Journal of the College of Education for Women
Journal of the College of Education for Women ( JCEW) is a double-blind referred scientific quarterly journal established in 1990 by the College of Education for Women-University of Baghdad. From 1990 till 2004, the publications were only as hard copies. Since 2005 and up-to the present, the journal has started to publish its issues in two versions: hardcopy and electronic, and so it has now two international standard serial number, P-ISSN: 1680-8738 and E-ISSN: 2663-547X , respectively. It has further a deposit number of Books and Documents in Baghdad, no. (1309) in 2009. It also has a mailbox, bearing the number (47116). The journal welcomes high quality manuscripts investigating some human and social science topics related to the fields that reflect the eight departments of the College of Education for Women. These Fields include: Arabic Language English Language Quranic Studies Educational and Psychological research Research in Kindergarten Geography History Sociology Journal of the College of Education is research-oriented. It encourages submissions that incorporate theories and methodologies, and that are interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary reflecting the application of qualitative/quantitative/mixed mode paradigms and research designs. It publishes full-length original articles, papers extracted from thesis and dissertations, and review articles.The journal provides immediate open access to its contents to enhance a greater global exchange of knowledge. Moreover, articles are published with particular DOI numbers and are distributed under CC BY license.
All articles published in Journal of College of Education for Women are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The Role of Poetry as Creative Art Therapy: A Cognitive Semiotic Analysis of 'Her"
As a therapeutic art form, this research examines poetry through a cognitive semiotic analysis of Pierre Alex Jeanty’s Her, Volume II (2017). With the increasing number of mental health problems, such as anxiety, trauma, and depression, there is a growing need for new artistic traditions of therapy. This paper aims to analyze how lexical and syntactic choices in Pierre Alex Jeanty’s Her, Volume II, construct denotative and connotative meanings in the selected poems, in accordance with Barthes’ framework of textual meaning. It also aims to investigate how verbal and visual semiotic resources, including metaphors and imagery, interact to convey meanings related to emotional resilience, self-awareness, and therapeutic engagement, from a cognitive semiotic perspective. Using the denotation and connotation analysis by Roland Barthes (1967) and the visual metaphor analysis by Forceville (2009), this paper will analyze two verbal texts and two visual images to demonstrate how meaning is created through the combination of both verbal and visual components. This study finds that in Jeanty’s poetry, metaphors are used to add a positive spin to trauma, the address form “you” is used to create intimacy, and simple words are used symbolically.
Cognitive semiotics; connotation; denotation; poetry therapy, visual metaphor
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of the College of Education for Women
The Construction of the AI Positive and Negative Traits in Scientific Articles: A Cognitive Linguistic Study
Artificial intelligence (AI) is presented as a pioneering tool that has the potential to revolutionize various aspects of human life. Artificial intelligence has a greater impact on influencing the future than any other development in this century. AI-powered technologies, such as plagiarism detection software, text generation algorithms, and automatic essay graders, have emerged as helpful resources for students looking to improve their abilities. The current paper endeavours to explore the construction of AI's positive and negative traits in scientific articles. The data for the current paper consists of sixteen extracts selected from eight scientific articles about positive traits and eight scientific articles about negative traits that have been written on AI. This paper utilizes the Dynamic Model of Meaning to demonstrate how a cognitive linguistic perspective constructs the positive and negative traits of AI. The results have revealed interesting findings about how language integrates prior experiences with the present context present context to construct dynamic meaning. Moreover, there are both similarities and differences between constructing positive and negative traits.
Artificial intelligence (AI), Dynamic Model of Meaning (DMM), Negative traits, Positive traits
Perspective Based Diagnosis Through the Lens of Age Stratification Theory in Joe Penhall’s Blue\Orange
This study examines the generational conflict in the workplace through the lens of the sociology of age stratification theory developed by Matilda White Riley and her association. the in Blue\Orange by Joe Penhall, the researcher explores the conflict between two psychiatrists, one is a senior consultant and the other is a young trainee. While many studies have tackled different themes in the play; like for example race and mental illness, this study focuses mainly of the conflict of generations in the working place as the driving force of institutional decay. Utilizing the sociology of age stratification as a grounded theory to explore the conflict, this study emphasizes the difference age as a key factor in social hierarchy and the workplace. Furthermore, it concentrates on the age gap and the tension between age groups. To highlight these tensions, Penhall uses the title “Blue\Orange” as a symbol to show the two sides of the same coin. This paper will focus on the problem that goes beyond just a disagreement on whose diagnosis is right, and it sheds light on the age-based value conflict which eventually exposes the institutional decay.
age gap, age stratification theory, conflict, generations, lens, perception.
