Dynamics of imbalanced higher education development: analysing factors and policy implications

Higher education leaders play an important role in promoting ethics and sustainable development in society, so they are expected to engage in "sustainable ethical leadership". Ethical leadership and sustainable leadership are intertwined concepts that are necessary to achieve success and sustainability. The purpose of the current research was to develop and validate a scale to measure "sustainable ethical leadership" in Iran's higher education system. For this purpose, the theoretical foundations and literature of internal and external researches in the field of ethical leadership and sustainable leadership were examined with a six-step approach of systematic review of the background, and based on that, the competencies, functions and consequences of "sustainable ethical leadership" was extracted and a tool was designed. In the next stage, this tool was implemented among 334 faculty members of Shiraz University and University of Technology who were selected by stratified random sampling method. The content validity of the tool structure was measured using item analysis and first- and second-order confirmatory factor analysis, and its reliability was measured using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Validation results showed that the "Sustainable Ethical Leadership" scale had a suitable fit. In the variable of "sustainable ethical leadership", competences, functions and consequences with a factor load (0.94), (0.98) and (0.95) were significant explanations of this variable and their validity was confirmed. Other results indicated the validity and reliability of this scale. The sustainable ethical leadership scale can be a valid tool to evaluate the degree of orientation of university managers to ethical dimensions and sustainable development at the same time.

The main goal of this research is to identify the expectations of the higher education system of Iran from universities and research institutes. In line with the main goal research, an attempt has been made to analyze the upstream documents of Iran's higher education system and extract the expectations from the higher education system in order to provide suggestions for the governing institutions as well as universities and institutions of higher education. The present study was conducted qualitatively and with the method of document study using thematic analysis method. Two filtering stages were performed by two experts simultaneously and the results were compared in the next step, and finally 391 axes were extracted from these documents and clustered into eight categories. The study group of the current research was formed in the study section of upstream documents of the Iran's higher education system. The findings of research showed that the main axes of the concepts mentioned in the upstream documents can be clustered in the eight main axes of infrastructure, research, education, policy, scientific participation, communication with industry and commercialization. Meanwhile, the axis of education, which is the main function of most universities and institutions of higher education, ranks fourth in terms of the attention of upstream documents. Also, the fields related to the activities of the universities in the third and fourth generations, placed in the least amount of attention. On the other hand, the upstream documents, whose main focus should be universities and higher education institutions, include less than 20% of statements extracted from upstream documents. The results obtained from the study of upstream documents in the current research showed that the documents emphasize the axes of infrastructure, research, cultural and social, education, policy, scientific participation, connection with industry and commercialization, and in the meantime, infrastructure criteria, Cultural and social, research and education, respectively, have the most focus in the upstream documents of the higher education system. Upstream documents have diverse expectations from Higher Education systems. In some cases they are in far distance from Higher education systems’ role in international scale.

Optimizing the financing of Iran's higher education system faces major challenges such as smallness of the private sector, lack of a competitive market in knowledge production, the state's small role in higher education, and also the absence of new financial instruments in the capital market along with the development of the money market. As a result, the most important financing resources and major clients of academic research projects are state-run organizations, which also raise finance through tuition. Apparently, there are a few reasons why the higher education system should change its financing methods to achieve great goals. These reasons include intensified economic sanctions, declined capacity of the state to finance this sector, decreased power of families and firms to cover educational and research expenses through private budgets, and the necessity of making higher education expenses efficient with respect to the need to train the future workforce. The method of this study is a descriptive-qualitative, which was carried out in two stages of the library and the implementation of the Delphi method by referring to 20 experts. Aiming to introduce new instruments to make banking asset-backed securities (of facilities type) to education and research clients (families and firms), this study seeks to prove the hypothesis that the mortgage-backed securities can be employed to achieve the following goals. The first goal is to grant facilities to the students who are financially unable to pay tuition. This relieves the pressure on the Students Welfare Fund. The second goal is to grant business financing facilities to talented students. Finally, the third goal is to finance the firms that have research needs but are unable to cover the expenses through their revenues. Regarding 17 indicators, the research findings indicate that experts reached a consensus (Kendall's W= 0.702).

e purpose of the present study was to propose a conceptual framework for research-based education in the context of Iran’s higher education system. This study was conducted within the interpretivist paradigm using a qualitative approach and grounded theory methodology. Semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data from 28 higher education experts selected purposefully through strategies such as maximum variation, snowball, and theoretical sampling. Data analysis was performed in three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The findings revealed that research-based education is characterized as problem-based, problem-identifying, and problem-generating. From a systemic perspective, the inputs (students, faculty, curriculum) and outputs (learning) are identified as active agents, facilitating educators, communicative curricula, and learning in practical contexts. The formation process of this concept is fostered through the provision of structured opportunities within a framework of discourse, human interactions, and freedom of expression. This type of education is influenced by three categories of factors: educational-research, administrative-support, and moral-cultural elements, shaped by both internal and external organizational contexts. It also emerges under the influence of factors such as academic culture, adherence to educational principles, and psychological characteristics. Key strategies for its implementation include the formulation and clarification of university goals and missions, human resource organization, research-based training, and the attraction, support, and active participation of stakeholders. These strategies yield psychological, social, educational, cultural, and economic outcomes. In conclusion, higher education within Iran’s ecosystem requires policies that balance, integrate, and mutually reinforce education and research in a systemic approach. Creative, capable, and socially efficient individuals are developed within an academic culture where education and research function as synchronized wings, propelling the university forward. Achieving this coordination and alignment between education and research necessitates coherence and integration among universities, society, and governance systems.

