Zanco Journal of Human Sciences

This study aims to explore the relationship between communication skills and mental health among university students, measure the levels of both variables. A survey form was developed, including an 18-item scale for communication skills and an 18-item scale for mental health, both validated for their psychometric properties. A random sample of 400 students from Koya University was selected, comprising 210 female and 190 male participants. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS. The key findings reveal that, overall, the levels of communication skills and mental health among the study sample are high. No statistically significant differences were found between males and females regarding these variables. However, students from families with better economic status exhibited higher levels of communication skills and mental health compared to those from middle-income or low-income families. Finally, a significant positive relationship was documented between communication skills and mental health.

The aim of this study is to know the relationship between the strategic training of teachers and their role in developing teaching competencies from the point of view of teachers and administrators in the schools. The descriptive correlational approach was used. The community of this study consists of teachers and administrators within the boundaries of the Central Education Directorate in Erbil city, and (400) samples were selected from them. The study tool (questionnaire) consisted of two parts, the first part (the role of the training strategy) and the second part (teaching Competencies), each of which included (20) paragraphs distributed over four areas. The results of the study indicated the existence of a positive relationship between the role of the teacher training strategy on developing teaching Competencies, and showed differences attributed to the gender variable in favor of females in teaching Competencies, and the absence of statistically significant differences in the variables (years of service and job title) in the role of the training strategy and academic efficiency. The study recommended that seminars be provided by teachers to develop and improve their scientific and specialized level.

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Identity and difference are two concepts that deal with the expression of a character's identity and difference, how a character manifests himself when exposed to other identities and cultures. Our research is working on the character of refugees, i.e., Kurdish novels about refugees are taken as examples here. Obviously, the refugee character constantly wants to preserve his identity, yet when he encounters the different identity of the other, he proves his identity. That proof and acting may be direct or indirect.
This research works on the representation of refugee characters, especially in Kurdish novels. The refugee character in a different space tries his best not to get lost. The main problem in this study, then, is the problem of identity, because identity becomes the point of difference between the character of the refugee and others. In this way, we want to show the conflict between the character of the refugee and the other in order to present the identity of both sides.

This research is entitled as "Kurds as 'the Other' to Themselves in the Novel Black Spring: From the perspective of the theory of postcolonialism". The novel "Black Spring" which is written by "Ahmed Mohammed Ismail" is a narrative about the Anfal genocide in German, Iraqi Kurdistan. The genocide and the related narratives are very important research materials for revealing how Kurdish individuals view their "Others" who inflicted this tragedy upon them. This study attempts to identify and explain the Kurdish understanding of the Otherness and their Other in one of the narratives specific to Anfal. Through this approach, we want to determine whether there is a defined boundary between Kurds and their opponents in this narrative.
The research conducted by using descriptive-analytical methodology; first establishes the theoretical framework based on postcolonial theory, particularly drawing on the ideas of Edward Said and Frantz Fanon. It then attempts to identify the manifestation of the "Other" in the novel under the light of these theoretical perspectives. Here, the hypothesis is that the Kurds have become their own "Other," and there is more of a self-blame behind the narratives, which has led to a kind of surrender to the historical inevitability of colonial power and their dominance.

This research is entitled (Problems of Translating Fixed Expression in Kurdish Language.) It's an attempt to clarify all the problems that a translator face, in the process of translating Fixed expressions such as (metaphor, Idiom and proverbs.) The research problem is based on the assumption of how translator deals with fixed expression during the process of translation, because translation is an equivalence of source Language pattern to aimed language. The aim of the research is with showing of pointing out of the problems of linguistic and nonlinguistic, to presents the solving and strategies, as a finding of a solution in the process of translating fixed expressions. The material of the research is in the field of the central kurmaji of Kurdish language. The examples and data of the research is derived from people’s daily language, although sometimes for the purpose of Clarification and giving advice and Comparison, it uses examples of languages like, English, Japanese and chines. One of the most important results of this research is that the problems of the translation not only in the word level, but beyond that the phrase and the sentence and fixed expression are included. also, the farther two languages are apart in term of linguistic family, they have more problems.

Poetry is a reflection of the poet's mind. The poet's psychological life, psychological states, emotions, and psychological fluctuations are present in his poems. One of the psychological phenomena that many poets suffer from is the issue of narcissism, i.e., self-love. In this study, we tried to present this psychological issue in a poetic text by (Nali), after the poet was insulted and mocked by some people because of his writing poetry in the Kurdish language (Sulaymani dialect). This issue in this research is treated as a research problem and our goal is to interpret and analyze the different features of the narcissism complex and its reflection in the text (Taba'i Shakkarbari Min) in terms of the general methodological lines of the psychological criticism approach. Finally, we reached the conclusion that (Nali) tried to center himself and elevate himself above others, i.e., those who mock his poems.

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The aim of the research is to ascertain how competitive games affect some fundamental motor skills in kindergarteners (5–6). to determine how members of the control group, who studied using the prescribed method, and members of the experimental group, who learned using competitive games, differed in their acquisition of a few fundamental motor abilities. To fit the nature of the study, however, the experimental approach was employed, employing an experimental design for two groups (control and experimental) and measuring the two groups before and after. 40 students from Shortsh Kindergarten, ages 5 to 6, were involved in the randomly chosen research subjects.
Following confirmation of the validity and reliability of the motor and physical tests, the pre-test was administered on March 15, 2023, and the main experiment was implemented on March 19, 2023. The instructional units were administered for eight weeks. On May 17, 2023, the post-tests were administered. Several conclusions were drawn, such as:
Kindergarten-aged children (5–6) benefit from learning certain basic motions through the use of competitive activities that are enjoyable and engaging.
At post-measurement, the experimental group outperformed the control group in all fundamental motor tests among kindergarten-aged children (5–6), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant.
In order to significantly contribute to the development of children's motor abilities, the study suggested investing in the kindergarten curriculum. The suggested competitive games must be used in kindergarten programs both inside and outside of Erbil.

