نشریه پژوهش مدیریت آموزش کشاورزی
سال ششم شماره 29 (تابستان 1393)

This study is aimed at identifying agricultural student's attitudes towards self-employment at Hamadan Agricultural Scientific-Applied Educational Center. The research was a survey investigation. The statistical population consisted of 275 students. Statistical sample was 134 students that determined by Cochran formula and sample was chosen through random stratified sampling methodology. The research tool to collect was a questionnaire. The items and indicators of the questionnaire were validated by expert's views. After approving context and face validity, the questionnaire was given to a number of students as pilot test to measures it's reliability by applying Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α=0.82). Results indicated that student's attitude towards self-employment was higher than moderate level. Results showed that there is significant relationship between both the student's entrepreneurship characteristics and the student's interest to work in agricultural sector with their attitude towards self employment. Results also indicated that seven factors as: self-employment ability, tolerance of ambiguity, need for achievement, autonomy, the student's interest to work in agricultural sector, internal control and creativity, 43.3 percent of the dependent student's attitude towards self-employment. Index Terms: Agricultural students, self-employment, students attitude.

Students are considered as the main informatic source of quality and effectiveness of education. By determining the importance of teaching quality factors from student's viewpoints, The population of this study 3097 student's including student's of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Tehran (2027 M.Sc. and Ph.D students) and Faculty of Agriculture at Ferdowsi University (1070 M.Sc. and Ph.D students). this research has studied the viewpoint of graduate and post graduate student's of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Tehran (269 M.Sc. and Ph.D students) and Faculty of Agriculture at Ferdowsi University (202 M.Sc. and Ph.D students) by applying artificial neural networks. Several ANNs were designed, trained and generalized for predicting the teaching quality from student's viewpoints in UTCAN, among these networks, a network with 7- 4- 4- 1 architecture had the highest determination coefficient (R2 = 0.855) and the lowest values of Mean Square Error (0.36) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (13.6%). A network with 7- 38- 36- 34- 1 architecture has the best results for (R2= 0.915), Mean Square Error (0.07) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error 2.87%) between the actual and modeled values of teaching quality from student's viewpoints in FAFU. The results of sensitivity analysis of ANN modeling for UTCAN showed that communication skills and dominance upon content had the highest sensitivity at UTCAN teaching quality from student's viewpoints, respectively and dominance upon content and communication skills had the highest sensitivity at FAFU teaching quality from student's viewpoints.

The purpose of this study was measuring information seeking knowledge of agricultural graduate students and corresponding factors in Zanjan University. Survey methodology was implemented in this applied research. The statistical population consisted of graduate students in the College of Agriculture, University of Zanjan in 2012-2013 (N= 250). The sample size was estimated by using Cochran's formula (n=80). Samples were selected by stratified random method. The research tool was a questionnaire. Validity of the instrument was confirmed by a panel of faculty members and information science experts. Results showed that the mean score of information seeking knowledge of respondents was 7.09 on a scale of 0-20. Information seeking knowledge score of 88.8% of respondents was assessed as moderate to very poor. There was a significant relationship between internet use and information seeking knowledge. Seeking knowledge score of students participated in a library tour, was significantly higher than the students not participated in the tour. Analysis of variance showed that there was no significant difference between the seeking knowledge scores of students with different majors.

This research was carried out with the aim of identifying learning outcomes of hidden curriculum in higher agricultural education in Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. This qualitative research was done through descriptive phenomenology method. Semi structured deep interviews were implemented in order to collect data. Statistical population of this research consisted of all senior agricultural students Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Through purposeful sampling, 40 students were selected as sample or interviewee. The data collection process was continued until reaching theoretical saturation and usefulness threshold of available information. According to Colaizzi's method, qualitative thematic content analysis was carried out to analyze the collected data. Research findings in various behavioral fields are described and summarized in tables. The constructive and unconstructive impacts of hidden curriculum were categorized in 17 and 14 subjective category and descript by a group of representative codes. Also, 10 sources were identified for emerging behavioral impacts of hidden curriculum, including behaviors of students on campus, behaviors of faculty members, personal experiential learning, dormitory environment, behaviors of staff and administrators at the university, extracurricular activities, participation and membership in student organizations, attending mosque and religious circles, the community around the university, and scientific, cultural and political environment of the University. Overall, the results indicate that the effects of the hidden curriculum on student learning and attainment of knowledge, perception and required skills which received less attention in formal curriculum development.

Application of information and communication technology (ICT) in educational and academic systems is an active educational program that draw new education affecting in the presence of the third Millennium, but prior to its application, it must have tried to identify the factors affecting the acceptance and utilize of this phenomenon. This study was designed to investigate factors affecting acceptance of ICT technology by use the Davis's Technology Acceptance Model and develop it with Survey method and questionnaire was used in this study as instrument. Research population included all agricultural graduate students of Khozestan Ramin Agricultural and Neutral Resource University (N=210) that by using Patten (2002) sampling table, 136 person of them were selected and the method of selection was random simple sampling. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via LISREL software was used to evaluate validity and reliability of the research questionnaire, and also to examine goodness of the latent variables and to test research hypothesizes. The results of confirmatory factor analysis confirm both "the validity and reliability" of the questionnaire and "the goodness of the latent variables". The results of structural equation modeling (SEM), showed that most of the research hypotheses were confirmed and the “decision to use” construct has most effect on use of IT is real (t=6.67, γ=0.69) And 48 percent of the variance change explained by these construct. On the other hand, perceived of usefulness of technology, self-efficacy, subjective norm, perceived ease of use of ICT and the importance of attitude towards technology construct as an importance of affecting technology utilize were mentioned. The results of this study can be used to improve graduate students’ utilize skill from information and communication technology in the University.

