JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PLANNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Year:2012 | Volume:18 | Issue:1 (63)|Papers Count:10

The purpose of this research was to examine internal and external challenges of scientific communities in Mazandaran University. A research survey method and a questionnaire were used to collect data. By means of proportionate stratified method, two hundred eighty faculty members and master students were randomly sampled from a population of 1095 people across Mazandaran University. The findings were as follows: 1) There is no significant difference between faculty members and students' attitude toward external challenges of academic system. 2) There is significant difference between faculty members and students' attitude toward internal challenges of academic system. 3) There is significant relationship between internal and external challenges of scientific communities in Mazandran University. In addition, results suggested that there are bonds and relationship between scientific communities' problems and problems of society's social system.

Interactions and relationships between students and faculty members are one of the most important areas of social structure of science. The purpose of this study was to investigate sociological factors affecting student interaction with faculty members. In this research, different areas of interaction and relationships were studied according to the theories of sociology of science and Bourdieus theoretical framework. A survey method was used to evaluate these interactions and relationships. Data was collected by using a questionnaire. Responses were selected from students' population of Shahid Chamran University. Research findings showed that capitals are convertible to each other and the position of persons in social domain of science is determined by the amount and composition of social, cultural and economic capitals. And interactions and relationships between students and faculty members have a significant and positive relationship with amount of their capitals inside and outside of the academic area. The last section of this article offers suggestions and solutions to strengthen the relationships and interactions in the development of scientific institutions.

The purpose of this study was to predict the demands for higher education in Iran until 2025. For this reason two methods of Cohort Population and Participation Rate in higher education were used. The demand for Iran's higher education was predicted by gender, undergraduate and graduate classifications. The results demonstrated that the undergraduate applicants for higher education are declining in next 14 years in a such way that in 2025 the number of applicants for undergraduate level will be declining to about six hundred thousand individuals, that is half of the current applicants. Decreasing graduate applicants demand begins after next two or three years and it will roughly remain the same as current level in 2025.

Ambidexture as ability of an organization to align itself and succeed in management of today's business demands and at the same time being consistent with environmental changes has been well considered in recent years. The purpose of current research was to identify effective ambidexture's components on performance of commercialization of academic research in universities. A mixed research method was chosen for this study. In the qualitative stage, ambidexture's components were identified through open and semi-structured interviews, and documentation analysis. In the quantitative stage, ambidexture's components were confirmed by factor analysis. The qualitative results indicated that ambidexture's components included 3 themes, 17 dimensions and 74 details. The quantitative results showed ambidexture's components are effective on upgrading university research commercialization performance.

University external accountability is institution's commitment and responsiveness for meeting the legitimate demands and interests of the external stakeholders and reporting to them the results and achievements. Proper external accountability can result in confidence, legitimacy, participation and support of stakeholders and play a key role in the university's excellency. Accordingly, the purpose of this article was to assess the external accountability gap within public mother universities of Tehran. A descriptive and analytical survey was conducted through a researcher-made questionnaire. The sample included 350 randomly selected faculty members, university researchers and doctoral students in 3 public mother universities in Tehran, consisting of Tehran University, Shahid Beheshti University and Sharif University of Technology. Data analysis indicated that from academic society point of view the accountability of the public universities to their external key stakeholders is weak and there is meaningful gap between the real and ideal of these universities' accountability situations. The highest level of this gap is seen in accountability of the universities to the labor market, academic society and civil society respectively. However, the accountability to the government is assessed beyond the expectation. Consequently, the public universities should make effective efforts to bridge accountability gap to the labor market, academic society and civil society. On the other hand, reduce their excessive dependence on the government by adoption of effective practical policies and measures.

The general objective of this research was to examine effective factors in shaping personal development skills of graduate students majoring agriculture sciences in University of Tehran. A survey research method was used for this study. Responses were 310 subjects from a population of 1491 graduate students in College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran. Research instrument was a questionnaire to measure study's constructs. The data were analyzed by using Multiple Linear Regression statistical method. The results illustrated that personal development skills have a considerable effects on employability formation. In this regard, appropriate professional attitude toward agriculture has the most vital role in shaping the employability of agrisciences graduate students.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of entrepreneurial skills short-term training courses on college students and graduates of the Mazandaran province. A comprehensive review of related literature and a questionnaire with reliability of. 90 were used for data and information collection. In this study, a population of 1511 individuals in Mazandaran's universities, entrepreneurship centers, the Department of Labor and Social Affairs and the University's Jihad was considered. Due to certain limitations, the total sample number was 214. Friedman test result, and Structural Equation Modeling analysis sequentially indicated that at least a couple of variables from the average rank's effects of stimulating motives, nurturing qualities and skills training dimensions are significantly different from each other. As a whole Structural Equation Model for explanation of training courses' effectiveness intended for students and graduates in Mazandaran Province is supported.