Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the direct and indirect effects of organizational culture and organizational justice on knowledge management among employees of the Sports and Youth Departments of West Azerbaijan Province and to determine the extent to which these organizational factors contribute to knowledge acquisition, storage, distribution, transfer, and utilization.

Methodology: This applied descriptive-correlational study was conducted using a survey design among all employees of the Sports and Youth Departments of West Azerbaijan Province. The statistical population consisted of 69 employees, all of whom participated in the study through census sampling. Data were collected using three standardized instruments: the Fong and Choi Knowledge Management Questionnaire, the Niehoff and Moorman Organizational Justice Questionnaire, and the Robbins Organizational Culture Questionnaire. Knowledge management was assessed through four dimensions: knowledge acquisition, storage and maintenance, distribution and transfer, and deployment. Organizational justice included distributive, procedural, and interactional justice, while organizational culture was measured through nine dimensions including creativity and innovation, risk-taking, attention to detail, attention to outcomes, attention to employees, team orientation, ambitiousness, sustainability, and the impact of decision outcomes on employees. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 3 software.

Findings: The structural model demonstrated strong goodness-of-fit, acceptable reliability, and substantial predictive power. Organizational culture exerted a significant positive direct effect on knowledge management (β = 0.691, T = 2.100, p = 0.001), explaining approximately 69% of its variance. Organizational justice also had a significant positive direct effect on knowledge management (β = 0.853, T = 8.162, p = 0.001), accounting for nearly 85% of the variance. Among organizational justice dimensions, distributive justice (β = 0.868), interactional justice (β = 0.838), and procedural justice (β = 0.804) significantly contributed to the construct. Within organizational culture, risk-taking (β = 0.807), team orientation (β = 0.857), creativity and innovation (β = 0.776), attention to outcomes (β = 0.822), attention to detail (β = 0.732), ambitiousness (β = 0.724), sustainability (β = 0.652), attention to employees (β = 0.520), and the impact of decisions on employees (β = 0.864) significantly explained organizational culture. However, the direct relationship between organizational culture and organizational justice was not supported by the model. Knowledge storage and maintenance (β = 0.780) emerged as the strongest dimension of knowledge management, followed by knowledge deployment (β = 0.654), knowledge acquisition (β = 0.612), and knowledge distribution and transfer (β = 0.397).

Conclusion: The findings indicate that both organizational culture and organizational justice are critical determinants of effective knowledge management in sports organizations. 

The present study aimed to design and validate a comprehensive model for fostering and strengthening a supportive school culture with a focus on newly recruited teachers. The research employed an exploratory mixed-methods approach (qualitative–quantitative). In the qualitative phase, using grounded theory, 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted with educational experts. Through open, axial, and selective coding analyses, 521 open codes and 107 axial codes were extracted. Subsequently, the resulting conceptual model was validated using a researcher-made questionnaire completed by 280 teachers and analyzed through structural equation modeling. Findings indicated that the central phenomenon of the study, namely "creating and strengthening a supportive culture for novice teachers," is influenced by causal conditions (lack of institutional support structures, professional-psychological challenges, generational gaps, weak professional readiness systems, and professional isolation), contextual conditions (bureaucratic structure, human resource policies, management quality, and cultural background), and intervening conditions (financial and human resources, coaching skills, policy-maker support, and digital infrastructure). Proposed strategies include multi-layered psycho-social care, structural and legal support, enhancement of professional status, educational equity, collaborative learning, continuous professional development, and the use of educational technology. Quantitative results also demonstrated that these strategies have a direct and significant impact on outcomes such as increased job commitment, optimized teaching performance, formation of a collaborative culture, and strengthened professional identity among teachers. Model fit indices confirmed the structural adequacy and validity of the model. This study presents a localized, practical, and systematic model that can guide policymakers and educational administrators in enhancing school supportive culture and sustaining newly recruited teachers.

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between exercise addiction, perfectionism, and athlete burnout among athletes in Tehran.

Methodology: This study employed a descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of male and female athletes participating in professional and semi-professional sports clubs in Tehran during the 2021–2022athletic season. Using multistage cluster sampling, 420 athletes were initially selected, of whom 398 questionnaires were completed and analyzed. Data were collected using the Exercise Addiction Inventory, Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, Self-Compassion Scale, and Athlete Burnout Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated using SPSS-27, while structural equation modeling and bootstrapping analyses were conducted using AMOS-24 to evaluate direct and indirect relationships among the variables.

