JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PLANNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Year:2018 | Volume:24 | Issue:1 |Papers Count:7

The main purpose of this research was to identify the future drivers of higher education and to develop Iran’ s future higher education scenarios in the horizon of the next 20 years. In order to achieve this goal, the initial list of key factors influencing the future of higher education in the country was obtained through the review of domestic literature and the study of higher education scenarios in some foreign countries. Asking thirteen experts in the field of higher education about how these factors are influence and being influenced, scenario axes were identified among the key factors and uncertainties. In the next step, using the fuzzy cognitive map sensitivity analysis process, the behavior of the key factors was evaluated for the different modes of the identified propulsion, and the narratives of the scenarios were developed. The output of this process involves identifying the factors of "globalization" and "higher education based on market demand" as the scenarios, and providing four scenarios for the future of higher education in the country. Each of these scenarios describes the various factors influencing the future of higher education, including higher education missions, financing, technology application, demographic changes, the need for higher education, globalization, and market demand. The main feature of this research is to provide a scenario look and make decision-making and planning capabilities possible due to different images that may occur in the future. At the end, based on the characteristics and conditions governing each scenario, a table of proposed policies for higher education is provided for each scenario.

Human Development Index consisted of three indices: life expectancy, education and per capita income. This index shows the improvement of countries in three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and have a decent standard of living. In addition, human capital shows the knowledge embedded in humans for economic growth and development of nations and in some way the same human development index. The aim of this study was ranking of Iran provinces based on two mentioned indices and comparing the two with each other. The research method was mathematical and quantitative. The numerical taxonomy was used to calculate the human development index, and the income-based method was used to calculate human capital. The finding showed that the provinces of the country differ in each of the of human development provinces. Therefore, the rank of provinces in the combined human development index is due to a criterion that has more weight in that province. There was no significant relation between human capital and human development indices. Although, almost in half of the provinces the human development index and human capital rank were closed, there were also significant differences in many of them.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of innovation climate in the relationship between culture and entrepreneurship skills with entrepreneurial tendency of Mohaghegh Ardabili University faculty members. An applied and descriptive correlational method based on Structural Equations Modeling was chosen for this study. The population of the study consisted of all 364 faculty members at Mohaghegh Ardabili University. Using Morgan and Krejcy tables, a sample of 181 individuals were randomly selected according to the stratified sampling method. The main instrument for collecting data was a standard questionnaire that scholars confirmed its face validity. The reliability of organizational culture questionnaires, entrepreneurship skills, innovation climate and entrepreneurial orientation were 0. 827, 0. 860, 0. 894 and 0. 890, respectively. For data analysis, path analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used. The findings of this research indicated that there is a positive and significant relationship between organizational culture and entrepreneurial tendency, between entrepreneurial skills and entrepreneurial tendency, between organizational culture and innovation climate, between entrepreneurial skills and innovation climate and between innovation climate and entrepreneurial tendency. The results are indicating that the innovation climate played a mediating role in the relationship between organizational culture and entrepreneurial tendency. In addition, the results showed that the innovation climate has a mediate role in the relationship between entrepreneurial skills and entrepreneurial tendency.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of varied career orientation on employability of doctoral students at Lorestan University. Based on the type of data collection, this research was a descriptive-survey. The statistical population of the study consisted of all 400 doctoral students at Lorestan University. Using a stratified sampling method, 200 questionnaires were distributed among them. The data analysis algorithm was used by partial least squares method, which included the evaluation of structural model fitness and measurement models to measure the relationships between the research variables. The appropriate fitness for both parts of the data algorithm indicated the desirability of questionnaires and structure at the level of indicators and questions used. The results of the research showed that the varied career orientation had a positive impact on planning career, as well as the positive effect of planning career orientation on the career capitals (human, social, and psychological). Despite the confirmation of the positive impact of social and psychological capital on the employability of individuals, the impact of human capital on employability was not endorsed, and finally social capital was recognized as the most important career capital for promoting employability.

The aim of the present study was to explore the ability of first-year mathematics major students to use a mathematical theorem to solve a problem through a paper-pencil and an electronic-based dynamic assessment. In this study, a convenient and purposeful sampling method was used. Thirty-five students from a public university in voluntarily participated in this study. Data gathering and analysis with both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in a mixed method research format. The quantitative method used in this study was the descriptive method. Also, a semi-experimental design was used to compare students' performance in the paper-pencil assessment and the dynamic assessment. In the qualitative approach, students' attitudes toward dynamic assessment were also explored through semi-structured interviews with several students. Data analysis showed that most students did not perform well in applying the conditions of the theorem to solve the problem in the paper-pencil assessment, and that their performance improved after receiving instructional feedback in the dynamic assessment. Furthermore, most students believed that receiving feedback in the dynamic assessment had a positive impact on their performance and helped them to have a better understanding of the theorem. According to the obtained results, it seems dynamic assessment is an effective assessment method for university mathematical courses and could improve mathematical learning of university students.

The present research proposed a main question: what are causes and contexts of academic corruption and what are consequences of this corruption for students, professors, higher education structure and, in general, for other institutions and organizations of a society? Grounded Theory was used as research approach. data was collected through deep qualitative interviews with 22 doctoral students, faculty members of economic sciences and human science departments of Shahid Beheshti, Tarbiyat Modares and Mazandaran universities, and policy-makers in the field of science and technology (Academic year 2016 – 17). The sample was selected by theoretical and purposive sampling techniques. Findings indicated that multiplicity of institutions determining academic policy, centralism, importance of quantity rather than quality, escaping the law, higher education commercialization, increased demand for higher education, credentialism were among the main causes of academic corruption. Moreover, other contexts and causes such as gap between university and industry, wrong procedures for formal supervision and degradation of teaching contributed to university corruption. Results demonstrated that such corruption weakens individual and professional ethics, negative economic consequences and lowers total level of social well-being.