Edward Bond’s Saved as a Representative of a Dehumanized Society
British playwright Edward Bond (1934-2024) often employed minimalist settings, non-naturalistic elements, and Brechtian alienation tactics to emphasize the emotional desensitization and cruelty of the world he portrays. In his play Saved (1965), a drama that is both unsettling and challenging, Bond presents a dystopian portrayal of postwar Britain, where institutional negligence and societal disintegration lead to excessive violence and moral indifference, characterizing the individuals as both products and victims of a dehumanized society. The drama portrays a society lacking empathy, morality, and meaningful human connections due to structural failures, including poverty, fractured families, governmental indifference, and urban isolation. The notorious baby-stoning scene epitomizes this dehumanization. Saved depicts a grim representation of a dehumanized society, characterized by systemic alienation, ideological domination, and the disintegration of social institutions that deprive individuals of empathy and autonomy This qualitative analytical study shows that Saved portrays a dehumanized post-war British society influenced by social, economic, and ideological factors. Through a Marxist lens, particularly through Louis Althusser’s concept of the Ideological State Apparatuses, the study explores how structures such as the family and the economy drive characters’ aggression, alienation, and moral desensitization. It reveals that the violence and emotional numbness depicted are outcomes of systemic flaws and ideological dominance in capitalism, rather than mere individual actions, highlighting the need for enhanced social responsibility and moral awareness. The study comprises an introduction and a section wherein the researcher analyzes the play from a Marxist perspective. The paper concludes by summarizing the study’s findings.
dehumanization, desensitization and cruelty, Edward Bond, Ideological State Apparatus, Repressive State Apparatus, Saved.
The Effect of Overlapping Waves Theory on ESP Vocational School Female Students’ Achievement in Spelling and Vocabulary
Teaching and learning spelling and vocabulary become indispensable in most fields of study for both teachers and learners, especially who want to study English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and considered as one of many challenges and difficulties faced by vocational school students. The current study aims to find out The Effectiveness of Overlapping Waves Theory in Spelling and Vocabulary Achievement for vocational school students. In order to attain the purposes of this research and validate its theories, a sample of sixty-two student have been randomly chosen from Iraqi fifth grade at vocational school for girls for the academic year (2024-2025). The two groups are assigned randomly into group (A) experimental group that consists of (25) students who have been taught according to Overlapping Waves Theory, and group (B) represent control group which also consists of (25) students who have been taught according to the conventional method, and 12 students for pilot study. Both groups have been equalized in some variables. The researcher used achievement posttest; the data was gathered from the posttest findings have been statistically analyzed. The results are indicated that vocabulary achievement test for experimental group who were taught by using Overlapping Waves Theory, are higher and better than the control group, who taught using the conventional methods. Whereas with spelling according to the results, there is no effect of the theory on students’ achievement. Appropriate recommendations and ideas for further research are offered in light of the study's results and conclusions.
Overlapping Waves Theory. Spelling, Vocabulary, Vocational School Students
Trench Wars and Emotional Articulations: A Poetic Study
Mass media and poetry had a great influence on the s oldiers and people during World Wars. Poetry, in particular, was employed consciously an unconsciously, for various purposes including governmental propaganda to recruit young men through the expression of a romantic sacrifice of one’s' own self for his own country through images of romantic heroism and patriotism. On the other hand, it was used by the poets young and old to express fear, satire, protest and resistance. This study argues that the hypothesis presented by Isma'eel & Abdulmajeed, that Romance is found in war poetry a shrinking and expansion phases depending on the meaning expressed with a conclusion of high frequency of the two meaning 'idealization' and 'heroism' in selected poems of the First World War. The study challenges this conclusion by examining I. M. Parsons theory of the different phases of emotional articulations other than romance as the truthful feeling expressed by the poets by considering the element of time through which these poems where written whether before during or after the war.
Pity, Protest, Romance, Satire, Trench War, War Poetry
The Importance of Psychological Qualities in Building Translation Quality
This study examines the psychological qualities that contribute to enhance building translation quality among trainee translators. Specifically, it investigates the importance of psychological qualities, such as intuition, emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and critical thinking in enhancing the building of translation quality, while identifying hindering psychological qualities, such as low interpersonal competence, isolation, emotional Dysregulation emotional, lack of attention and responsibility, and poor communication, that impede building trainee translators' quality. Drawing on translation studies and cognitive psychology, the study adopts a qualitative approach, following the hypothesis of Hobcher-Davidson (2013, 2016) that supportive and hindering psychological qualities can either enhance or impede the building of translation quality. The sample consists of 304 third-year trainees' translators (2025-2026), morning studies in the Department of Translation, College of Arts, University of Basra. The trainee translators have been provided with 20 short diplomatic and political texts to be translated from English into Arabic within the lecture time by their instructor, the researcher. The data is selected for their richness in cultural references and complexity. It is used to assess the trainees' translation quality. The trainee translators were allowed to use paper bilingual dictionaries. The results show that the supportive psychological qualities are important for building translation quality, while hindering psychological qualities impedes building trainees' translation quality. Therefore, it is recommended that training translation students in translator training programs that integrate the development of qualities, with a focus on emotional intelligence, self-regulation, intuition, and critical thinking, enhances the building of the translation quality and produces culturally sensitive translations.
