Faculty Members and Students` View Points about Barriers to Research in Islamic Azad University, Najaf Abad Branch

Universities are the most important place for producing science So, organizing academic research is one of the most important effective strategies for social development. The purpose of this study was to identify intra -academic barriers to research from the perspective of faculty members and students of the Islamic Azad University of Najaf Abad Branch.

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted  on 51 faculty members and 311 students of Islamic Azad university of  Najaf Abad Branch in 2021. For gathering data a researcher-made questionnaire includes 26 questions in five areas; The student's ability to implement the research plans, the systematic barriers, the access to facilities, the cooperation of research centers, and the access to research and statistical consultants was used. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated through the opinions of experts and confirmed by officials, and its reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha test of 90%. Data were analyzed by independent T-tests, analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation using SPSS.

The results showed that research obstacles from the perspective of students and faculty members were: The student's  inability to implement the research plans, the systematic barriers, lack of access to facilities, Non cooperation of centers, and lack of access to research and statistical consultants. There is no significant difference between the views of students and faculty members in any of the five areas. Girls had a significantly higher score in the field of student's inability to implement the research plans than boys (P=0.008, t=4.506). Students who had a history of publishing articles had a higher score in the area of lack of access to facilities (P=0.045, t=5.740).

According to the results of this study, research activities are affected by numerous obstacles from the perspective of the faculty members and students. The empowerment of human resources, providing facilities, as well as designing appropriate information and communication systems can be effective in resolving barriers to research.