Identifying and Analyzing Expected Outcomes and Impacts of Sabbatical Leaves for Professional Development of Agricultural Faculty Members

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Systemized sabbatical leaves seem as an appropriate mechanism for fostering academic collaboration, improving academic capacities and developing professional capacity of faculty members in higher agricultural education system. This research was done with aim to identify and analysis expected outcomes and impacts of sabbatical leaves for professional development of agricultural faculty members. Methodologically, this research was carried out based on survey strategy. The population of this research consisted of all faculty members of public agricultural faculties and colleges of Ministry of Scientific, Research and Technology (N=1260). Using randomized stratified sampling method, 165 faculty members were selected. A questionnaire was used as research tool in order to collect data. Face and content validity of the questionnaire were established using comments of a group of faculty members. According to calculate Cronbach's alpha (0.79) reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed. Using SPSS 11.5 collected data was analyzed. Based on calculated coefficient of variations expected outcomes and impacts of sabbatical leaves were prioritized in accordance with findings of factor analyzing the expected outcomes and impacts of sabbatical leaves of faculty members, six components were extracted including, fostering educational collaboration and scientific exchanges, research outcomes, personal outcomes , strengthening professional communication, developing academic cosmopolite and professional outcomes. These factors explains multiplicity of outcomes and impacts of sabbatical leaves and respectively explained 22.033, 18.744, 14.225, 10.907, 10.320 and 7.077 of the total variances (totally, explained 83% of variances). Based on inferences of these research findings some mechanisms were suggested for institutional systemizing the sabbatical leaves of faculty members in higher agricultural education.

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