as far as bandura’s (1977) conceptualization of the sense of self-efficacy is concerned, it is argued to be context- and even task-specific, compared to other concepts like self-esteem (brown, 2000); therefore, upon the previous research studies, related theories and definitions, and the ideas and views obtained from the interviews conducted with the scholars, the current research study aimed a...

data envelopment analysis (dea) is a powerful tool for measuring relative efficiency of organizational units referred to as decision making units (dmus). in most cases dmus have network structures with internal linking activities. traditional dea models, however, consider dmus as black boxes with no regard to their linking activities and therefore do not provide decision makers with the reasons...

phatic communion is a cultural concept which differs across cultures. according to hofstede (2001), the u.s. tends to have individualistic culture; however, asian countries tend to have collectivistic cultures. these cultures view phatic communion differently. in individualistic cultures like u.s., phatic communion reflects speakers’ socio-cultural relationships in conversations. to see whether...

abstract since heubners (1985) pioneering study, there have been many studies on (mis) use/ non-use of articles by l2 learners from article-less and article languages. the present study investigated how persian l2 learners of english produce and interpret english definite descriptions and demonstrative descriptions. it was assumed that definite and demonstrative descriptions share the same cen...

the following null hypothesis was proposed: h : there is no significant difference between the use of semantically or communicatively translates scientific texts. to test the null hypothesis, a number of procedures were taken first, two passages were selected form soyrcebooks of food and nutrition industry and gardening deciplines. each, in turn, was following by a number of comprehension quest...

the present study sought to investigate the impact of using mind-mapping technique instruction on female elementary efl learners reading comprehension; it also investigated their attitudes towards using mind-mapping technique as a tool to improve their reading comprehension. this study followed a quasi-experimental design with two intact groups as experimental, and control groups. the participa...

abstract cooperative learning refers to small groups of learners working together as a team to solve a problem, complete a task, or accomplish a common goal. in a cooperative environment one’s success is directly related to the success of other members because the focus on the individual shifts towards the group. to test the effectiveness of the method, using jigsaw technique, a study was cond...

asymmetric polyethersulfone (pes) microfiltration flat sheet membranes were composed by the phase inversion method (pim) and were used as supports. composite membranes were fabricated by coating silicone rubber as selective layer. effect of different concentrations of pes and pdms and different solvent such as nmp, dmf and dms effects as pes solvents and support thickness and different coagulat...

this study investigates the strategies native english and persian speakers employ for expressing gratitude in different situations. the strategies of persian efl learners are also compared with english strategies in order to find the differences that may exist between these two languages. social status and size of imposition of the favor are social variables which are investigated in detail for...

gol-e-gohar iron ore mine of sirjan in southern part of iran is a large open pit that operates below the groundwater table and during mining operation, dewatering is required to prevent operation processes from flooding. current operation is going on by digging wells in or out of the pit and pumping to prevent flooding. as a result of the former dewatering operation a vast deep cone of depressi...