Constructing of The Causes Choosing Major Courses Questionnaire with an Emphasis on Agricultural Engineering Field

The current study was conducted through an exploratory mixed method with the aim of creating a questionnaire regarding the reasons for choosing the field of agricultural engineering. The statistical population of the qualitative research involved studies related to the choice of majors as well as undergraduate students of agricultural faculties. 91 studies were selected by the enumeration method and through purposeful snowball sampling 12 students were recruited based on the theoretical saturation index. The qualitative data were extracted through interviews and processed and analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method. Out of the given population, 382 people including undergraduate students of the agricultural faculties were also selected using stratified random sampling representing statistical population sample. The quantitative data were driven through the implementation of a researcher-made questionnaire and analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis using SMART PLS3. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated and confirmed by piloting. On the other hand, factor loading and the divergent validity test, and the reliability of the questionnaire was also evaluated and confirmed using Cronbach's alpha test and composite reliability method, respectively. And finally, an 84-item questionnaire was obtained containing six factors related to major (the strongest relationship with the main structure), individual, organizational, economic, and social factors, and family status (the weakest relationship with the main structure). Each factor i.e. major, individual, organizational, economic, social, and family status included 10, 26, 8, 9, 26, and 5 items respectively.