This paper assessed Isfahan farmers’ attitude and intention to attend agricultural extension and education training courses based on Fishbein-Ajzen Model. The target population consisted of 9692 farmers in Zayanderood bordering river village in Isfahan Province. Given the extent of the research population, a random sampling method was used to select a research sample. The sample size was determined using the Cochran's formula (N=830) and farmers were selected randomly. To collection data aquestionnaire was completed through interview method. To determine the reliability of research instrument, Cronbach alpha coefficient was calculated. (a = 0.79 - 0.92) indicating good reliability of the research tools. Data analysis was done by confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling through LISREL 8.8 and SPSS17. Research showed, same as the principles of Fishbein-Ajzen Model, farmers’ positive attitude and subjective norms (to agricultural extension education trainings) increase their intention to participate in these courses. And so, there was a close relationship between farmer’s attitude and farmer’s intention, and between farmer’s intention and farmer’s behavior.

This study aims to investigated the impact of curriculum components on students’ creativity tendency in Alborz Agricultural Scientific-Applied Higher Education Centers. Statistical population of this research was consisted of 2004 students; from that 178 students were selected as sample useing stratified random sampling. Data was analyzed by SPSS software. Findings of correlation analysis indicated a positive statistically significant relationship between teaching methods, education contents, learner, educators, evaluation and student entrepreneurial creativity. Regulations component did not play an important role in Students entrepreneurial creativity. In contrast, findings revealed negative statistically significant relationship between physical environment and students’ entrepreneurial creativity. Results from multiple regression analysis indicated that educational content, evaluation, learner, teaching methods and physical environment 49.1% of the variance of students’ entrepreneurial creativity.

This research aimed to investigate scientific information seeking behavior through Internet by faculty members of Faculties of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Kermanshah and Arak Universities. Research population consisted of all 78 faculty members in the two mentioned higher educational institutions, and research sample consisted of 54 members who were randomly selected. Research questionnaire was developed to collect data. Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts, and its reliability was obtained through a pilot test and calculation of Cronbach alpha coefficient (α=0.7 0.83). Findings revealed that knowledge about searching methods in the Internet and satisfaction with access to the Internet explained 64 percent of variance in scientific information seeking through internet. Limited access to the academic journal collections through the university contracted services and poor access to the Internet were the major problems inhibiting respondents from seeking scientific information through the Internet. In order to improve information seeking behavior of university faculty members, their information seeking skills and their information literacy should be enhanced, and access to internet and scientific information databases should be improved.

Doubting to apply experts recommendations by farmers is one of the crucial issues in agricultural development. Funds, time and expertise are used to produce research findings and, if farmers don’t implement research findings these resources will be wasted. So, it’s important to know farmers needs and motivations in this regard. The main goal of this study was to investigate the motivation levels of participating farmers and stockmen in Research Finding Diffusion-Push Projects of Fars agricultural research to apply technologies suggested in these projects. The statistical population of this survey was 143 farmers and stockmen who participated, at least, in one of these projects province. Sample size was estimated 103 participants based on Krejcie and Morgan’s Table, to enhance the generalizability of the findings, the sample size was increased to 120. The data were collected through questionnaire. Face validity of the questionnaire was obtained by experts panel and reliability was obtained through a pilot testing. Cronbach's alpha was 0.77. Results revealed that farmers motivations can be categorized in four levels as: wellbeing, identity, hedonistic and idealistic motivations. Also, results showed that wellbeing motivation is the most effective motivation to suggested technologies, and other motivations including identity, hedonistic and idealistic were ranked at lower level.

The purpose of this study was to investigate cultural intelligence indices on the level of entrepreneur behavior of agriculture students by Ajzen Model among the last grade agriculture student at Razi University.Statistical population consisted of 1000 students and the sample size as of 280 students applying Battlet table.Researcher made questionnaire was used to collect data. Validity of the questionnaire was approved by a panel of experts and Kronbach alpha reliability for students’ cultural intelligence indices was 0/82 and entrepreneurship intention was 0/80 and entrepreneurial behavoir 0/79 which are Desired level. In order to data analysis was used of SPSS16 and AMOS 18. The results showed that 78/56 of students haveentrepreneurship mentality at weak and mean levels. Structural equations modeling showed that meta-cognitive cultural intelligence more than other indices of cultural intelligence can be effective in student’s entrepreneurial behavior. Also According to the Indices of Model Fit, the variables are adequate to factors of cultural intelligence impact on entrepreneurial behavior of agricultural students. Pearson Test Results shown that there was significant relationship between factors of cultural intelligence with Entrepreneurial intentions and behavior.