Student Interactions, Motivation and Disciplinary Activism

This paper is based on a research study conducted among 361 students of various disciplines of social sciences from Alzahra, Tehran, Tarbiat Moalem, Shahid Beheshti and Allameh Tabatabaei universities. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationships and interactions of students with one another in different domains including social and educational fields. The theoretical framework of this research study is based upon the view points of theorists of sociology of science, according to which the role of students' interactions as well as group activities are examined with respect to their formation of motivation, emotional energy and social and disciplinary activism. The findings of this study will help proving some of the theories developed in the field, according to which one can conclude that the greater the students' social integration, the greater their interactive learning. Such students have stronger motivation and emotional energy and are more satisfied with their major and professors. The more integrated the students, the greater progress they will make in their studies and the more self-efficacy they will develop. The main achievement of this study, taking account of effective variables, is thus to draw the attention of researchers and policy makers to the important role that social variables and factors, especially the space of student relationships play in educational progress and the creation and promotion of a sense of satisfaction among students, not to mention their degree of self-efficacy.