JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION STUDIES
Year:2018 | Volume:8 | Issue:22|Papers Count:8

The present study aimed to construct and validate academic stability scale on the basis of model proposed by Mahoney et al. (2014). To do so, in 2015, 300 students and in 2017, 470 students were selected from senior high schools across Shiraz City through cluster random sampling method. Next, they completed a 24-item academic stability scale. In addition, 52 students completed questionnaires on academic indifference, academic resilience and the academic stability scale with one week interval. The results of exploratory factor analysis (data extracted in 2015) revealed three factors of thriving (10 items), striving (8 items) and surviving (6 items) and the results of confirmatory factor analysis (data extracted in 2017) confirmed the pattern derived from exploratory factor analysis. Besides, the item-response analysis revealed that most items had good discrimination parameter. Academic stability was negatively linked with academic indifference but it was significantly and positively correlated with academic resilience. The Cronbach's Alpha and test-retest reliability coefficients were obtained as 0. 91 and 0. 83, respectively. Altogether, the results indicated that academic stability scale had acceptable validity and reliability levels and it could be used by educational researchers

The present study aimed at designing and validating the faculty members’ performance evaluation forms as well as performance evaluation forms in the educational departments. This descriptive survey research included a statistical population of all faculty members and students of Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj Branch (312 and 10500 individuals, respectively). Given the Cochran’s Formula, it was calculated that the statistical sample under study should be 386 individuals; however, it was decided to increase the sample size up to 400 individuals (334 students and 66 faculty members) in order to increase accuracy and decrease sampling errors. Furthermore, researcher-made questionnaires were used for collecting the required data. The findings showed that the most significant weaknesses of the current evaluation forms were as follows: failure to distinguish between the evaluation forms in clinical, general and special theoretical courses, students’ hasty and irresponsible completion of the evaluation forms, disregard for the faculty members’ specialty as far as the selection of courses to be evaluated was concerned, ambiguity of the weight of the evaluation criteria used by students, professors, Heads of Educational Groups and Deputy for Educational Affairs and failure to give feedback of the evaluation results. Having combined the viewpoints of students and professors, the evaluation criteria for the theoretical, practical and clinical courses were suggested. Besides, the criteria for evaluating the performance of the educational groups were suggested thereof. Based on the findings, it was suggested that in the process of evaluating the faculty members’ performance, the viewpoints of top students, faculty members themselves, Heads of Educational Groups and other colleagues should be taken into consideration, respectively.

The purpose this research was to examine the validity and reliability of questionnaire on teachers’ work life quality. This research was conducted in the form of descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional method. The statistical population included all 2747 secondary school teachers in Tabriz in 2016 that were selected through cluster random sampling method. The sample size was determined as 340 individuals according to Routes and Error Formula. The measurement tool included the Questionnaire of Teachers’ Work Life Quality Ilgan et al. (2014). Next, the data were analyzed using Spss20 and Amos24 software. The results showed that the concerned questionnaire had acceptable level of face and content validity (0. 87). In the case of reliability, it was found that the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient was more than 0. 61. Furthermore, the Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient was 0. 97 and Test-Retest Correlation Coefficient was located in the range of 0. 65 to 0. 89. The results of Exploratory Factor Analysis showed that 5 factors could explain about %77 of the total variance. The results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis represented the appropriate fitness of information with the five-component structure (P

This research aimed at providing suitable methods for evaluating the standard skill courses based on productive training system in vocational schools. This applied descriptive research was conducted through synthesis-research method. In this method, the required data were gathered from various sources (combining the results of previous researches plus the results of current researches) in order to increase the validity of the data. As such, the data were gathered through collecting documentary studies and administering questionnaires. Analyzing the current status and the obtained data made it possible to provide conditions for developing optimal evaluation methods in productive training system. The results indicated that the optimal evaluation method of standard skill courses followed the following factors: fields of evaluation (process and results), the evaluators (student, pupil and independent evaluator), evaluation steps (formative and summative) and evaluation criteria (the conditions and the acceptable level of performance). Considering these factors in implementing a correct evaluation process can be effective in improving the quality of evaluation and, consequently, the improvement of education and learning in productive training system in vocational schools.

Given the high importance of students’ wellbeing in the higher education system and their life, this descriptive research aimed at investigating MA TEFL curriculum in Iran from the approach of Wellbeing Theory. As such, 101 participants (34 professors and 67 MA TEFL students) were conveniently chosen from 28 public universities in Iran. A 5-item researcher-made questionnaire (wisdom, courage, humanity, justice and mediation) was used as the data collection tool in this study. The results of T-test revealed significant differences between male and female students in terms of the current program, between male and female professors in terms of the recommended program and between students and professors in terms of the current and the recommended programs. Professors and students believed that the forenamed five factors should be more important than what they were currently observed. Professors and students presented some strategies and suggestions for improving students’ well-being.

Regarding the importance of efficiency measurement in academic centers and universities, the present study attempted to evaluate the efficiency of twelve Schools of Yazd University through the Goal Programming Cross-Efficiency approach. The research population included twelve Schools of Yazd University. The required data were collected through conducting interviews and extracting data related to variables of all faculties. As such, the sample size and population size were hypothesis as equal. The results of the evaluation showed that the Faculty of Management was embedded with the highest efficiency and it was the most efficient faculty. Next, Faculties of Literature, Social Sciences and Mathematics ranked second to fourth in terms of efficiency.

The present research was concerned with analyzing and investigating the social capital and its effect on academic achievement of Ph. D. students from a sociological point of view at University of Tehran, Allameh Tabatabai University and Shahid Beheshti University. In this descriptive-survey study, the research population included all Ph. D. students at diverse fields of Humanities (N=1061) who entered into the respected universities in 2013. The sample size was determined as 285 using the Cochran’s Formula. The data were analyzed through SPSS Software. The results indicated that the impact of social capital on students was perfectly (%100) low. The results of explanatory interpretation indicated that there was no significant relationship between dimensions of social capital (social trust, social cohesion and social participation), as independent variables, and academic achievement as the dependent variable. The relationship between socioeconomic status and academic achievement was confirmed. Also, no significant difference was observed in terms of sex, place of residence and marital status

The purpose of the present study was to design a model for assuring the quality of an entrepreneurial university. This qualitative research made use of interview in order to collect the required data. The statistical population of the study included the professors and faculty members specialized in the field of academic entrepreneurship. Having used purposeful sampling, some in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 subjects in order to achieve theoretical saturation. After collecting the concerned data, the process of refining, re-reading, categorizing and presenting the findings was initiated through qualitative the content-analysis technique. The qualitative research evaluation criteria, including trustworthability (equivalent to internal validity in quantitative research), transformability (equivalent to external validity in quantitative research), dependability (equivalent to reliability) and confirmability (equivalent to objectivity), were evaluated and, accordingly, the validity and reliability of the research were confirmed. Therefore, a seven-element (18 items) model, composed of leadership, entrepreneurial organizational structure and culture, financial, human, financial and infrastructural resources, entrepreneurial training, supporting entrepreneurship and commercialization, domestic, national and international partnership and cooperation, quality evaluation system and contextual factors, was designed that should be considered in order to ensure the quality of an entrepreneurial university.