Norms of Science and Scientific Products in Higher Education Institutions; (A Case of a Higher Education Institute in Iran)
Leila Mohammadzadeh, Dr . Bakhtiar Shabani Varaki, Dr . Fariborz Rahimnia
Abstract
The main purpose of this research was to study the impact of administration in higher education in terms of administrators’ faithfulness to scientific norms. These were Universalism, Organized Skepticism Disinterestedness, and Commonality, which analyzed in the context of scientific production in higher education in Iran. This study employed a quantitative method of non-experimental explanatory cross-sectional research. A normative commitment questionnaire developed for collecting data relating to administrators’ faithfulness to scientific norms. University reports were used as main resources to measure scientific productivity at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM). Subjects that participated in this research were the president, vice-presidents, dean of faculties, and members of chairs of academic departments at FUM. They selected from the following academic fields; veterinary-agriculture, basic sciences, technical and engineering. All participants had held their positions in higher education administration for at least two years. Results showed a positive and significant correlation between administrators’ faithfulness to these norms of science and levels of productivity of the university. Moreover, results showed significant differences between departments in terms of administrators’ faithfulness to scientific norms.