JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PLANNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Year:2013 | Volume:19 | Issue:2 (68)|Papers Count:8

People’s beliefs on knowledge and knowing (epistemic beliefs) have a role in their education. Various factors affect the formation and development of these beliefs. The aim of this research was to investigate the students' epistemic belief dimensions and levels in relation to their gender, majors and educational levels in Ferdowsi University. A descriptive survey method was chosen for this study. By using stratified random sampling method, a sample of 364 students was randomly selected from Ferdowesi University students’ population during the 210-2011 academic year. Students completed the "Epistemic Beliefs Inventory" (EBI). The validity of EBI was confirmed by specialists. Using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, the reliability of the questionnaire was (a=0.79). A descriptive and analytical statistic method was applied for summarizing data and testing the hypotheses. The results showed a significant difference in students' various epistemic belief, students’ gender, majors, and their epistemic belief levels. Higher education needs to incorporate epistemic beliefs in its curriculum structure and active learning methods and reinforce students’ epistemic beliefs.

Current and emerging technologies have become commonplace entities in all aspects of life. They have forced changes in many aspects of our everyday activities. Education has been impacted by significant contemporary and innovative advances in technology. The aim of this article was to report the results of an investigation in which the use of new learning technologies in higher education is explored. An applied-descriptive research method was chosen for this study. The population of this study was students and faculty members in Mazandaran University. Using Morgan table and stratified random sampling, 128 faculty members and 400 students were selected. A verity of tools such as questionnaires, observations, interviews and document analysis were used for data collection. Content validity was used to determine the validity of questionnaires and the alpha coefficient was used to measure the reliability. The coefficient alpha in different parts of both questionnaires was calculated above .80. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used. The results showed that observations have shown that the amount of utilization of computer technology by students and faculty members is low, but the two groups had a very positive attitude towards information technology and they assessed their skills average.Desired situation in professors and students view included improvements infrastructures such as internet speed, wireless network, elimination of filtering, increasing educational facilities like computers and laptops, providing online information resources and digital libraries. Infrastructural, financial, management, educational policies and skill obstacles are the most basic barriers that both students and professors emphasized.

Theoretical and empirical analysis shows that current mechanism of financing higher education in Iran isn’t appropriate and satisfactory and needs some rethinking and reformation. What are the desirable system and mechanism? What type of system and mechanism are appropriate? The purpose of this study is to answer these questions and recommend a proper system of financing and allocation mechanism.To achieve these goals, first, by using Meta-analysis different allocation mechanisms and their suitability criterion were identified. Then in the framework of different financial systems 6 criteria and 10 mechanisms were assessed by AHP technique. The evaluation result showed that Income Contingent Loans is the best mechanism for financing higher education in the world. At the end, based on the market and above mechanism, an appropriate method of financing Iranian higher education is recommended for Iran.

Identifying essential infrastructures for effective knowledge management and innovation in universities is vital. Therefore, this study attempted to examine the effect of infrastructural dimensions of knowledge management on innovation. According to the research literature and expert opinions, the infrastructural dimensions of knowledge management are identified, and the effects of these factors on technical and administrative innovation are evaluated. This study is a casual-corelational survey. The statistical population of this study consists of 344 faculty members of Yazd University and a total of 163 individuals were selected as a sample. Reliability was examined by Cronbach's alpha (0.969) and its validity was examined using factor analysis. Correlation analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were used for data analysis. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between dimensions of knowledge management and technical and administrative innovations. Additionally, Structural Equation Modeling results showed that among infrastructures dimensions, the technology and structural dimensions have the most effect on the development of innovation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate research self–efficacy among students and assess their strengths and weaknesses in this area. The research method was evaluation and factor analysis was used to evaluate factor structure of the questionnaire. The sample included 300 graduate students in Ferdowsi University who were selected from the six faculties by quota sampling method. In this study the Research Self Efficacy scale (RSE) that was developed by Bieschke, Bishop & Garcia and Interest in the Research Questionnaire (IRQ) that was developed by Bieschke and Bishop were used to gather data. The content validity was confirmed by review of experts and construct validity was confirmed by factor analysis. The results of exploratory factor analysis through the principal component showed that, four factors are extracted and this factors explained 65% of the variance of research self-efficacy. The convergent validity showed that, there is a correlation between research self- efficacy questionnaire and interest in the research questionnaire (r=0.44). Internal consistency showed that, there are high alpha coefficients for both the overall research self- efficacy (0.97) and for factors (from 0.75 to 0.95). The results of evaluation of research self-efficacy components showed that, students have a high ability in some skills such as: Research self-efficacy scores, doing early tasks of research, the cooperation ability in research, ability to perform research and analysis and presentation of results. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between students' research self-efficacy components. There was significant difference in term of ability in doing early task of research, administrating research and analyzing data and present ting the results, among students in different faculties as well. It is necessary to formulate policies and provide the training to increase skills such as cooperation in research and doing early tasks of research. Moreover, it is recommended to use the research self-efficacy scale to measure the level of research self- efficacy of students.