Hobcher-Davidson's Supportive and Hindering Psychological Qualities, Psychological Qualities, diplomatic and political Texts, Translator Training, Translation Quality
Traits of the Iraqi Character and Their Representations in the Intellectual Persona
This study investigates the Iraqi intellectual’s personality as a sociocultural construct shaped by—and reflective of—the broader Iraqi social formation. Rather than treating the intellectual as an autonomous critical agent, the paper situates intellectual subjectivity within the historical, political, and social conditions that both enable and constrain it. In doing so, it argues that the intellectual often reproduces, at an intensified level, the structural tensions embedded in the wider society. The analysis foregrounds three interrelated traits. First, value dualism, expressed through a persistent disjunction between declared ideological commitments and lived practice. Second, attitudinal extremism, manifested in abrupt shifts across political and ideological positions in response to changing contexts. Third, chronic anxiety, understood not as a purely psychological condition but as a sociologically grounded response to instability, authoritarian pressures, and uncertain futures. Opportunism is examined as a derivative tendency that emerges at the intersection of these dynamics, particularly under conditions of political volatility. The study contends that these features should not be reduced to individual moral deficiencies; rather, they are symptomatic of a fragmented and tension-laden sociocultural structure. Accordingly, any meaningful understanding of the Iraqi intellectual requires a contextualized analytical framework that accounts for these structural determinants. Finally, the paper suggests that such internal tensions, while often perceived as pathological, may also function as generative forces, fostering critical reflection, creative expression, and the potential for transformative change.
Characteristics, personality, the intellectual
The School Environment and Its Relationship to Mental Health Among Adolescents in Schools of Bisha Governorate
The current research aimed to identify the nature of the relationship between the school environment and mental health among adolescents in the Bisha Governorate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study relied on the descriptive approach, and the research sample consisted of (394) male and female students, ranging in age from (13-18) years, with a mean age of (16.12) and a standard deviation of (0.94). The study applied the school environment scale (prepared by the researcher) and the mental health scale among Saudi adolescents in Bisha Governorate (prepared by the researcher). The results of the study showed the existence of a direct correlation with statistical significance between the school environment and mental health among Saudi adolescents in Bisha Governorate. It also showed the possibility of predicting mental health through the school environment, and that there are no statistically significant differences in mental health for the total score and dimensions according to the gender variable (males/females), and the presence of statistically significant differences in the school environment for the total score and dimensions (physical environment - recreational environment) in favor of males, and the absence of statistically significant differences between the sexes in the dimensions (academic environment - social environment). The study concluded that the school environment has a positive impact on achieving mental health among Saudi adolescents.
adolescents, mental health, school environment
(Perceived Symbolic Violence and Its Relationship to University Students’ Attitudes Toward the Culture of Social Peace)
The present study aims to identify the level of both perceived symbolic violence and the culture of social peace among university students. It also seeks to examine statistically significant differences in perceived symbolic violence and the culture of social peace according to the variables of gender (male–female) and academic specialization (scientific–humanities), in addition to identifying the nature of the correlational relationship between perceived symbolic violence and the culture of social peace. The researcher adopted the descriptive method due to its suitability to the nature of the study. Two scales were developed: one for perceived symbolic violence and another for the culture of social peace among students at the University of Baghdad. These were constructed after reviewing a range of theories, literature, and previous studies. The two scales were administered to a sample of 200 male and female students from both scientific and humanities disciplines at the University of Baghdad for the academic year (2025–2026). The researcher employed statistical methods and the SPSS package in the analysis. The results showed that the level of perceived symbolic violence among university students was low, as the calculated mean was lower than the hypothetical mean. In addition, the sample demonstrated a higher level of social peace culture than the hypothetical mean, indicating positive attitudes among students toward the culture of social peace. The findings also revealed a negative correlation between the two variables, meaning that as the level of social peace culture among students increases, the level of perceived symbolic violence decreases.
