Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Ph.D. Student, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Bojnourd Branch, Bojnourd, Iran.
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Bojnourd Branch, Bojnourd, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction and Objectives: Educational and research institutions, as the most critical subsystems of the scientific macro-system, play a vital role in developing a country by training and preparing competent, skilled, and efficient human resources to address the real needs of society in various fields. Therefore, it is essential to use desirable, precise, and systematic methods in designing, implementing, and evaluating the activities of these institutions. Islamic science institutions, as structured systems of Islamic education, have consistently emphasized "the strategy of nurturing innate talents, realizing Allah-given potentials, and shaping the epistemic, spiritual, skill-based, and identity-based framework of learners within the main criteria of an ideal educational system" (Rashad, 2016, p. 116).
Among Islamic sciences’ various educational, research, promotional, and propagation systems, research is considered the driving and system-building component. Consequently, effective training of researchers requires designing and using effective educational models. Today, various models are employed in Islamic science institutions to train researchers.
Effective educational systems must consider context, input, process, and product factors to achieve desired outcomes. The existence of effective models for training researchers highlights the importance of agency in enhancing the effectiveness of research.
According to the reviews, no comprehensive and precise study has yet been conducted that examines all dimensions of existing educational models and directly relates to Islamic sciences.
This study identifies, analyzes, and measures the effectiveness of models for training researchers and answers the question: What are the most critical existing models for training Islamic science researchers in Islamic science institutions in Iran, and what are their components, strengths, and weaknesses?
Method: This research is qualitative in nature and involves the collection and analysis of non-numerical data to understand concepts, perspectives, and experiences, as well as the analysis of unstructured data. In terms of execution and data collection, it falls under phenomenological research.
Since the outcomes and results of the study provide a framework for action, enabling Islamic science institutions to address a significant portion of the challenges in training researchers, it is considered applied research.
Exploratory methods such as documentary and library studies, as well as semi-structured interviews, were used to collect non-numerical data. The models for training researchers were identified using thematic analysis based on the Attride-Stirling (2001) method, including basic, organizing, and global themes.
Following the exploratory phase, the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) evaluation model was used in the analytical phase to assess the effectiveness of existing models, evaluating the four dimensions of the model: context, input, process, and product.
The research population consisted of experts and researchers from Islamic science institutions whose models were examined. Sampling was done through purposive and available sampling, and 15 experts and participants, each representing one of the identified models, were invited for interviews to gather insights on the dimensions of the researcher training models. Furthermore, face and construct validity were used to assess the research variables’ validity.
Results: According to the thematic analysis, the studied models for training researchers share four key characteristics in the "context" dimension. These characteristics help training centers select models that consider influential factors in researcher training and adopt appropriate and effective approaches to address surrounding issues while aligning with researchers’ cognitive and personality traits.
In the "input" dimension, the studied models share nine key characteristics under organizing themes. These characteristics help centers choose models that combine educational and research approaches, emphasize scientific methodology, and align values, attitudes, needs, and scientific plans with the institution’s human resource capabilities.
In the "process" dimension, the studied models share six key characteristics under organizing themes. These characteristics help centers select models that can apply context and input factors in training and achieving organizational goals. This dimension enables centers to mobilize research capabilities, including laws, regulations, and motivational resources, for evaluating and promoting researchers.
In the "output" dimension, the studied models share three key characteristics under organizing themes. These characteristics help centers choose models that use evaluation methods, standards, and tools to assess the outcomes of training programs and revise and improve the methods and tools used in researcher training based on the institution’s promotion system.
Discussion and Conclusion: According to the evaluation of Islamic science researcher training models, the most significant strengths of the basic themes and components at the "context" level include the importance of an integrated and formal curriculum in the Islamic seminaries, a motivation system aligned with the seminary system and the position and lifestyle of Islamic seminary students, the importance of motivational factors in environments closely related to research production, presence in real scientific arenas, simultaneous attention to practical and applied issues and needs, attention to common elements of research methods in humanities and Islamic sciences, methodology, content mastery over the subject, and the ability to identify problems, and research needs assessment.
At the "input" level, the most significant strengths include developing stage-specific research methodologies, belief in the ability to produce religious science, product- and output-oriented evaluation, creating an interactive critique environment, emphasis on theorizing in Islamic humanities, admitting postgraduate students with an emphasis on value chains, addressing and solving issues in the Islamic system with a religious and problem-oriented approach, attention to infrastructure and support systems for Islamic science research, and emphasizing the integration of research, education, and propagation in researcher training.
At the "process" level, the most significant strengths include skills in case-building and direct writing in data collection, proficiency in foreign languages for using primary sources, attention to motivators and intrinsic and religious motivation systems, scientific visits with experts and successful exemplars, scientific and skill-based empowerment of researchers, skill-, discussion-, group-, and model-based evaluation, and the ability to achieve precision and a qualitative approach in theorizing.
Finally, at the "output" level, the most significant strengths include skill-based evaluation over memory-based evaluation, process-oriented evaluation in Islamic science issues, evaluation based on the intrinsic motivation of divine proximity, promoting trained and employed talents in organizations and institutions, and opening new horizons and proposing innovative perspectives for Islamic science researchers.
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