Construction and validation of criteria for university social responsibility assessment

Abstract

The purpose of the current research was to construct and validate an instrument for evaluating social responsibility in Razi University. For this purpose, the sequential exploratory mixed research method was used, and in the qualitative part, the focus group discussion method (n = 27) was utilized. The statistical population in the quantitative section were doctoral students, faculty members and experts of Razi University (N=1425), of which 152 were selected as a statistical sample using stratified proportional assignment sampling. The external and content validity of the research tool was confirmed by the focus group discussion and the calculation of the content validity ratio and construct validity using the average variance extracted and its reliability through the calculation of composite reliability and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The findings of the research showed that the activities of the university to fulfill its social responsibility towards society in 9 dimensions including responsibility towards students, responsibility towards staff and faculty members, economic responsibility, responsibility towards partner universities (inter-university cooperation), responsibility towards the external society, responsibility for the environment, responsibility for quality education, responsibility for cultural development and responsibility for the leadership (management) of the university can be identified. In total, these dimensions explain 81.518% of the variance of the university's social responsibility. In addition, the findings indicated that the activities of the university in the field of social responsibility do not have the same weight and each one has a different weight and contribution.