University and the culture-building capacity of society

Subject Areas :

hamidreza mazaheri ¹ , Faranak Mosavi ² , Elham Kaveani ³ , Suosan Laei ⁴

1 - PhD student, Department of Educational Management, Ker.C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran
2 - Professor, Department of Educational Management, Ker.C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Management, Ker.C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran
4 - Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Management, Ker.C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran

Received: 2025-04-17 Accepted : 2025-07-07 Published : 2025-07-07

Keywords: Higher education system, culture-building university, grounded theory, Social responsibility,

Abstract :

The present study aims to identify the components of a culture-making university for Iran’s higher education system. Despite the expansion of higher education institutions and the increasing number of students, graduates, and faculty members, evidence suggests that public culture and social responsibility have not developed proportionally in society. This issue calls into question the role of universities in fostering responsible citizens and cultural development.

This research seeks to analyze the impact of universities as cultural influencers by examining their role in shaping culture and proposes a comprehensive model to enhance the culture-making function of universities in Iran. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach (qualitative-quantitative) with an applied-developmental design.

In the qualitative phase, data were collected through interviews with 15 academic experts and the analysis of 25 peer-reviewed articles, using Grounded Theory and MAXQDA software. The qualitative results identified six core themes: Central phenomenon, Causal conditions, Contextual conditions, Intervening conditions, Strategies, Outcomes Ultimately, 25 key components of a culture-making university were extracted.

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