The period from the beginning of the 20th century to the end of World War I (1914-1918), followed by the British occupation of Iraq and Southern Kurdistan, witnessed a significant interest among British officers in documenting the events and prevailing conditions in the region, particularly the British officer Cecil John Edmonds.
This study focuses on the period between 1919 and 1925, during which Edmonds penned his detailed memoirs and reports. This period coincided with a critical phase in the fate of Southern Kurdistan, which saw its annexation to the Iraqi state in 1925. At that time, Britain was striving with all its might to impose its central dominance over the region, especially the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, in an attempt to subdue prominent Kurdish figures who posed an obstacle to its colonial plans. Through reading and analyzing Edmonds' memoirs on the figure of Sayyid Ahmad Khanqah, we seek to gain a deeper understanding of this prominent figure, his political and social role, and the reasons behind his exile from Kirkuk during that period.

Currently, creative accounting is considered a significant indicator of firms’ business activities. This research aims to observe the impact of cultural values on creative accounting practices in financial reports. In contrast, culture can influence consumers' attitudes and behaviors. Hence, cultural values are an independent variable that consists of five items: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity, and long-term orientation. They are also examined in relation to creative accounting factors as a dependent variable that comprises techniques, motives, and control. The research covers five Iraqi industry companies. A quantitative approach was used to conduct the questionnaire, in which sixty-four questionnaires were distributed to respondents. 78 percent was the response rate out of the total number of questionnaires distributed. The SPSS method is used to analyse the questionnaire survey. As a result, it is shown that the relationship between the five dimensions of cultural value and the field of creative accounting is positive and significant. Therefore, to achieve the optimal benefit of creative accounting, steps should be taken to improve advanced techniques in accounting. The research team recommends paying attention to the influence of the culture factor in shaping and developing accounting systems in countries, as a factor independent of other environmental factors represented by the economic factor, the legal system, the political system, and professional accounting.

The main objective of this research is to compare two types of neural networks: the Radial Basis Function (RBF) network and the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) network, to determine which provides better performance in classifying heart disease. The data were collected at the Surgical Specialty Hospital – Cardiac Center in Erbil City, comprising 196 observations recorded between January 1st, 2006, and April 30th, 2023. To evaluate model performance, the study employed common classification metrics, including Mean Square Error (MSE) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). Both neural network models were applied to the dataset. The RBF network demonstrated superior performance, achieving the lowest error values in both training and testing phases, while also requiring less training time. Therefore, the RBF network can be considered a reliable and highly effective method for classifying heart disease cases in Erbil City.

This study investigates the effectiveness of the flipped classroom model in enhancing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' speaking skills at Salahaddin University, Kurdistan region of Iraq. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from speaking assessments in the form of a pre-test and post intervention test with qualitative insights from student survey, student interviews and classroom observations and notes. The study involved 120 undergraduate EFL students over two academic semesters in the English department, college of education at Salahaddin University in the academic year 2023-2024. Results indicate that the flipped classroom model significantly improved students' speaking proficiency, particularly in areas of fluency, pronunciation, and vocabulary usage. These results also have some pedagogical implication for both EFL teachers at the university level and for people who are responsible for designing course-books and syllabi. The findings suggest that this pedagogical approach can effectively address the common challenges faced in EFL speaking instruction within the Iraqi higher education in EFL context.

Reporting sexual harassment against students is influenced by several complex and interrelated factors, including child characteristics, family support, school response, and prevailing social and cultural attitudes. In Erbil city, within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, public primary schools often do not report cases of sexual harassment perpetrated by teachers against female students, for reasons that remain unclear. The objective of this study is to explore the types of sexual harassment committed by primary school teachers against their female students and to identify the factors contributing to the lack of formal reporting of such incidents. This qualitative study examines 31 cases of sexual harassment involving primary school female students and their male teachers in Erbil city. A purposive sampling method was employed, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with individuals who had witnessed or possessed detailed knowledge of the incidents. The findings reveal that the main barriers to reporting sexual harassment cases include the absence of a clear and unified formal system for reporting such incidents to educational authorities, as well as fear of adverse community and socio-cultural responses. School administrations and many parents of the affected students preferred to address the incidents internally to protect the reputation of both the students and the school.

Improving writing skills has always been a challenge for EFL students in different countries and contexts. To assist students in enhancing their writing skills properly, various techniques have been utilized by EFL teachers and educators, one of which is journal writing. The current study is a quasi-experimental investigation into the impact of journal writing on enhancing the argumentative writing skills of Kurdish EFL students. The participants of the study are 40 second-year Kurdish EFL students of the English department at Charmo University. They are divided into two groups, controlled and experimental. Two tools of data collection have been utilized to collect the data, namely pre-, post-tests and a questionnaire. The results of the tests have been analysed via SPSS (version 26). The test results reveal a significant difference between both groups’ progress in favour of the experimental group students (p-value 0.0000001). Additionally, the questionnaire results clearly demonstrate that the experimental group students had positive perspectives on the impact of journal writing on enhancing their overall essay writing performance, as well as their argumentative and counterargument writing performance in particular. In addition, the students believe that journal writing implementation enhanced their motivation and self-confidence to write efficiently.