Thinking with the world – to explore the becoming of phenomena

This article discusses how it is possible to think with the world in educational research. How can this thinking with the world generate knowledge about the becoming of phenomena? To answer this question this paper undertakes a diffractive reading of selected texts from Niels Bohr, Karen Barad, Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari, Donna Haraway, and Michel Serres. This diffractive reading reveals that the world becomes with itself contributing to an internal principle or an inner self-differentiation. This means that all phenomena can be understood as related to the world in one way or another. This paper contends that the researcher body is important to investigations of the becoming of phenomena with the world, therefore a haptic sensorium is developed as a means to visualize bodily affects and to recognize limit values to the world, for example, background noise. The article concludes with a discussion about creating knowledge of this process as a rhizome. The article attempts to illustrate that thinking with the world can generate new knowledge to understand the becoming of phenomena, which can contribute to the development of educational research.

Modeling Structural Equations of Relationships between Attachment Styles and Self-Differentiation with Academic Performance of University Students with the Mediating Role of Health Promoting Lifestyle

Aim: The aim of this study was to test the structural equation model of relationships between attachment styles and self-differentiation with academic performance of university students with the mediating role of health-promoting lifestyle. Methods: The method of this research was descriptive and correlation type. The statistical population consisted of all undergraduate students of Shahid Beheshti University (1554 people) in the academic year of 2018-2019. The sample size was estimated to be 308 based on Cochran formula. Eventually 305 questionnaires were finalized. Research tools included the Self-Distinction Questionnaire (Skowron & Schmitt, 2003), the Adults Attachment Inventory (AAI) (Hazen and Shaver, 1987), the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (Walker, Sichrist & Pender, 1995) and the Educational Performance Test (Pham and Taylor, 1999) were used and data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods (Pearson correlation, path analysis and structural equation modeling) using SPSS 23 and AMOS 26 statistical softwares. Findings: The results showed that attachment styles and self-differentiation have a significant relationship with academic performance and these variables are able to directly predict academic performance (p<0.01). Promotional lifestyles can also play a mediating role between attachment styles and self-differentiation with academic performance (p<0.01). Conclusion: Regarding the relationship between attachment styles, self-differentiation and health-promoting lifestyle with academic performance, special attention to these variables is necessary to improve student performance.

The Effectiveness of the Self-differentiation Training Based on the Bowen Theory on Marital Satisfaction

Background: Marital satisfaction is a basis of other social organization health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the self-differentiation training based on the Bowen Theory to increase marital satisfaction. Methods: The research method was semi-experimental and the pre-test-posttest design with the control group. In this intervention, the population of this study was selected by the convenience sampling method and 38 married women were randomly assigned to the experimental (n= 12) and control (n= 12) groups in Tehran in 2018. The Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI) and Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI) were completed by married women. The control group received no training. The intervention included 10 sessions of self-differentiation training based on the Bowen theory. Twelve women participated in this semi-experimental project selected by convenience sampling as an experimental group and twelve women as a control group. The brief couple-based therapy was taught in 10 sessions based on techniques of Bowen therapy and four components of differentiation. The data were analyzed by SPSS v. 23 software. Results: There was a significant difference between the post-test scores of the experimental and control groups. In addition, training based on the DST approach could significantly increase marital satisfaction (t= 21.62, df= 22, P<0.001). Conclusion: The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group. Therefore, the training could significantly increase the self-differentiation of married women. These findings can be used to design interventional programs to improve conflict, adaptation, intimacy, and marital satisfaction of the couples.