Attitude Modeling, Job Similarity and Information Structure in Faculty Members

Introduction and Objectives: Considering the importance of higher education and the fundamental role of faculty members in developing the quality of universities and establishing justice, it is necessary to correctly determine their performance, which is one of the main components of higher education. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a model for determining the faculty member workload at Hamadan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamadan, Iran. Materials and Methods: This multi-stage mixed study was conducted in three stages. In the first stage, a qualitative research method was used to conduct 15 semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 faculty members at Hamadan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamadan, Iran, in the academic year 2018-19. The qualitative data were analyzed using Graneheim and Lundmanchr('39')s method and a content analysis approach. Subsequently, in the second stage of presenting a model for workload determination, 230 people were selected by stratified random method and Morgan table. Positive and negative emotions, self-regulation, and academic self-improvement questionnaires were used to collect the data. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed by expert opinions and Cronbachchr('39')s alpha, respectively. Qualitative content analysis method, structural equations, and LISREL were used in order to analyze the data. Results: According to the results of the qualitative data, the dimensions of the initial model using the content analysis approach were classified into seven categories of "education and teaching", "research", "specialized activities outside the university", "entrepreneurship", "individual development", "culture", as well as "executive and managerial activities". Positive and negative emotions, self-regulation, and academic self-improvement questionnaires showed a good fit of the model. Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be said that Azad Universities of Hamadan province, Iran, have not yet been able to consider appropriate activities for faculty members in the main categories of "research", "entrepreneurship", "individual development", "culture", and "other activities" that professors pay attention to. On the other hand, the main focus is on "teaching and learning" and "executive activities".