Perceived symbolic violence, social peace culture, university students
Degree of Using Artificial Intelligence Applications in School Management in Al-Madinah Region
This study aimed to diagnose the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) applications utilization in school administration within the Madinah region, identify the most prominent challenges hindering their effective implementation, and examine the influence of the variables of gender and years of experience on both the degree of usage and the perception of these challenges. Employing a descriptive survey methodology, a rigorously validated questionnaire was administered to the entire study population, consisting of all male and female educational supervisors supporting schools in the Madinah region, totaling 56 individuals, achieving a 100% response rate. The results revealed that the overall degree of AI application usage in school administration was at a moderate level. Conversely, the challenges facing this implementation were perceived at a high level, with human and administrative challenges ranking as the most significant obstacles. Furthermore, the findings indicated statistically significant differences in the degree of usage, favoring male participants and those with longer experience (10 years or more). Differences in the perception of challenges were also significant, favoring female participants and similarly, those with longer experience. In light of these results, the study put forth key recommendations. These included the necessity to enhance digital infrastructure and establish a unified national platform, design specialized training programs for educational leaders, develop clear regulatory frameworks and policies governing AI use while ensuring data security, and leveraging the distinct expertise of both female participants and highly experienced personnel in planning and strategy formulation.
Artificial Intelligence, School Administration, Degree of Usage, Challenges, Educational Supervisors, Madinah
Challenges Facing New Teaching Staff: A Field Study at the University of Baghdad
This study aims to identify the challenges facing new teaching staff, pinpoint problems, and work to minimize or resolve them as much as possible, while also identifying opportunities to improve services provided to these staff members. Functional theory was employed to analyze this phenomenon, positing that the problems faced by teaching staff represent a deficiency in the educational institution's performance within society, and that addressing these problems is essential for maintaining the stability and continuity of the social system. The social survey methodology was used, based on the questionnaire tools which was applied to a sample of 100 respondents from the Newly appointed professors at the University of Baghdad) were chosen for the year (2023-2024/ and the year 2024-2025). The results showed that the most significant challenges facing new teaching staff are social. They emphasized the importance of establishing internationally recognized comparative quality standards, noting that such standards offer numerous advantages and programs that can elevate the educational institution. Furthermore, one mechanism for mitigating these challenges was the equitable distribution of tasks among staff. Among the most common problems faced by new staff were issues with institutional regulations, work pressure, and an excessive number of responsibilities.
professional integration, job burden, challenges of professional adjustment, organizational pressures
Digital technology and neighborly relations in a local community (an anthropological study in the city of Baghdad – Al-I’lam as a model)
The aim of this research is to identify neighborhood relationships and the extent to which they are affected by digital technology and modern means of communication. The anthropological study aims to identify neighborhood relations and the extent to which they are affected by digital technology in Al-I’lam City community. The researcher used the descriptive approach and the case study approach, presenting several questions, including knowing the impact of digital technology and modern media on the nature of neighborly relations within a local community in the Al-I’lam area of Baghdad, as well as the most prominent changes that appeared in social participation among neighbors due to the use of digital technology. In addition to its richness in cultural variables, it made it a suitable spatial and human field for study. The researcher conducted a field study of this location for approximately (7) months, during which she was able to investigate and learn many facts related to the research issue through various interviews with the respondents, leading to several results and conclusions, the most prominent of which were the following: 1. Digital technology is a set of techniques, skills, and technical methods to achieve a goal such as scientific research. 2. Most of the individuals within the sample were female. 3. Globalization has a significant impact on neighborly relations. 4. Social media platforms promote virtual relationships at the expense of real-life relationships, leading to a weakened sense of community belonging within the same neighborhood.
Digital technology, culture, neighborhood, social relations, local community
Hossam El-Bahnasawy's Efforts in Phonetics: An Objective Analytical Study
This study examines the contributions of Dr. Husam Al-Bahnasawi to the field of phonetics, highlighting both his theoretical and applied advancements. It emphasizes the importance of studying Arabic sounds through a modern scientific lens and linking Arab phonetic heritage with contemporary linguistic analyses. Al-Bahnasawi approached sound from physiological, physical, auditory, and functional perspectives, and categorized phonetics into articulatory, acoustic, auditory, and experimental branches. The study addresses segmental and suprasegmental phonemes and their role in meaning, as well as phenomena of sound change, assimilation, and dissimilation. It concludes that Al-Bahnasawi’s work successfully bridges theory and practice, integrating authenticity with modernity, and recommends utilizing his frameworks in education, linguistic technologies, and comparative studies.
