This study investigated the correlation between Creativity and Language Achievement (LA) among Iranian EFL learners (n=138) from three different Iranian universities. Learners were invited through census sampling technique to participate in the study. General English questions (adapted from university entrance exam) and Self-report Creativity Test designed by Rand Sip et al. (1979) were employed for collecting data on LA and creativity, respectively. Questionnaires were distributed among the participants during the class hours by prior arrangement with teachers and learners, and were collected a few days later. SPSS statistics software was used to find the relationship between the study variables. Overall, 103 learners, aged 18 to 27, returned the questionnaires for analysis. The creativity scores ranged from 134 to 210 and the LA scores were between 0 and 16. The Pearson correlation coefficient test revealed no significant correlation between the participants’ creativity and their language achievement (r = -0.136, p =0.17).

Background: Cross-border health care, whether sanctioned by the governments (out-of-country care) or initiated by the patients (medical tourism), is on the rise globally. The medical tourism industry has shown great potential for improvement in Iran. Objectives: We aimed to examine the representation of data elements on Iranian public and private medical tourism websites and evaluate their content maturity. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to gather and statistically analyze data from 12 medical tourism websites. Results: The highest level of data representation was provided for medical tourism attractions and destinations, followed by the geographical location of hospitals and the establishment of tourist agencies. Very few websites featured data elements on admission forms. Fisher's exact test revealed no statistically significant difference in the representation of data elements between the providers of medical tourism websites (P > 0.05). Most privately owned medical tourism websites and only one in the public sector had a moderate-content status. No website was confirmed to be rich or poor regarding their maturity. Conclusions: More investment is required for the development of information and communication technology infrastructures in the Iranian medical tourism industry to attract foreign service-users, although many other factors such as political and economic forces may be involved.

SummaryThe contribution of emotional quotient and its dimensions to the students’ language achievement have been widely acknowledged; however, the association between the two variables has been varied in different contexts. In this vein, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between emotional quotient (EQ) and language achievement (LA) of Iranian EFL students, and the extent to which EQ components can predict their language achievement. To this end, 138 undergraduate Iranian EFL learners from three different Iranian universities in Shiraz, Iran were selected through the census sampling technique to participate in the study. General English questions (adapted from university entrance exam) and the Persian validated version of the Schutte Self-report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) were employed to collect data on language achievement and emotional quotient, respectively and SPSS software was used to analyze the data. A total of 103 students, aged 18 to 27, returned the questionnaires. Findings revealed a significant correlation between EFL learners’ EQ and their LA, while EQ explained 6.7% of the variability of students’ LA, and none of the subscales of the EQ had a linear relationship with LA. Given the positive correlation between EQ and LA, educational policy-makers and education providers are recommended to focus on these factors that can leverage students’ and teachers’ emotions in the learning environment.