INNOVATION IN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION (JOURNAL OF MODERN THOUGHTS IN EDUCATION)
Year:2007 | Volume:2 | Issue:2 (6)|Papers Count:9

The main purpose of the present research was to do a survey on entrepreneurship and its components among managers in Islamic Azad University (IAU). The population of the study is comprised of all managers in IAU Branches. Using stratified random sampling, 474 managers from all IAU branches were selected. The instrument was a researcher-made entrepreneurship questionnaire which was administered to the participants. The results of applying one-way ANOVA indicated that: 1) there is not a significant difference between the managers in all IAU branches regarding their entrepreneurship. 2) Among the thirteen-fold components of entrepreneurship, there is only a significant difference between the components of "Autonomy" and "Self-confidence". Furthermore, the results of LSD test showed that mean score of the component of autonomy of managers in district one is higher than district 2 (p£0.05, MD=1.20), district 2 higher than district 10 (p£0.05, MD=1.07), district 6 from 10 (p£0.05, MD=1.172), district 8 from district 3 (p£0.05, MD=0.733), district 4 (p£0.05, MD=0.861), district 5 (p£0.05, MD=1.088), and district 10 (p£0.05, MD=1.591), district 9 higher than 10 (p£0.05, MD=1.11). At the same time, mean score of the managers of district 3 is lower than managers in district 8 (p£0.05, MD=0.733), district 4 lower than 8 (p£0.05, MD=0.861), district 5 lower than 8 (p£0.05, MD=1.088). The mean score of the component of self-confidence among the managers in districts 2 (p£0.05, MD=-1.003), 3 (p<0.05, MD=-1.247), 4 (p£0.05, MD=-1.109), 5 (p<0.05, MD=-1.80), 9 (p£0.05, MD=0.923), 10 (p<0.05, MD=0.856) is lower than the mean score among managers in district 8. Moreover, the mean score of the managers in district 5 is lower than district 6 (p£0.05, MD=-1.543) and 10 (p£0.05, MD=0.993).

The importance of higher education in the production, saving, and dissemination of knowledge can not be neglected. Therefore, having in mind expertise training as one of the main factors in sustainable development and achieving scientific and technical independence and deepening social culture on the one hand, and the role of boards of trustees in engineering the qualitative and quantitative strategies of universities and the lack of an appropriate framework for boards of trustees in Iran on the other hand, this study was aimed at presenting an appropriate framework for the boards of trustees in universities in Iran through reviewing their structures, objectives, and functions among a selected collection of universities in the world.A questionnaire including main factors and suggested components was designed to conduct the research. Its content validity was calculated through asking 33 chancellors and higher education experts. Alpha Cronbach was applied to determine the reliability of the questionnaire (in current situation=0.94 and favorable situation=0.99). It was sent to 64 university chancellors, 192 members of boards of trustees, and 128 higher education experts totally 425 who were randomly selected. To analyze the data, statistical indices like frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, classification, data summarization, and graphs were calculated and applied. In this study two situations (Current, Favorable) were measured each with a 10-point scale. With the frequencies calculated through descriptive statistics for the three above-mentioned groups of participants, factor analysis was used to determine the validity of the framework, one-way ANOVA was used to test the significance of the differences between the means, and generally SPSS Software was used to do the statistical analysis and interpretations.

Members of academic staff are among the main factors in academic systems and the most fundamental components in the development of any country. One of the outcomes of the academic activities carried out by them is knowledge development, the factor that is expected them to be highly involved in. As computer literacy is of great role in accessing up-to-date information and in establishing a quick and effective link with the scientists and scholars in all scientific disciplines, this study was conducted with this purpose in mind to survey the relationship between staff members' computer literacy and their amount of knowledge development. In this data-driven research, a researcher-made questionnaire was administered to 150 members of academic staffs in Islamic Azad University Roudehen Branch who were randomly selected. Data analysis indicated that those who had better familiarity with ICDL (International Computer Driving License) skills were in humanities, agriculture engineering, engineering and technical, and basic Sciences departments consecutively. It further indicated that there is a significant relationship between the familiarity with ICDL skills and knowledge development.

