Obstacles to the Optimal Implementation of Educational Needs Assessment in National Gas Company of Iran and Solutions for Improvement
Subject Areas :omid oshaghi 1 , Mitra Ezati 2 * , keyvan salehi 3
1 - Master's degree, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran.
2 - Assistant Professor, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran.
Keywords: training of employees, educational needs assessment, barriers to implementation of educational needs assessment, focus groups,
Abstract :
With regard to the increasing significance of role the of educational needs assessment as the first step in the process of optimal training of employees and the existing gap in comprehensive identification of obstacles to this value-creating process, the present study seeks to analyzing this phenomenon by using a qualitative approach. In addition, it aims to identify the obstacles of the educational needs assessment process in The National Gas Company of Iran and to suggest solutions for its improvement. To this purpose, the method of focus groups was used. The study was conducted in National Gas Company of Iran and the participants were selected from the employees of the training and equipping units of human resources of this company using the purposeful sampling method. The data collection was done using the focal interview technique and the data saturation level was reached in the fourth focal interview (including 20 individuals). In order to validate the research findings, the criteria of reliability, transferability, verifiability, reliability and agreement between two coders (intrasubject agreement) were used. The data analysis using the theme analysis method resulted in the identification of 207 conceptual propositions, 19 basic themes and 4 main themes. The main themes included individual barriers (insufficient participation of the organization's employees in the educational needs assessment process, etc.), organizational barriers (defects in the processes of the organization's human resources planning unit, etc.), managerial barriers (insufficient participation of managers, heads and supervisors of the organization in the educational needs assessment process, etc. ) and environmental obstacles (lack of necessary and appropriate infrastructure in the organization, etc.). According to the findings of the research, it is necessary to focus on the identified obstacles in order to optimally implement the educational needs assessment process in the National Gas Company of Iran. The solutions were presented in order to reduce the impact of obstacles on the optimal implementation of the educational needs assessment process and its improvement.
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