JOURNAL OF EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY
Year:2006 | Volume:12 | Issue:4|Papers Count:9

The purpose of this study was first to measure the psychometric characteristics of Shahid Chamran University faculty members' final test papers. The investigation of different test formats and different procedures used by faculty members to evaluate their students final academic performances also served as a second purpose of this study. A total of 109 faculty members from different academic disciplines voluntarily participated in this study. Each test item on exam papers was analyzed individually and its item difficulty, item discrimination and index of reliability were computed. The results of the completed analysis of test items were confidentially sent to the faculty members. The findings of the study showed that faculty members differ in the test format they use to evaluate their students academic performances. By comparing the psychometric characteristics of the test items with the known criterions, it was found that the differences between faculty members were significant. In addition, the analysis of item difficulty of the test papers showed that the students did not have a hard time answering the test items which means that the test items were relatively easy. It is therefore suggested that the university provide a testing center in which the faculty members would be able to learn how to construct standardized tests and improve their understanding in calculating the psychometric characteristics of their test scores.      

Bearing this fact in mind that socio-economic development is affected by the value system of the society, the aim of this study was to identify the sources of the value system of the Iranian society in the first half of the 14th century Hegira (coincidental with 1920-1970 period) and explain their relationship with the Iranian socio-economic development. The history of the sources of the Iranian value system was divided into two periods of 14 centuries each, a pre-Islamic and a post-Islamic era, respectively. Since in the pre-Islamic era, the dominant source of values was the Zoroastrian religion, Zoroastrianism was reviewed first. This was followed by a more detailed discussion of the Islamic period. In the context of this period the holy Quran was consulted and some guidelines obtained. Also the views of Islamic traditionalist (Ashaereh), Islamic rationalists (Mo'tazeleh) and a select number of Islamic philosophers and thinkers concerning the nature of man, society, and knowledge were explored. This study arrives at this conclusion that economic growth and development requires innovation and adoption of certain values that are germaine to such development. But the value system of the Iranian society in the aforementioned period was highly traditional and imbued with concerns of the past and fell short of adopting new values and outlooks indispensable for socio-economic development. Thus the incompatibility of the value system and economic growth and development was one of the major reasons for the failure of the socio-economic plans embarked on by the Iranian Government during the said period.      

This research was carried out to investigate the effect of the supervisory beliefs of primary school principals on their conflict management styles. Using an ex-post-facto design, two questionnaires, Measurement of Supervisory Beliefs and Measurement of Conflict Management Styles, were used to gather the required data. The data were analyzed by using Manova procedures. The results indicated that supervisory beliefs were functional in adopting conflict management styles on the part of the principals. It means that principals who had indirect supervisory beliefs used first and foremost cooperative styles, to be followed by compromise and accommodating styles. Principals having participatory supervisory styles were found to use compromise, accommodating, and cooperative styles, respectively, whereas principals subscribing to direct supervisory beliefs preferred to use avoidance and competition styles, showing no tendency toward using collaborative style.      

This article is written on the basis of the results of a study that was conducted to investigate the opinions of the academic staff of the Shahid Chamran University on the degree of conformity of their information needs with the existing library resources and services in this university. The required data were collected by means of a questionnaire that was devised for the purpose of this research. The concept of "information need" and its importance is discussed, as well as the barriers to identification of users' information needs in a library. Analysis of the data revealed that in view of the academic staff of the SCU, there is little agreement between their information needs and the available resources in libraries. The survey results also revealed that variables such as sex, teaching experience, and area of specialty can affect the staff views on the degree of conformity of their information needs with available library resources. It is suggested that: 1) new services such as SDI and Current Awareness. Services should be established; 2) studies be conducted to determine the level of agreement of available library resources and services with the current standards, and 3) need analysis surveys should be performed regularly among academic staff to update library's knowledge of their information needs.      