phonetic intervals, physiological, acoustic, phonemes
Stylistic and Artistic Features in the Verses of Praise for the Prophet in Ibn Dihya al-Kalbi's (d. 633 AH) Book "Al-Tanwir fi Mawlid al-Siraj al-Munir wa al-Bashir al-Nadhir"
This research, "Stylistic and Artistic Features of the Prophetic Eulogies in Ibn Dihya al-Kalbi's 'Al-Tanwir fi Mawlid al-Siraj al-Munir wa al-Bashir al-Nadhir' (d. 633 AH)," aims to collect the verses of prophetic praise found in the book and categorize them according to their meanings: - Praising the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by extolling his noble qualities and praising his family and tribe (peace and blessings be upon them). - The poet of the eulogy was influenced by the advent of Islam, and his language was influenced by the Holy Quran and the purified Sunnah of the Prophet, reinforcing his own meanings and ideas. - The prophetic eulogies employed poetic imagery to express feelings and emotions, using three types: simile, metaphor, and metonymy. - The poetic language of the prophetic eulogies combined ease of expression with sound structure. - Praise of the Prophet was not personal like love poetry or elegies, but rather poetry expressing a radiant spiritual purity and sincere faith. - Praise of the Prophet was characterized by a precise thematic unity. - Most poems of praise for the Prophet came in short pieces, not long poems, perhaps to depict reality and express the poets' attitudes and admiration for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
Prophetic praise, Islamic poetry, poetry of the early Islamic period, Veteran poetry
Transcultural Identity and Cultural Exchange in Ruth P. Jhabvala's Heat and Dust
This study examines transcultural concepts in Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's novel, "Heat and Dust." Drawing upon the novel's rich narrative tapestry, which unfolds across dual timelines set in the 1920s and 1970s, this research seeks to unravel the intricate dynamics of transculturalism as a central thematic element. The study aims to concentrate on the social sides of Heat and Dust. The transcultural concepts are considered a significant theme that projects the image of India, its traditions, and modernity after independence through Jhabvala's novel Heat and Dust. The analysis examines how characters navigate the complex interplay of diverse cultures and languages, and identities by employing theoretical frameworks from cultural studies, postcolonial theory, and transcultural studies. In conclusion, the influence of English culture on Indian society has been significant and multifaceted, primarily due to the historical context of British colonisation in India. The impact is evident in various aspects of Indian culture, including language, education, law, administration, and social customs.
cultural exchange, Heat and Dust, Ruth P. Jabvala, transcultural study
A Pragma-Critical Discourse Analysis of Directive and Commissive Illocutionary Force in Selected American Political Speeches
Critical and text linguistics play a key role in analyzing the speaker's intended meaning. Pragmatics examines communicative action and its appropriateness within context, while Critical Discourse Analysis identifies and investigates social injustice in language. Commissive and directive speech acts have been the focus of much investigation in political discourse; however, previous studies have not dealt with situational and background context from CDA perspectives. This study employs a combined qualitative and quantitative methodological approach, utilizing an eclectic model consisting of Searle's directive and commissive speech acts, Fairclough's sociocultural model, and Van Dijk's socio-cognitive approach. The data is empirical, consisting of eight selected political speeches from the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris hosted by ABC News in September 2024, with four texts analyzed for each speaker. The study investigates how both politicians view themselves from a pragma-critical perspective, how Searle's approach reflects conflict pragmatically, the most occurring elements in Van Dijk's model, and how Fairclough's approach constructs discourse. Findings reveal that Trump utilizes more commissive speech acts (100%) than Harris (75%), employing ordering, threatening, and vowing as powerful linguistic tools. Trump utilizes the 'society' element more frequently (75%), demonstrating dominance and power interactions, while both speakers employ Fairclough's discursive and social practices equally. These two models can address concerns about language use by powerful elites against helpless people during interaction, contributing to understanding how directives and commissives negotiate power and construct political legitimacy in high-stakes disputes.
Critical Discourse Analysis, Directives, Illocutionary acts, Manipulation, Pragmatics, Trump-Harris debate
Fertility in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid's Tale and Leni Zumas’s Red Clocks: A Gender Study
Gender studies is a huge field that is so rich with studies concerning both genders. That study focuses on socio- cultural structure of the roles of males and females, which accordingly affects the political and economic condition of both sexes. Fertility as part of gender studies is a complex and deeply personal issue that has been a recurring theme in literature throughout history. It encompasses the ability to conceive and bear children, and the experiences of those who struggle with infertility or reproductive challenges. This theme has been explored in various literary works, shedding light on fertility's emotional, social, and cultural dimensions. Fertility is depicted in literary works such as The Handmaid's Tale (1985) by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and Red Clocks (2018) by Leni Zumas, these two novels really illustrated the impact of restricted reproductive laws and how they affect women's lives, identities, and autonomy which are explored by both authors using dystopian settings. Fertility is the major issue that these novels examine and how society views and is affected by contraception, burdening women’s life in the process. Such a topic is imperative to create a kind of awareness to reach a kind of equality between men and women as part of human rights, which leads afterwards to a developed society.
