The sense of belonging to university is linked to numerous aspects of the psycho-social health of students. However, there are many ambiguities in the conceptualization and measurement of this construct. The few tools designed in the field of higher education largely assess the sense of belonging and the measurement of the components of belonging to the university has received less attention in previous studies. The current study aimed to develop and validate the "Students' Sense of Belonging to University Scale (SSBUS)." In a correlational and tool development design, 345 students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad were selected in the first stage and 477 students of University of Birjand were selected in the second stage by available sampling method. The results of exploratory factor analysis in the first stage showed four factors with 49.72% variance explanation, which included the components of interaction with professors, interaction with peers, university climate and self-esteem. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the four-factor model had a good fit, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the subscales was reported in the range of 0.75-0.90. In addition, other analyses provided evidence to support the internal consistency, convergent validity, and divergent validity of the sense of belonging scale. It was found that each of the dimensions of this scale was significantly related to the measures of commitment to the university, social-emotional loneliness, satisfaction with life, depression and agentic engagement. In addition, the results of the retest coefficient of the subscales were in the range of 0.64-0.74. According to the findings of the present research, the students' sense of belonging to university scale has desirable psychometric properties and can be used as a valid instrument.

The art tools are effective intermediates in emergence of the meaning of a work of art. The types and production techniques of these tools are affected by the artists’ ontology. The art tools and artistic manners are influential factors on the resulting work of art. The way materials are selected for making tools and the commitment to the manners of the work, reinforce the spiritual aspect of Islamic art. Using library sources and comparative analysis of samples of artworks from the world’s history and art tools used in them, in comparison to examples from Islamic art, this paper attempts to indicate the extent of the influence world’s artists’ ontology have had on the selection of types of the art tools.The results indicate that the use of art tools in every phase of the history is in direct relation to the prevalent thinking of that period. Also in comparison to the art tools in non-religious art, these tools have two material and spiritual dimensions which artists cared about in the Islamic art. Besides the commitment to the specific manners of artistic act was regarded as guarantee for the realization of the final goal and the expression of the Muslim artists’ servitude to God through art.