Presumably the most common internal factor at school that affects organizational climate is principal's personality and characteristics. Although it is difficult to know about the inside of people, there is a window on it which is called behavior. Accordingly, in this research to test relationships between organizational climate of school and personality characteristics of the administrators, the Eysenck questionnaire, covering personality aspects (introversion/ extroversion) and neurotic characteristics (neuroticism/ emotional stability) and Hoy's organizational climate questionnaire in its six aspects(supportive, directive, restrictive, collegial, committed, disengaged) were used for assessing personality traits and the school climate. The statistical sample consisted of 52 male and female principals of Esfahan high schools selected form all principals of the five educational districts of Esfahan City through the classified random sampling. Three teachers from each school were also selected randomly to complete organizational climate questionnaire. Findings revealed that there is no relationship between the personality characteristics of principals and open/closed organizational climates. Also, no relationship was found between personality aspects and organizational climate; findings, however, showed a positive relation among four aspects of personality.      

This study was an attempt at documenting the unintended consequences and effects of the social climate (hidden curriculum) of Esfahan high schools on the attitudes and behaviors of the students. To achieve this goal, using economic status as an index, three school districts in Esfahan City corresponding to the three economic categories of low, mid, and high status, were identified. From each district four schools were designated, from each of which 30-35 students were randomly selected to complete a researcher made questionnaire designed to assess the school climate. Based on the data, schools were divided into two categories: one category having open and another closed climate. Qualitative research method was used to study the characteristics of the two types of environments and their effects on the attitude and behavior of the students. Analysis of the qualitative data showed that schools with a closed climate: 1) encouraged submissive behavior on the part of students undermining their capacity for critical thinking. Regarding academic subjects; 2) promoted individualistic work at the cost of group cooperation; 3) reduced students' confidence and self-esteem. It was further discovered that submissiveness and tendency toward individualistic activity were more serious at boys' schools than girls'. But the decline of self-esteem was more substantial in girls' schools. Schools with open climate did not suffer from the above problems.      

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of constructivism in classroom and curriculum implementation (teaching and assessment approaches) in higher education with students' learning approaches. 670 randomly selected students at Shiraz University completed five Questionnaires (SPQ, CSEQ, CLES, and teaching and assessment approaches questionnaires). By analyzing the data the following results were obtained. Many students believed that they use a deep approach to learning, while their teachers used teaching-oriented approach and reproductive approach of assessment. There was a significant correlation between learning-oriented approach of teaching and constructivism in classroom. Also learning-oriented approach of teaching had positive and significant correlation with organization and application approaches of assessment. Teaching-oriented approach had positive and significant relationship with surface and deep approaches of learning, but learning-oriented approach of teaching only had significant relationship with achievement approach of learning. Emphasis on academic and cognitive qualities by colleges had positive and significant relationship with organization and application approaches of assessment. Emphasis on professional and actual qualities by colleges had negative but significant relationship with reproductive approach of assessment, and positive and significant relationship with organization and application approaches of assessment. The results of research indicated that curriculum implementation (teaching and assessment approaches) predicts student's learning approaches. Also, constructivism in classroom directly predicts deep learning approach. We did not find any significant relationship between learning approaches and college emphasis on academic, cognitive and professional qualities. Moreover the results indicated that constructivism in classroom had positive and significant relationship with deep and achievement learning approaches.      

This article reports the second part of the findings of a research study conducted during 1377/1998- 1378/1999academicyear to pin down problems experienced by Shahid Chamran University students vis-a-vis their leisure times. This article concentrates only on problems. The statistical population of this study consisted of all the students enrolled at SCU in the said academic year. Research sample consisted of 700 students selected by simple random sampling procedure. The data- gathering instrument consisted of a researcher- made questionnaire whose items were gleaned from previous research findings and opinions contributed by the students. The reliability of this instrument was calculated to be .95 using test/re-test and Cronbach's alpha methods. The validity of this instrument was determined by referring to expert views and students' opinions. Factor analysis method, ANOVA, and t-test were used to analyze the data. Factor analysis categorized the data around four factors: 1) socio- cultural factor, 2) psychological/motivational factor, 3) family factor, and 4) economic factor. These factors explained 27.8%, 16%, 8.6% and 6.76% of the variance of leisure time problems, respectively (totally 54%). Findings indicate that socio- cultural problems top the students' problems. Lack of facilities and university's failure to offer desirable programs, socio-political limitations are among the main problems under factor No 1. Factors 2-4 underline dormitory life, familial responsibilities, esp. poverty and high cost of living, as students' major problems.