as specialized books, conducted research, dissertations, and articles on the philosophical foundations of caring thinking from Matthew Lipman's perspective and its educational implications, obtained from scientific databases and academic and organizational experts. The study's sampling process consisted of two sections. First, in the systematic literature review, a non-random purposive sampling method was used to select the theoretical foundations and research background based on entry criteria (a 27-item checklist following the PRISMA model). In the expert interview section, a non-random purposive sampling method was also used to select interviewees based on the research entry criteria (as specified in the target population section), and 25 interviewees were considered based on the principle of theoretical saturation. In this study, for the systematic review section, document analysis was used as the data collection tool, aligned with the research approach of systematic literature review and the review of national-level documents. In the interview section, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Additionally, a model validation questionnaire was used to assess expert opinions on the model’s external validity. To calculate validity, a 27-item checklist based on the PRISMA model was employed. Additionally, Cohen’s kappa coefficient was used to calculate reliability, which was confirmed. In the interview section, the credibility criterion was applied. The data analysis method in this study was theoretical coding, derived from thematic analysis using MAXQDA software.

Findings: The findings indicated that the philosophical foundations of caring thinking, based on Matthew Lipman's perspective, include ontological, anthropological, epistemological, and axiological dimensions. Furthermore, the results showed that the educational implications of the philosophical foundations of caring thinking from Matthew Lipman’s perspective encompass acceptance and attention to diversity, focus on interpersonal relationships, respect for oneself and others, development of self-awareness, and enhancement of communication and problem-solving skills.

Conclusion: The study highlights the philosophical foundations of caring thinking from Matthew Lipman’s perspective, emphasizing logical thinking, adaptability, and philosophical dialogue. Caring thinking fosters critical reflection, creativity, and adaptability, enhancing education by integrating emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning, and comprehensive cognitive development for lifelong learning.