Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Abstract The debate over theory and theorizing in educational administration has been an old and persistent challenge. Although many experts view the educational administration field as interdisciplinary and integrated, the epistemological foundations and detection of its interdisciplinary nature and classification in education administration that lead to a validation theory in this field has been rarely studied. Considering the single-discipline and interdisciplinary macro approaches in the production of science, an attempt of theorizing actually focuses on the interdisciplinary approach in terms of diversity of integrated types and their diversified performances. Using an analytical-inferential approach, the present study identifies the current condition of "theorizing" in educational administration after identifying and introducing the interdisciplinary evaluation criteria in three forms of multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary. And through analyzing a typical theory entitled "school as a social system" in educational administration, its natural and inevitable processes in the future have been investigated. The findings indicate that theorizing in educational administration studies is on the verge of transition from a single-discipline approach to multidisciplinary types. This way, the evolution of theorizing is predictable by diverging from a multidisciplinary to an interdisciplinary type.

Abstract The purpose of the this article was to explore if there were any differences between EGP and ESP teachers in terms of the way they perceived their pedagogical knowledge and teaching skills in teaching English when they were teaching in distance and regular education systems. To this aim, 84 novice teachers from a regular University and 50 teachers from a distance-study universitywere selected to participate in the survey. The survey instrument used in this study was a questionnaire developed by Choy, Lim, Chong, and Wong . (2012). It consists of 37 items, each with two Likert rating scales of 5 points which assess the self-perceived pedagogical knowledge and skills of the teachers. To compare the mean scores obtained from EGP and ESP teachers' perceptions of their knowledge and skills in distance and regular systems, MANOVA statistical technique was run on SPSS. The results showed that there was not any significant difference between distance and regular teachers of EGP in terms of their perceptions of their knowledge level and teaching skills. But, distance and regular teachers' perceptions of their pedagogical knowledge level in ESP courses were significantly different. A significant difference was also observed in the perceptions of pedagogical skills level between ESP teachers in two university systems with ESP teachers in the distance-study university perceiving their knowledge and skills at a higher level than their counterparts in regular education system. The results of this study have some implications for teacher training programs and pave the way for future studies on teachers' and learners' perceptions.

Abstract One of major concerns of human beings regardless of their religion or school of thought is to observe ethical issues. This paper discusses the issue and lays emphasis on observing ethical matters in teaching in virtual learning environments in general and computer assisted language learning in particular. The paper tries to throw light on the current status of observing ethical issues in virtual learning environments and drawing both instructors and students’ attention to this issue. The research has been conducted by using two questionnaires one given to students and the other to instructors. Data analysis revealed that majority of instructors observed ethical issues when confronted with students’ personal details. Students were most sensitive regarding disclosing their personal photos in these virtual environments; however, they were comfortable if their personal details were controlled by the instructors. The Chi-Square test showed no substantial difference between gender and observing ethical issues in virtual learning environments. 

Abstract Entrepreneurship is among the most important outcomes of university development and requires novel management approaches such as "organizational ambidexterity," which refers to the simultaneous pursuit of exploiting existing capacities and exploring knowledge for the future. This paper aims to design and validate a balanced ambidextrous university model for entrepreneurship development. The research method is mixed-methods with a sequential exploratory design. The target population in the qualitative phase consisted of higher education management experts, with whom 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted purposefully. The statistical population in the quantitative phase included managers and relevant faculty members of Iranian public universities, of whom 256 were selected through stratified random sampling and responded to a researcher-developed questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis, while structural equation modeling was employed in the quantitative phase to validate the model. Instrument validity was confirmed using convergent (AVE>0.5) and discriminant validity indices, and reliability was confirmed through Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability. The findings in the exploitation dimension include components such as university policies and structures, university-industry interaction, education-research development, budget, and university culture. In the exploration dimension, components include needs assessment and training, forward-looking structure, financial resources, innovative policy and culture, future-oriented management, and strategic innovation. Furthermore, ambidexterity balancing strategies were identified in the form of policy and evaluation - resources and structure components. Factor analyses confirmed the validity of the components, and fit indices confirmed the overall validity of the model. The proposed ambidexterity model, by preventing unproductive stagnation and fruitless innovation, paves the way for university-centered entrepreneurship development and, through establishing an effective linkage between university and industry, lays the groundwork for the formation of entrepreneurial ecosystems within universities.