Malihe Ahmadi; Khadijeh Abolmaali Alhosseini
Abstract
The aim of the study was to develop, validate and determine the factor structure of a questionnaire for measure students' positive orientation toward school. Method: By using literature review and experts opinion a questionnaire comprising 60 questions was developed. In order to determine comprehensibility, ...
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The aim of the study was to develop, validate and determine the factor structure of a questionnaire for measure students' positive orientation toward school. Method: By using literature review and experts opinion a questionnaire comprising 60 questions was developed. In order to determine comprehensibility, validity and reliability, the questionnaire was completed by 30 students and three of those questions were dropped because of inadequacy. Then 303 students were selected through multiple steps random sampling method and completed 57 items questionnaire. In order to extract the underlying components of the 57-item Positive Orientation to School Questionnaire, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used and the data were analyzed using SPSS software. The Kayser-Meier-Oliken index (KMO) was 0.891. This index indicates that sample size is desirable for exploratory factor analysis. Results: Principal components analysis revealed that Positive Orientation to School Questionnaire consists of four factors: school satisfaction, school belonging feeling, academic effort and attitude towards classmates. according to confirmatory factor analysis, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the four components extracted were 0.892, 0.875, 0.646 and 0.552, respectively. With the exception of the fourth component which has a relatively low Cronbach's alpha coefficient due to the low number of items (4 items), the other items have acceptable internal consistency. Conclusion: The Positive Orientation to School Questionnaire is a reliable tool for assessing students' feelings and behaviors toward school.
abas abbaspour; mohamad shargi
Volume 2, Issue 5 , October 2011, , Pages 1-32
Abstract
Background: Evaluation is an important component in higher education. In few last decades, in the higher education of Iran, validation approach to evaluate and validate the higher education system has been used. The first phase of higher education evaluation was internal evaluation of Educational Departments ...
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Background: Evaluation is an important component in higher education. In few last decades, in the higher education of Iran, validation approach to evaluate and validate the higher education system has been used. The first phase of higher education evaluation was internal evaluation of Educational Departments in most universities across the country. Objective: This paper aims to report on the implementation of internal evaluation in the Department of Educational Management of the college of Ppsychology and Education in Allameh Tabataba'i University in order to improve educational quality. Method: This paper points out the findings obtained from a case study of implementing internal evaluation, encompassing 12 steps, in the department of educational management of a university in Iran. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to collect data from the heads, faculty members, students, alumni, and library staff of the department, as well as the immediate managers of the alumni. The methods of data collection included interviews, document review, questionnaires, and checklists. Results: In general, the results of the research showed that the average of seven criteria under evaluation (Department management goal and structure, Faculty members, Students, Alumni, Teaching and learning processes, Implemented courses, educational equipments and resources) in three departments was quite desirable. Conclusion: This report can be a basis for the procedures necessary for continuous improvement of the quality of Educational Departments, developing the necessary culture and conditions for accountability in higher education, monitoring the internal quality, improving the staff quality, and clarifying the mission, goals and objectives of the program/institution.