Findings: The findings demonstrated that exercise addiction had a significant positive effect on athlete burnout (β = 0.42, p < 0.001) and a significant negative effect on self-compassion (β = -0.46, p < 0.001). Perfectionism also positively predicted athlete burnout (β = 0.35, p < 0.001) and negatively predicted self-compassion (β = -0.39, p < 0.001). Self-compassion significantly and negatively predicted athlete burnout (β = -0.51, p < 0.001). Furthermore, bootstrapping analyses confirmed the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between exercise addiction and athlete burnout (Indirect Effect = 0.27, p < 0.001), as well as between perfectionism and athlete burnout (Indirect Effect = 0.22, p < 0.001). The structural model demonstrated satisfactory fit indices (CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.057), indicating an acceptable fit between the proposed model and the observed data.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that exercise addiction and perfectionism increase the likelihood of athlete burnout both directly and indirectly through reductions in self-compassion. Self-compassion appears to function as an important protective psychological resource that buffers athletes against emotional exhaustion and maladaptive self-evaluative processes. Therefore, interventions designed to enhance self-compassion may contribute to reducing burnout symptoms and improving psychological well-being among athletes exposed to high competitive pressures and perfectionistic tendencies.

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of ritual poetry recitation in the style of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh on enhancing social skills and empathy among elementary school children.

Methodology: The study employed a quasi-experimental design with experimental and control groups. The statistical population consisted of all elementary school students in Shahrekord County, including 7,869 female students and 6,970 male students. Among them, 30 students who demonstrated difficulties in communication skills and empathy were identified by teachers and school administrators and referred to the researcher. From this group, 30 children were selected and randomly assigned to either the control group (n = 15) or the experimental group (n = 15). The research instruments included the Basic Empathy Scale developed by Jolliffe and Farrington (2006) and the Communication Skills Questionnaire developed by Queen Dam (2004). The intervention program consisted of ritual poetry recitation in the style of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, implemented over ten sessions across ten weeks. Data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

Findings: The findings indicated that ritual poetry recitation in the style of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh had a statistically significant effect on increasing social skills and empathy in the experimental group. Furthermore, based on eta-squared values, the effect size of ritual poetry recitation on children’s social skills was 45%, while its effect on empathy was 0.78.

Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that an educational intervention based on ritual recitation of the Shahnameh possesses substantial potential for enhancing empathy components and improving social skills among elementary school children.

Purpose: The present study aimed to examine and determine the effects of presenteeism on professional productivity among faculty members of universities in North Khorasan.

Methods and Materials: This study was conducted using an exploratory mixed-methods design integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches. In the qualitative phase, key dimensions of presenteeism were identified through a comprehensive review of the literature and semi-structured interviews with academic and executive experts who had at least ten years of professional experience and relevant scholarly publications. The extracted indicators were refined and screened using the fuzzy Delphi technique to achieve expert consensus. In the quantitative phase, the proposed model was validated using a survey method. The statistical population consisted of approximately 1,300 faculty members, from which a sample of 296 participants was selected based on the Morgan and Krejcie table (1972). Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire derived from the qualitative findings. The validity and reliability of the instrument were confirmed through content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency measures. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 for preliminary analysis and Smart PLS version 3 for structural equation modeling.

Findings: The results of structural equation modeling indicated that presenteeism has a significant and strong effect on professional productivity (β = 0.679, t = 16.177, p < 0.05). The model demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit indices (χ²/df = 2.79, CFI = 0.95, GFI = 0.96, AGFI = 0.95, NFI = 0.97, NNFI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.075), confirming the adequacy of the proposed structural model. These findings suggest that presenteeism is a key determinant of variations in professional productivity among faculty members.

Conclusion: The study concludes that presenteeism significantly influences professional productivity among faculty members and represents a critical factor affecting academic performance and organizational effectiveness. Addressing the underlying causes of presenteeism can enhance both employee well-being and institutional productivity.

