JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PLANNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Year:2006 | Volume:12 | Issue:2 (40)|Papers Count:8

This paper is based on a research study conducted among 361 students of various disciplines of social sciences from Al-zahra, 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.      

The characteristic of the organizational structure of universities follow particular patterns that distinguish them from other organizations. This research is conducted to compare the status quo of Tarbiat Moallem University with its satisfactory situation (required by the employees). The subjects included a 248 population, 40 percent of whom were members of academic staff, and the rest contained employees and expert staff of the university. The subjects were selected according to stratified random sampling. A reliable and valid questionnaire, developed by the researcher, was applied. Statistical data was analyzed by referential and descriptive statistical processes with SPSS software. The findings reveal that there is a significant difference between status quo and satisfactory situation of the organizational structure of the university. While the employees require more formal and specialized situation, the present structural status of the university contained lower levels of these features. In other words, the employees would like that the present situation of the university, which is at present a centralized one, converts into a more professional bureaucracy.      

The aim of present research is to survey on the relationship of role ambiguity, role conflict and competitive anxiety with sport performance and academic achievements in the athletes. The research sample was selected through a random sampling method. Together the data, Role Ambiguity Conflict Scale, Anxiety Inventory, and Sport Performance Checklist were used. The results of Pearson correlation showed that each variable of role ambiguity, role conflict and competitive anxiety have significant relations with to sport performance and academic achievements. This correlation was more in group athletes than individual, the results of multiple regression showed that role ambiguity, role conflict and competitive anxiety explained 36 percent of variance of sport performance in group athletes, while 24 percent of variance of sport performance in individual athletes. Also, results indicated that role ambiguity, role conflict and competitive anxiety explained 45 percent of variance of academic achievements in group athletes, while 16 percent of variance of academic achievements in individual athletes. The results indicated that high level of role ambiguity, role conflict and competitive anxiety decrease sport performance and academic achievements.      

While majority of people (specialists and non-specialists) are sure of negative effects of Iranian University Entrance Exam (Konkour) on its failures, some others are of this opinion that the main problem is not related to Konkour but to the educational system. The present research attempts to investigate the effects of Konkour on psychic conditions of its failures. According to this aim, the general health, self esteem and psychic disorders of those who failed Konkour are compared with those who were admitted to university and the students of last grade in high school. The results show that general health of those who did not admitted to university was significantly less than that of the students of last grade in high school. However, there was no significant difference between the general health of those who were admitted to university and the ones who were not. The results also show that those students who were admitted to university got the highest position with self esteem and those who were not admitted got the lowest position and finally, except anxiety, there were no significant differences between the mean's scores of those who were not admitted to university and the mean's scores of university students and high school students.      

The main purpose of this study was to investigate entrepreneurship capabilities (independence, internal control, progress motivation, risk taking and creativity) of Isfahan University students, and specifying the influence of university education on reinforcing such capabilities. In this study a descriptive method has been used. For gathering data a researcher-made questionnaire was used. Reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.89. In order to carry out the project 250 students of Isfahan University in the academic year of 1383-84 / 2004-2005 were selected by random classical sampling method. Two levels of inferential and descriptive statistics by the use of SPSS software have been performed to analyze the data. The results showed that: 1. Entrepreneurship capabilities of the students in the independence, internal control, progress motivation and creativity were more than mean value, but in the case of risk-taking the relevant scores were less than mean value. 2. University education on reinforcing entrepreneurship capabilities of the students has not been effective. 3. Effectiveness of entrepreneurship center education on reinforcing entrepreneurship capabilities such as independence, internal control, progress motivation, risk-taking was refused, but this hypothesis in the case of creativity was accepted.      

This article examines the effects of family socio - economic characteristics on demand for higher education in Iran. The same study was performed in 2003 using data collected in 1995. This study is based on the same theory and model (logit) with some developments and by data collected in 2002, aimed to recognize what has been changed in the influence of socioeconomic factors on demand for higher education. The results indicate that parents educational level effects has been strengthen during that years and this factor indicates the social prestige and some economic outlook of higher education for children. So, educational development for maintaining the human capital level of further generations is critical. The Socio- economic situations of family has great and significant effect on probability of education in tertiary level, in both sections. Meanwhile, the results of both studies about the effects of factors such as region, sex, age and size of family are similar. Altogether, the obtaining of two studies has some guides for essential supporting programs for considered families from per-tertiary education.      

The first purpose of this research was to measure the reliability of Computer Attitude Scale (CAS) for Iranian university students. The second purpose was to find out if there is a significant difference between gender of students, their university, and attitudes toward computer. The CAS was administered to 577 (297 male and 280 female) Tehran, public and non - public undergraduate (freshman & sophomore) university students, which were selected through multistage random sampling. The instrument used was the Persian translation of CAS. This scale is a Likert-type scale of 30 positive and negative statements. The data were analyzed using factor analysis, the analysis of variance, Scheffe test of group means and t - test. Alpha reliability coefficients for three subscales of CAS, anxiety, confidence, and liking, were 0.83, 0.79, and 0.85 respectively and the reliability for the scale as a whole was 0.93. Validity of CAS was examined by exploratory factor analysis. Four factors were extracted using a principal components analysis with Varimax rotation. This solution accounted for 0.49 percent of variance. Results indicated that there is a significant (p<.0/05) difference between male and female attitudes toward computer. Female students had a greater positive attitude than male students, Analysis of data further revealed that there is a significant (p<.05) difference between students attitudes from different universities. It was recommended that additional research be conducted concerning age, prior experience with computer and field of study. And further revision of the CAS is suggested.