Journal of Research in Educational Systems

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to design and validate a model of an ethical university in Iranian medical universities.
Method: The research was applied and mixed-method. In the qualitative phase, data were collected using the grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) through semi-structured interviews with 26 experts in professional ethics, educational management, and higher education. Data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. The qualitative sample included managers and administrators from medical universities in Zanjan, Qazvin, Qom, Saveh, Arak, and Alborz, faculty members, Ministry of Health experts, and specialists in ethics and medical education. In the quantitative phase, a 30-item researcher-made questionnaire based on qualitative findings was developed and distributed among 384 managers, deputies, experts, faculty members, and researchers. Data were analyzed using SPSS, AMOS, and Smart PLS.
Results: Second-order confirmatory factor analysis indicated satisfactory model fit: χ²/df = 2.081, RMSEA = 0.040, CFI = 0.948, GFI = 0.962, and TLI = 0.956. Key factors influencing the model included policies and structures, ethical education and research, ethical leadership, ethical artificial intelligence, ethical culture and behavior of actors, supervision, social responsibility, and ethical development. Thirty core indicators were identified, including a code of ethics, ethics committees, training courses, responsible research workshops, and ethical guidance for managers.
Conclusion: An ethical university is a multidimensional and dynamic phenomenon that integrates policymaking, culture, education, and ethical technology. It can serve as a framework for enhancing organizational health and professional ethics in medical higher education in Iran.

Abstract Objective: Organizational cronyism is a significant issue in public organizations, particularly educational institutions, whose identification and assessment require reliable tools. The present study aimed to develop and validation a questionnaire for identifying organizational cronyism in educational settings.
Method: This research employed a mixed-method approach with a sequential exploratory design. In the qualitative phase, data were collected and analyzed using descriptive phenomenology through semi-structured interviews with 17 employees of the Department of Education in Hamedan Province. Based on the qualitative findings, a 65-item questionnaire was developed. Following face and content validity assessments, it was administered to 545 employees of the same organization using stratified random sampling. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were examined using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and Cronbach’s alpha.
Results: Psychometric analyses revealed that the final questionnaire, consisting of 44 items and five main factors—'favoritism,' 'unfair allocation,' 'unregulated appointments,' 'partisanship,' and 'kinship hierarchy'—explained 57.94% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that all final items had factor loadings above 0.40, and the fit indices (CFI = 0.908, TLI = 0.901, RMSEA = 0.057) demonstrated a good fit of the measurement model. The questionnaire's convergent validity was 0.621, its reliability coefficient measured by Cronbach’s alpha was 0.92, and the test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.733. The results confirmed that the Organizational Cronyism Questionnaire has satisfactory validity and reliability.
Conclusions: The Organizational Cronyism Questionnaire is a comprehensive, reliable, and valid instrument for assessing organizational cronyism in educational environments.

Abstract Objective: This research has been conducted by designing and validating the model of creating an entrepreneurial society in the basic education system with a sociological approach.
Methods: It is a mixed sequential exploratory research; socio-statistics of this research in the qualitative part consists of educational and research experts and managers specializing in the basic education system and entrepreneurship and in the quantitative part it consists of managers, teachers, professors and consultants in Educational Year of 2020-2021. The samples in the qualitative section included 12 people using a targeted method until reaching theoretical saturation, and in the quantitative section 385 people were selected using a multi-stage cluster random method. The data was analyzed by semi-structured interview and conventional content analysis method with coding, and based on that, a model with 3 dimensions, 9 components and 100 items were designed. To validate the model, first a questionnaire was designed, and after determining face and content validity, 20 questions were removed and 80 questions remained.
Resuls and Conclusion: The results showed that the factor loading of all questions is above 0.4, the convergent validity is above 0.5, the reliability of both criteria (Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability) of all dimensions is above 0.8, and the validity of the variable is confirmed, and finally, the quality index fit of the model is greater than 0.36. The designed model has strong validity, reliability and fit, and policy makers and planners can use it to evaluate and review the current situation of the basic education system in order to create an entrepreneurial society.

Abstract Background: One of the important issues that contemporary education faces is the issue of moral education. The importance of ethical education in the education system, especially in the elementary period, is obvious and undeniable, and ethical education is also part of a curriculum that will boost the students' academic and practical skills. Method: This research is a qualitative research with a descriptive-analytical approach and its method is "Qualitative content analysis method" in particular. To identify the status of moral education in the elementary period, the primary data was obtained using qualitative and documentary analysis. To select interview samples, a targeted sampling method and specifically a snowball technique were used with 15 researchers involved in the subject and the "theoretical saturation criterion”. Findings and Conclusion: The results of the interview were arranged by using the selected coding and the final model was arranged in the form of four elements of goals (in the cognitive, emotional and emotional domain), principles, content and educational methods. Among the features of this pattern Can be native, attention to audience characteristics, scientific, specificity, simplicity, exquisiteness, realism, educational outlook, and active approach to teaching and learning.

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