In current changing world, the educational institutions, like other organizations, should learn and use this learning for improving their work process and performance. This study analyzed the role of contextual components (shared vision, system thinking, learning organizational culture, flexible structure, personal mastery and professional development and transformational leadership) and process component (educational organizational learning) in promoting agricultural faculties’ performance (performance component) to become learning organizations. Research method was correlation using survey method. The population consisted of all full- time faculty members of public Agricultural Faculties affiliated to the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (MSRT). Using the Krejcie and Morgan table and multi-stage stratified sampling with proportionate attribution, 329 faculty members were selected as a sample.Questionnaire was the main tool for data collection, which was validated by a panel of experts and the reliability was gained through a pilot study with Cronach’s Alpha coefficient between 0.79 to 0.95. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), maximum likelihood method, and Lisrel 8.50 software used for analyzing data. Research findings indicated that four contextual components (shared vision, learning organizational culture, flexible structure and transformational leadership) and process component were significantly correlated. These components could explain 90 percent of the process component variance. Furthermore, the process component and performance component were strongly related and the process component could explain 42 percent of the performance component variance.

According to human capital theory, individuals invest in higher education when it has appropriate return rate. They invest in scientific and technical disciplines that have higher return rate among variety of disciplinary. Their evaluation of financial return is a kind of forward-looking and cognitive. The purpose of this research was to analyze economic behavior of students in colleges of engineering, and education and psychology at University of Tehran. A descriptive research method was used. The population of study was all students in colleges of engineering and education and psychology at University of Tehran in 2011 (N=8046). The sample of study consisted of 614 students who were selected using classified sampling method. Data were collected using a researcher made open-ended questionnaire. Cost - Benefit Analysis technique was used for calculating the expected rate of returns. Calculations results showed that student expectations of higher education return are remarkable and they consider cognitive evaluation of financial return in their continuation of their education and major’s selection decision makings.

The concept of career development provides important guidelines for choosing a career and employment that is one of the most important factors in identity development. The purpose of this study was to predict career development based on identity styles among university students in Bojnord City. The research method applied in the present study was correlative where the relationship between career development and identity styles, and the prediction of career development based on identity styles were investigated. The population of the study was composed of university students in Bojnord in 2011-2012 academic year, of whom 500 (217 females and 283 males) students were selected according to the multi-stage cluster-sampling. In this study the Identity Styles Inventory (Chronbach’s alpha=.65 –.68) and Career Development Questionnaire (test-retest confidence for first section, .75 and for second section, .81) were used. To analyze the data, besides descriptive statistical methods, the Clomogrov-Smearnov statistical tests, the Pearson Correlation Test, and the Multiple Regression were administered. The findings showed that there was a positive significant correlation between informational identity style and career development (r=.54, p<.001), but there was a negative significant correlation between diffused identity style and career development (r=-.10, p<.02). The analysis of multiple regression showed that informational identity style was a positive predictive variable for career development (β=.56, p<.001). The present results can be explained by similar characteristics style of informational identity, and the job selection process.