The Measurement And Analysis Of Iranian Student Satisfaction In Selected California Universities

Purpose. The purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to determine the relationship between the reported level of Iranian college student satisfaction and selected variables: age, sex, marital status, academic classification, major field of study, degree objective, length of stay, source of support, type of residence, and the recommendation of American education. The second purpose was to determine how the combination of the selected variables are multipally related to the reported level of Iranian student satisfaction. Procedures. The sample pool consisted of 280 Iranian students who were listed among the Iranian students enrolled during the Fall of 1980 in the six selected California universities. Out of the 258 questionnaires which were distributed, 159 or approximately 61 percent were returned in usable form. The College Student Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSSQ), Form C, was selected as the data collection instrument for this investigation. The CSSQ is comprised of the following scales: compensation, social life, working conditions, recognition, quality of education, and overall satisfaction. One-way analysis of variance procedures was employed to determine the relationship between the reported level of Iranian student satisfaction and selected variables. A multiple regression stepwise model was used to determine how the combination of the selected variables are multipally related to Iranian student satisfaction. The level of statistical significance adopted for this study was set at the .05 level. Findings and Conclusions. Graduate students are more satisfied in terms of compensation scale scores than are undergraduate students. Students who expected to get a doctoral degree are more satisfied on the overall satisfaction scales scores, as well as on the compensation, recognition, and quality of education scales scores. Students who are supported financially by both their parents and colleges are more satisfied on overall satisfaction scale scores, as well as on the working conditions, recognition, and quality of education scales scores. The students who live in dormitories are more satisfied on the overall satisfaction scale scores, as well as on the compensation, social life, and quality of education scales scores. Also the students who live in married student housing are more satisfied with the working conditions scale scores. The students who would recommend American higher education to future Iranian students express great satisfaction on the overall satisfaction scale scores, as well as social life, working conditions, recognition, and quality of education scales scores. No significant relationships were found between age, sex, marital status, major field of study, and length of stay of the Iranian students and their reported level of satisfaction. The multiple regression procedures for predicting overall satisfaction of Iranian students involved five independent variables. The regression value yielded a multiple correlation of .49 which accounted for 24% of the variance associated with the overall satisfaction scores. Source of support was found to be the best predictor of Iranian student satisfaction. The recommendation of American education, type of residence, degree objective, and age are also related significantly to Iranian student satisfaction