Dystopian setting, fertility, Gender study, social inequality
Exploring Cultural Interaction as a Tool for Language Learning: A Mixed-Methods Study
This paper attempts to explore the importance of intercultural interaction as a language-learning tool among students who are majoring in English as a Foreign Language through various methodologies. The study compares the effect of exposure to target culture on linguistic competence, pragmatic awareness and affective aspects of language acquisition based on the theory of intercultural communicative competence and sociocultural learning. The quantitative data were gathered with the help of a Cultural Interaction and Language Learning Questionnaire, which was given to 80 students, and semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a subsample of 20 students. The findings reveal that there is a strong agreement regarding the cognitive and motivational advantages of genuine cultural interest e.g., enhanced language fluency, listening comprehensiveness and acquisition of slang. Nevertheless, the statistics also point to major emotional issues, such as anxiety and low self-esteem in real-life interactions, which implicates a gap between the theoretical support and the real-life reality. Communicative resilience, identity reframing and the reframing of intercultural dissonance were also found to be processes in the thematic analysis as developmental opportunities. It is concluded that intercultural integration is a two-sided and yet a transformative factor in language learning which demands pedagogical methods that promote its cognitive and emotional requirements. The paper explains the inferences of this in the context of developing intercultural competence and significant language use in the context of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL)
cultural interaction, learning language, mixed-method research, intercultural communicative competence, EFL, sociocultural theory, pragmatic competence, identity negotiation
The Impact of Executive Attention Strategy on EFL Preparatory School Pupils’ Ideational Behaviour
Most of the pupils depend in their learning on memorization, repetition and modeling, they do not try to think out of the box. Greater significance has been given to improving pupils’ thinking skills because of all the rapid changes in the world. The objective of the current study is to examine how executive attention technique affects the ideational behavior of EFL preparatory school pupils for the 2024–2025 academic year. For this objective, the following hypothesis was formulated: “There is a significant impact of executive attention strategy on EFL preparatory school pupils’ ideational behavior”. To achieve this objective, Runco Ideational Behavior Scale is used. This scale is a five-point Likert scale questionnaire with 23 items based on Runco et al. (2001), ranging from 1(never) to 5 (always). The population in this research is all fourth preparatory in Al-Nahda Secondary School for Girls, where the total number is 250. The sample consisted of (74) pupils who were randomly chosen. The results showed that pupils' ideational behavior conduct post-test total score differed statistically significantly between the two research groups, favoring the experimental group that received instruction by using the executive attention strategy.
EFL, Executive attention, Ideational behaviour, Preparatory school pupils, Strategy.
Sifting through the Controversy: The Moral Problem in Roald Dahl’s Matilda
Since 1988, Roald Dahl's Matilda has garnered praise and criticism. This descriptive and analytical study addresses Matilda's moral dilemma with her parents and the authoritarian school headmistress. The paper examines whether the novel promotes moral empowerment through teaching or moral transgression by legitimizing a child's punishment of an adult authority figure. Child ethics, authority, and education's function in moral development inform the study's moral and educational criticism framework. The article examines Matilda's situation as a brilliant youngster living in a difficult family and subjected to school mistreatment through close textual analysis. The ethical ramifications of her acts against power-hungry adults are highlighted. Critical responses to the novel fell into two factions, according to the study. Matilda supporters see education, reading, and intellectual progress as self-defense and moral agency. The story encourages parents and educators to transform the family and school as social institutions. The tale may encourage disobedience, dishonesty, and indirect aggression by depicting adult authority as wrong and deserving of punishment, according to opponents. The study indicates that Matilda exposes the moral repercussions of ignored responsibility and oppressive authority, not just disobedience against family and school. The narrative portrays education as moral empowerment rather than corruption. Dahl highlights the power disparity between children and adults, inviting readers to reconsider parents' and educators' moral responsibility while framing Matilda's actions as a response to injustice rather than a rejection of moral order.
Children’s abuse, Children’s literature, Family, Matilda, Moral Dilemma, Roald Dahl, School
Imam Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon them) (d. 193 AH/809 AD) and His Influence on the Ismaili School of Thought: A Historical Study
Imam Muhammad ibn Isma'il ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) represents a controversial figure in the history of Islamic sects, as various groups claimed affiliation with him, particularly those who embraced Isma'ilism as a theological belief and way of life. His public and secretive life sparked disagreements in narrating his accounts, with historical sources differing on the locations of his travels, the variety of his titles, as well as the time, place, and location of his death and burial. Some even claimed that he went into a prolonged occultation and is still alive today. He was given many titles, including al-Maktum (the Concealed), a title recognized in the Imami, theological, historical, and Isma'ili traditions. He is considered one of the "concealed" imams in Isma'ilism. His life took on various phases, each surpassing the previous in complexity, a characteristic that influenced the Isma'ilis due to the sanctity of his personality.