Purpose: The present study aimed to design a paradigmatic model of organizational customer-oriented culture for employees of Ofogh Kourosh chain stores with an emphasis on motivational, educational, and behavioral factors.

Methods and Materials: This study was conducted as an applied research with a descriptive–analytical design using a qualitative approach. Data were collected through a systematic review of scientific documents, including peer-reviewed journal articles, theses, managerial reports, and relevant academic sources related to organizational culture, customer orientation, and human resource management. The research adopted a meta-synthesis strategy and employed qualitative content analysis based on the conventional approach. The extracted data were analyzed using the Strauss and Corbin paradigmatic model, through which concepts were coded and categorized into causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, central phenomenon, strategies, and consequences. The sampling process involved selecting relevant and high-quality sources based on predefined inclusion criteria, and the analysis followed iterative coding, constant comparison, and conceptual abstraction procedures.

Findings: The findings revealed that motivational factors (including customer-oriented reward systems, organizational justice, and intrinsic motivation), educational factors (such as customer communication training, behavioral skills development, and product knowledge), and behavioral factors (including service-oriented attitudes, responsibility, and organizational commitment) function as primary causal conditions in shaping organizational customer-oriented culture. Contextual conditions such as organizational structure, human resource policies, and industry environment, along with intervening factors including leadership style, organizational support, workload pressure, and performance evaluation systems, significantly influence the formation and implementation of this culture. Furthermore, the adoption of customer-oriented strategies—such as continuous training, reinforcement of positive sales behaviors, and managerial role modeling—leads to outcomes including enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty, improved organizational performance, increased employee motivation, and sustainable competitive advantage.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the development of a customer-oriented organizational culture requires an integrated and systemic approach that simultaneously addresses motivational, educational, and behavioral dimensions within a supportive organizational context, thereby enabling chain stores to achieve superior performance and long-term competitive sustainability.

Purpose: The present study aimed to explain the structural relationship between early childhood experiences and suicidal ideation, with the mediating roles of emotion regulation deficits and alexithymia among university students.

Methods and Materials: This applied study employed a descriptive-correlational design based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of all students of the University of Tabriz during the 2024–2025 academic year, from whom 378 participants were selected using cluster random sampling. Data were collected using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein et al., 2003), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003), the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (Beck, 1991), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (Bagby et al., 1994). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and structural equation modeling through SPSS-18 and AMOS-22 software.

Findings: The results indicated that adverse childhood experiences, emotion regulation deficits, and alexithymia all had significant positive effects on students’ suicidal ideation (p < .01). Emotion regulation deficits and alexithymia also played significant mediating roles in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and suicidal ideation (p < .01). The final model accounted for 67% of the variance in suicidal ideation.

Conclusion: Adverse childhood experiences contribute to the development of suicidal ideation during university years by weakening emotional regulation capacities and increasing alexithymic traits.

Purpose: The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the prevalence and risk factors of cyberbullying among high school students in Tehran, Iran.

Methods and Materials: This study employed a cross-sectional research design. The statistical population encompassed all high school students in Tehran during the academic year 2021-2022. A sample of 389 individuals was selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using the Multidimensional Cyberbullying Questionnaire (MCQ), developed by the researchers. The collected data were analyzed using Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR) analysis, conducted with SPSS22 and AMOS26.

Findings: 67.60% of participants experienced cyberbullying in the past year. Retaliation was the primary coping strategy. It was found that being female increases the probability of victimization (P< 0/001) and decreases the probability of being in other roles (P< 0/0001). senior high school students were more likely to be bystanders (P< 0/01). with the increase in the use of technologies, the possibility of being in all the roles of cyberbullying increases (P< 0/01), and with the increase in the skill in using technology, the possibility of being in the role of bully(P<0/01), bully-bystander (P< 0/001), and bully-victim-bystander(P< 0/001)  increases and the possibility of being in the role of victim decreases (P< 0/001). 

Conclusion: Cyberbullying poses a significant threat to the well-being of Iranian students. This study highlights the high prevalence of cyberbullying and the ineffective use of retaliation as a coping strategy. These findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive interventions to prevent and address cyberbullying. Policymakers, educators, and mental health professionals must collaborate to develop effective strategies to protect young people in the digital age.