The role of faculty members' performance quality in self-directed learning: the research self-efficacy test

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of faculty members' performance quality in self-directed learning mediated by research self-efficacy in graduate students of Bu Ali Sina University. method of this research is quantitative, descriptive and correlational studies. The statistical population included graduate students of Bu Ali Sina University in the number of 4000 people. The statistical sample of the study was 366 people who were selected using Krejcie and Morgan table and simple random sampling method. Research data collection instrument included three standard quality performance questionnaires of Tagomeri and Bishap (2011) faculty members, Holden et al. (1998) research self-efficacy, and Fischer and King (2001) self-directed learning. To determine the face and content validity of the questionnaires from the point of view experts and for construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis was used. Cronbach's alpha test was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of questionnaires was respectively ./89, ./90 and ./77 obtained. Research data were collected by Pearson correlation coefficient and confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis. The results showed that the variable of faculty members 'performance quality has a direct positive effect (0.51), indirect positive effect (0.30) and a positive and significant total effect (0.81) on students' self-directed learning variable. Research self-efficacy has a positive direct effect (0.55) on the self-directed learning variable at the level of 0.01. Also, the variables of quality of faculty members 'performance and students' research self-efficacy explain 62% of the variance of the self-directed learning variable.