Ismailism, Doctrines, Imamate, Ismail ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq
Scientific life in the Andalusian city of Carmona
The study of medieval cities—regardless of their geographical location or civilizational context—has never been a simple or straightforward undertaking in historical research. A city represents a complex entity that embodies within its physical and symbolic structures the features of civilization and culture, patterns of daily life, and the social and economic relationships that shaped its community across successive periods. It is not merely a geographical space, but a living historical organism reflecting shifts in political authority, demographic transformations, intellectual and religious influences, as well as systems of production and urban development. Therefore, approaching the history of any medieval city requires a multidimensional perspective capable of capturing its political, social, and cultural contexts. The city of Carmona offers a representative example of such historical interaction. Throughout its successive eras, it experienced continuous political transformations due to the alternation of ruling powers, leaving a clear imprint on its urban features and social and cultural structures. The city underwent significant changes in administrative and defensive systems, while its geographical location contributed to shaping its strategic and economic role. This cumulative civilizational layering generated notable cultural, intellectual, and social diversity, manifested in patterns of daily life, scholarly and religious activity, and the interaction of its inhabitants with the wider regional environment. Accordingly, the study of Carmona provides valuable insight into the broader transformations that characterized medieval cities and illustrates the extent to which they were shaped by major political and civilizational developments within the Andalusian sphere.
Andalusian Carmona, Andalusian cities, scientific life
Spatial Analysis of the Elements of Marital Structure of the Population in Basra City (A Field Study in Population Geography)
The distribution of the population according to civil or marital status affects and is affected by many other demographic characteristics. It is well known that the civil status of the population is not fixed and is constantly changing in terms of size and spatial variation depending on the economic and social conditions of society. The research aims to analyze the elements of the marital structure of the population of Basra City through a geographical and demographic analysis, in terms of spatial distribution and variation, and to identify interconnected and influential relationships. The field study concluded that 73.4% of the population studied were never married, while the remaining percentage was distributed among the remaining segments of the population: married, widowed, and divorced, at a rate of 13.2%. and 4.8% and 8.6%, respectively.
تحليل مكاني، تركيب زواجي، جغرافية السكان، سكان البصرة
Mixed Land Use: Concepts, Experiences, and Indicators
The role of mixed land use has become widely prominent and prevalent in urban proposals as a strategy aimed at adding value to the area to distinguish it from areas with separate uses by combining compatible and diverse activities at different levels to create A vibrant environment that meets the needs of the community to enhance the integration and vitality of the place, increase interaction between members of the local community, and encourage daily activities, most importantly walking in public spaces. The appropriate layout of their homes makes the different uses compatible with each other and creates an organized and healthy arrangement to achieve the basic objectives of the planning process (compatibility between mixed land uses). It is necessary to emphasize the achievement of luxury and the provision of basic services. and create a healthy and vibrant community characterized by effectiveness among its members within the city. The city is composed of a complex resulting from the intertwining of functions, multiple uses, and needs according to political, administrative, economic, and social choices, which in turn calls for the practice of
mixed land use, mixed-use development, sustainability
The Impact of Industrial Presence on Residential Areas in Baghdad Governorate
The industrial presence, especially in residential areas, has many negative and positive effects at the same time. As for the negative impact, it lies in environmental pollution therefore this study indicates the importance of industrial planning to achieve a balance between the requirements of industrial production and maintaining environmental balance, especially in residential areas. the most important theories dealing with the issue of the overlap of industrial activity with residential areas are mentioned such as the linear city theory and the modern satellite city theory. As for the positive aspect of the industrial presence especially after the use of technology which contributed to achieving part of the environmental balance. Baghdad Governorate was chosen as a study model due to its population density and industrial activity. Baghdads population is constantly increasing, resulting in the need for many products. Which consequently leads to the divesing of industries. and the increase of job opportunities, this study with the types of industries its number and the nember of workers and their wages in Baghdad Governorate. it is clear that the number of industries is constantly increasing in the governorate due to the increasing population it is also noted that there are many residential areas that are referred to as industrial due to the dense spread of industries in them, such as the Al-Waziriyah, Awerij, Al-Kamaliyah, Bob Al-sham and Jamila Industrial areas.
