Identifying and formulation of Factors Affecting the Advancement of the Higher Education System: A Meta-Synthesis of Previous Studies
Subject Areas :
Mohammad Ghaleh Golabi
1
(PhD Student, Higher Education Management, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran)
Ismat Masoudi
2
(Assistant Professor, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran)
Keywords: : higher education, university, previous studies, model, advancement, meta-synthesis,
Abstract :
The aim of this research is to identify and formulate a model of factors affecting the advancement of the higher education system through a meta-synthesis of previous studies. Data were collected by reviewing documents and scientific sources related to the research topic from 2019 to 2023. This study employed a qualitative approach with an interpretive methodology and content analysis technique, synthesizing 35 published texts focused on factors impacting the advancement of Iran's higher education system. Relevant keywords were searched in reliable scientific databases. The higher education system is a crucial component for the development of modern societies. This complex and professional system in the 20th and 21st centuries comprises multiple factors and components, each associated with various external influences, shaping the expectations for higher education. This complexity is exacerbated in developing countries due to developmental challenges and differing opinions on these components. To enhance the validity and reliability of the collected documents, they were coded separately, achieving a coder agreement of 81% according to the Miles and Heyerman (1994) formula. After analyzing the content, the study identified ten significant and new variables affecting higher education based on the Kesp model: individual factors, higher education programs, psychological dimensions, economic dimensions, political forces, technology, cultural, social factors, educational quality, and capacity building. An eight-hypothesis model was developed from this meta-synthesis.