An Investigation of Structural and Factor Analysis of the  Attitude towards Research and its Relationships with Self- Handicapping and Self-Efficacy among Master Students

The present paper mainly aims to do confirmatory factor analysis of the attitude towards research and its relationship with self–handicapping and self-efficacy among the last semester master students of Kurdistan University.The study adopted a correlative design (factor analysis via oblique rotation with direct OBLIMIN and confirmatory factor analysis were used for testing the validity of instruments and correlation was used for testing the relationship between variables). To do confirmatory factor analysis and to examine the relationship between attitude towards research and self–handicapping and self-efficacy, 400 subjects were randomly selected from among master students of the educational year 2010-2011. The participants completed the Attitude toward Research (ATR), criterion of self-efficacy and self–handicapping and pattern of adaptive learning scales questionnaires. Then the data was analyzed using factor analysis via oblique rotation with direct OBLIMIN, confirmatory factor analysis and regression correlation coefficient. The results of factor analysis via oblique rotation with direct OBLIMIN were indicative of five factors being influential in attitude towards research and then these factors were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency reliability coefficients including Cronbach’s alpha and split-half coefficients were of a satisfactory value (respectively 89% and 87%) for 30 items and 5 factors. Correlation coefficients for ATR questionnaires and self–handicapping and self-efficacy questionnaires were respectively 0.51 and -0.43 which are significant at (P<0001) level. Moreover, the T-test showed that there was no significant difference between male and female students.The results of factor analysis are consistent with prior findings. Considering high validity and reliability value of ATR questionnaires, they can be used in research and academic settings. We can also reduce self–handicapping rate in doing research tasks and increase self-efficacy rate of researches through emphasis on positive attitude towards research.