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The Colorado learning attitudes about science survey (CLASS) was given to 308 high school physics students in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where physics is taught every year through middle and high school. Student responses were tested using several different latent factor models: two based on those published in the recent literature and two new models developed through exploratory factor analysis. Four subscales containing 25 of the original CLASS items were found to be internally reliable and cross-culturally valid. These are Conceptual Connections, Personal Interests, Sense-Making/Effort, and Personal Application and Relation to the Real World. Scores on Conceptual Connections correlated significantly with grade level; Sense-Making correlated most with exam scores; and Personal Applications and Relation to Real World scale best differentiated males and females, where males score significantly higher. Our findings are compared to those in previous international reports.

The purpose of the study is to discuss the role of employers’ engagement in the educational process of universities in assuring the quality of educational services and preparing quality graduates. Realization of the principle of integrating education, science and industry in modern conditions ensures a balance between the content of educational programmes, results of R&D and industry. Thus, the paper discusses the current launched mechanisms of Kazakh National University in Kazakhstan aimed at promoting an establishment of mutual trust between the university and the employer community to ensure the quality of provided educational services. The results of the paper could serve as a guide to the most necessary aspects of cooperation practices between universities and employers for potential academy managers and practitioners in quality management processes.