Industrial presence, Industrial planning, environmental balance, residential areas
The Level of Awareness of Educational Innovations in Science Teaching Among Pre-Service Teachers at the Faculty of Education, Sana’a University
The research aimed to identify the level of awareness of educational innovations in the field of teaching science among student teachers at the Faculty of Education, Sana'a University. The researchers adopted the descriptive survey approach, and a knowledge test was prepared in light of educational innovations. The research was applied to a sample of (92) student teachers specialized in (chemistry, physics, biology). The results of the research showed that the level of awareness of student teachers in educational innovations in the field of teaching science in general is very weak, and there are statistically significant differences between the average scores of males (30.04) and the average scores of females (36.24) in the degree of their awareness of educational innovations in the field of teaching sciences is in favor of females with the highest arithmetic mean. The results also showed that there are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of student teachers in the degree of their awareness of educational innovations in the field of teaching science according to the specialization variable (chemistry, biology, physics).
Awareness of educational innovations-student teachers
The Morphological Structures of the Plurals of Fewness and Abundance in the Scenes of the Day of Judgment: A Morphological-Semantic Study
This study explores the morphological structures of plurals of fewness and abundance in the depiction of the scenes of the Day of Judgment in the Holy Qur’an through a morphological–semantic approach. It examines how plural patterns contribute to meaning construction and rhetorical imagery, arguing that the Qur’anic selection of plural forms is guided not only by morphological rules but also by contextual and stylistic considerations. The research outlines the traditional Arabic grammatical understanding of pluralization, fewness, and abundance, and clarifies the relationship between morphological structure and contextual meaning. The applied analysis focuses on selected Qur’anic examples in which plurals of fewness are employed to portray limited or individualized scenes, such as human weakness, fear, and vulnerability. The study shows that these forms may extend beyond their quantitative sense to convey rhetorical emphasis or relative multiplicity depending on context. It also examines plurals of abundance and their role in depicting comprehensive and universal scenes, including the gathering of creation, the spreading of records, and cosmic transformation. These forms evoke expansiveness and magnitude, reinforcing the intensity of eschatological imagery. The findings indicate that Qur’anic context can expand or restrict the semantic range of plural forms, transforming morphological structures into effective rhetorical devices that enhance semantic depth and textual impact. The study concludes that plural patterns play a significant role in shaping the linguistic and rhetorical representation of the Day of Judgment.
Abundance Plurals, Contextual Meaning, Day of Judgment Scenes, Fewness Plurals, Plural Structures
L1 Influence on Chinese Learners’ Pronunciation of English /l/ and /r/: A Phonological Study
This study investigates how first language (L1) competence influences the phonological production of English liquid consonants /l/ and /r/ among Mandarin Chinese speakers. The research adopts an experimental acoustic-phonetic design supported by auditory analysis and perceptual judgment to examine pronunciation variation. Four Mandarin-speaking postgraduate learners of English participated in controlled minimal-pair production tasks in isolated and sentence-embedded forms. Guided by Flege’s (1995) Speech Learning Model (SLM), the study analyzed the extent to which L1 phonetic categories affect the acquisition of L2 sound contrasts. Findings show that participants generally produced the /l/ sound accurately, while the /r/ sound exhibited persistent distortions and substitutions due to the absence of a distinct /r/ phoneme in Mandarin. These difficulties increased when sounds appeared in full sentence contexts, indicating heavier phonological processing demands. The results demonstrate a clear influence of L1 interference on segmental accuracy in English pronunciation. The study highlights the necessity of implementing targeted phonological instruction to support Mandarin learners in overcoming persistent difficulties with the /r/ sound.
/l/ and /r/ contrast, English liquids, L1 interference, Mandarin speakers, minimal pairs, phonological acquisition, Speech Learning Model (SLM)
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of the College of Education for Women
Sacred Symbolism in Ziyarat Warith: An Analytical Study of Three English Translations
Ziyarat Warith (ZW) is rightly considered a landmark in the Islamic legacy; however, it has not yet received its deserved attention in translation into English. Attempting to fill a gap in the literature, the present study examines how sacred symbolism in ZW is translated into English. Based on Tillich’s (2009) premise that symbols are an integral part of religious language, the inclusion of sacred symbolism in ZW is not accidental. Rather, it represents the archetype reflecting the Infallible Imam’s status. Therefore, it poses serious challenges for translators because of its deep connotations. This study aspires to achieve a twofold objective; firstly, to highlight the significance of sacred symbols in ZW according to Perrine's (1992), secondly, to detect how these symbols have been transferred into English. For the purposes of the study, three different translations by Ansariyan (2005), Kazmi (2014) and Qarai (2019) are examined in terms of the adopted translation strategies. Five selected extracts from ZW represent the data of study. It is hypothesized that translators will use explicitation to further clarify the original text. Qualitative analysis of the data revealed that sacred symbolism is mostly lost in translation when translators literally approached ZW. It is concluded that the complex nature of sacred symbolism demands being engaged with Shiite interpretation and exegesis to make the proper choice of translation strategy.
contextual symbols, explicitation, Imam Hussain (A.S.), religious translation, sacred symbolism, Ziyarat Warith