Structural equations modeling for developing a learning faculty of agriculture

In current changing world، the educational institutions، like other organizations، should learn and use this learning for improving their work process and performance. This study analyzed the role of contextual components (shared vision، system thinking، learning organizational culture، flexible structure، personal mastery and professional development and transformational leadership) and process component (educational organizational learning) in promoting agricultural faculties’ performance (performance component) to become learning organizations. Research method was correlation using survey method. The population consisted of all full- time faculty members of public Agricultural Faculties affiliated to the Ministry of Science، Research and Technology (MSRT). Using the Krejcie and Morgan table and multi-stage stratified sampling with proportionate attribution، 329 faculty members were selected as a sample. Questionnaire was the main tool for data collection، which was validated by a panel of experts and the reliability was gained through a pilot study with Cronach’s Alpha coefficient between 0. 79 to 0. 95. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)، maximum likelihood method، and Lisrel 8. 50 software used for analyzing data. Research findings indicated that four contextual components (shared vision، learning organizational culture، flexible structure and transformational leadership) and process component were significantly correlated. These components could explain 90 percent of the process component variance. Furthermore، the process component and performance component were strongly related and the process component could explain 42 percent of the performance component variance.