The Attitudes for the Differences in the Academic Achievement of the Students of Al-Quds Open University in the View of some Variables.

Abstract

This research aimed at studying the effect of the academic instructor type (full time / part time) on the achievement of Al-Quds Open University learners, by looking at their results in the midterm and final exams in different courses taught by the two types of instructors in different educational regions. It also aimed at identifying the differences in the learners’ achievement as a function of the educational region, the instructor, the course, and the semester, together with the interaction between these factors. The learners’ results were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) by the multi-variance analysis, and the Person correlation factor. The study showed a statistically significant difference in the learners’ achievement in relation to the instructor type in favor for the full time instructor. The researchers attributed this result to many factors. For one, the commitment of the full time instructor to the open education philosophy and pedagogy is higher than that of the part time instructor. Another factor is that the full time instructor spends more time on campus than the part time instructor, and is more available to give support to his students and answer their academic questions. According to the results of the study the authors recommended an increase in the number of the full time instructors in the educational regions, and to rethink the role of the academic instructor, and to improve his professional skills. It is also essential to ensure that the specializations of the part time instructors are very closely related to the courses they teach.