The purpose of this research was to study the kind of motivation and academic achievement of the boy and girl students of different fields of study in Islamic Azad University (IAU) Roudehen Branch. To conduct the research, 400 students (boys and girls) were selected using stratified random sampling. Academic achievement of the students was calculated by taking the mean score of their GPA. Their motivation was measured by a 54-item questionnaire. The results of analyzing the data through t- test, ANOVA, and Pearson's Correlation of Coefficient indicated that the motivation of the students was generally lower than average, but their academic achievement was higher than the theoretical presupposed score (12). Also, there was a significant correlation between the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and their academic achievement. Intrinsic motivation had the highest correlation, and extrinsic motivation had the lowest correlation with academic achievement. Although intrinsic motivation of the students in different courses were not significantly different from each other, the external motivation of the students in Librarianship was lower than the extrinsic motivation of the students in Persian Language and Literature, English Language and Literature, Computer Engineering. Furthermore, the total amount of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation of the students in computer engineering was higher than the most of the students in Librarianship. Regarding academic achievement, there was not a significant difference between the students of different courses. The results also showed that the motivation of boys is generally more than girls. There was no difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of the students of all semesters. Considering the relationship between demographic characteristics of the students and academic motivation, there is only a correlation between father's and mother's level of education and intrinsic motivation, and with the whole motivation. The findings also indicated that father's level of education, the correlation between father's and mother's level of education, and the correlation between father's level of education and their residential neighborhood affected the academic achievement of the students.

In the present research the main purpose was to study the factor structure and reliability of the Persian version of Survey of Attitude toward Statistics (SATS) among students of Islamic Azad University (IAU) Abadan Branch and the minor purpose was to determine its relationship with gender and fields of study in high school. In order to accomplish the study, a sample of 250 students (121 male and 129 female) studying in first semester in academic year of 2006-07 were randomly selected. SATS scale is made up of 4 subscales of affective attitude, cognitive attitude, value, and difficulty of the statistics. The construct validity of the Persian version of SATS was calculated through confirmatory factor analysis. For each subscale, the Alpha Cronbach reliability index was calculated and the reliability index of all subscales was 0.79, 0.76, 0.82, 0.57 and the index for all subscales was 0.89. Applying independent group t-test indicated that there was a significant difference between male and female regarding the subscales of affective attitude, cognitive attitude, value, and total scale of attitudes toward statistics. The male had better attitudes toward statistics than the female. To study the differences in attitudes toward statistics from their courses they had in high school, one-way ANOVA was used and showed that there was a significant difference among the students' fields of study in high school for subscales of affective attitude, cognitive attitude, value and also the total attitudes toward statistics. LSD test also indicated that students studying in humanities during high school had more negative attitude toward statistics.

Scholars in management and organization, nowadays, introduce knowledge-based organization as the most modern and efficient form of organization and the most appropriate ground to conduct modern management strategies like knowledge management. In the present research in addition to presenting some definitions for knowledge-based organization and feasibility study, the possibility for the realization of a knowledge-based organization in Islamic Azad University Shiraz Branch was surveyed and analyzed considering all five-fold elements of a knowledge-based organization (cultural, administrative-organizational, operational-technological, financial-credential, human resource). The population included A) members of academic staff, B) Students, and C) managers and other administrative staff (N=17815) out of which 705 were selected through stratified random sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire with the reliability index of 0.865 and confirmed validity was administered to these three groups. Descriptive statistics methods and linear regression were used to compare the responses of the groups with respect to the above-mentioned five-fold elements and One Way ANOVA was applied to determine significant differences between respondents' attitudes. The findings indicated that according to the respondents it is feasible to have a knowledge-based organization with those five-fold elements in Islamic Azad University Shiraz Branch.

The main objective behind this study was to do a survey on the relationship between personality type (A and B) and learning strategies among a group of girl students in technical high schools. In this respect, 341 participants were selected using cluster random sampling. Then, Bortner's Classification Scales and Vinstein-Mayer Learning Strategy Questionnaire were administered to them. Data analysis using correlational method indicated that there is no significant relationship between personality type (A and B) and learning strategies (p<0.05). The regression analysis also showed that there is not any meaningful relationship between all strategies, except affective and expanding strategies, and personality type and can not predict each other.

Nowadays, the most important assets of an organization are smart and knowledgeable   staffs who lead their organization to a sustainable comparative vantage by creating modern organizational processes. Innovative attempts in an organization are resulted from investment on learning process and upgrading human resources management and knowledge management. Through creative knowledge management and innovative application of information technology, Organization can provide this possibility that its staffs rely on their own experience in organizational problems which requires a new solution and help the organization with their progress in learning.The present research was aimed at doing a survey and comparison between knowledge management and organizational learning in smart schools and normal schools. The population included all the managers and teachers working in smart and normal schools in Tehran. Using cluster random sampling, the samples were selected including 127 managers and teachers from smart schools and 221 manager and teachers from normal schools according to Morgan Table. The research instruments were two questionnaires, one for each variable. The validity of two questionnaires was calculated by expert professors. They were, then, administered to 35 managers and teachers to calculate the reliability through Alpha Cronbach formula (0.87 for Knowledge Management Questionnaire and 0.79 for Organizational Learning Questionnaire). The findings of the research resulted from the application of t-test showed that smart and normal schools are different regarding the relationship between learning and knowledge management in the way that the mean score of the managers and teachers in smart schools was higher.