In examining and analyzing the nature of university autonomy in higher education systems, evaluation and explanation of the relationship between the two institutions of government and university is of particular importance. As the government interferes and controls the policies of higher education, the university is faced with the challenge of the autonomy of the university. The purpose of this study was to understand and explain how the power institution is present and effective on Iran's higher education. The methodology of this research is influenced by Norman Fairclough approach, "Critical Discourse Analysis". The documents and texts studied in this study include all texts and written and spoken literature that address the conditions of university autonomy in Iran and the four dimensions of organizational, scientific, financial and employment autonomy. Given the discursive analysis approach, the practical method of data aggregation is the review of documents. The findings of the research show that the state institution influences all four types of university autonomy in Iran's higher education system through its significant factors. These factors are classified and categorized into three categories: "regulatory and control", "administrative and legal", and "financial and educational". Based on the findings of this study, the demands of the trade union and the efforts of the scientific community to overcome the current policies and procedures of exercising power by the state institution on academic autonomy in Iran are strongly suggested. In addition, "moderating political attitudes", "reviewing the traditional and state-based views on higher education governance" and "trying to revive university autonomy" are the three main strategies for restoring university autonomy in Iran.

У статті здійснено науково-теоретичний аналіз підходів та обґрунтування методологічного концепту побудови та функціонування системи якості вищої фармацевтичної освіти.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is an important and interesting case study to understand in the context of higher education development in the MENA region. The Iranian higher education system can be considered as among the most developed in the region, especially in research and development, despite economic sanctions. With the lifting of the sanctions and having possessed rich economic resources as well as coupled by a relatively stable political situation, these have brighten the prospects for the development of the Iranian higher education. This chapter examines the challenges and prospects of higher education in Iran as well as from the politico-security, economic, social, legal, and educational perspectives as a means to develop holistic insights of higher education in a post-sanction Iran and the MENA region.

The aim of the present study is to propose a positive leadership model within the ecosystem of Iranian higher education. Adopting the qualitative research tradition of content thematic analysis, this study presents a model of positive leadership adapted to the higher education context in Iran. The research domain encompassed all relevant international articles published between 2000 and 2025, as well as domestic articles in the same field from 2010 to 2024. A total of 77 articles were selected through purposive criterion-based sampling and subsequently analyzed and coded. After data saturation was reached, the data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach through coding and categorization, with validation ensured via the “independent coders” method. The findings revealed that the core components of positive leadership include a focus on virtue, supportiveness, positive affect, positive agency, and meaningfulness. These components enhance relationships among team members and foster a positive and constructive educational environment within universities. The implementation of these components can assist academic leaders in increasing motivation and supporting their members, ultimately leading to improved quality in both teaching and research at educational institutions. Positive academic leadership may yield beneficial outcomes for universities, faculty, students, and even the broader society. The proposed model in this study can serve as a framework for nurturing and developing positive leaders and as a practical guide for educational managers and leaders aiming to bring about positive and sustainable changes in Iran's higher education system. Positive leadership has a high potential for generating desirable outcomes at various levels. However, achieving these outcomes requires a comprehensive and validated model and framework. The model presented in this research can serve as a practical guide for educational managers and leaders striving to create positive change in the higher education system in Iran. Additionally, this model can be employed to foster and develop positive academic leaders.

This Special Issue was conceived and developed following a series of international conferences held in Asia, with a particular focus on critically reflecting upon higher education development in the region from broader social and political economy perspectives. Some of the papers in this Special Issue were selected from presentations in the East Asia Social Policy (EASP) Research Network Conference successfully held in Taiwan in 2018, while others were chosen from international events held at Lingnan University in Hong Kong presenting critical reviews and reflections on internationalization, marketization and graduate employment of higher education in Asia. This introductory article puts the discussions of the selected papers in this issue in context, with critical reflections on the key issues being examined in these papers. The Special Issue is published when the world is still confronting the unprecedented global health crisis resulted from the outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic. This article discusses the higher education development trends in Asia through the massification, diversification and internationalisation processes in transforming the higher education system and examines how these development trends are affected by the COVID‐19 crisis.

Globalization concept refers to world compression, ever-increasing consciousness about the world as a whole, and its mutual and real interdependency and integration. The main purpose of this research is to identify and present required strategies for Iran’s higher education system in the globalization era. The research method is descriptive-analytic in which the relevant experts analyze the viewpoints and documents of the Iran’s higher education system. Research results indicated that higher education system should exercise four strategies for properly reacting to globalization. These strategies include qualitative improvement along the quantitative expansion, diversification the funding resources, research in commercialization and completing the science, technology and wealth chain, and finally, increase the scientific and university transactions at international level. Furthermore, this study recommends solutions for implementing all these strategies one by one.JEL Classification: Globalization, Higher Education, University

Although few studies have been conducted regarding the entrepreneurial mindset of students in the higher education system, most of them have tried to explain the entrepreneurial mindset of students based on the approach of entrepreneurial traits. Considering that the results of these studies are weak and unreliable for predicting entrepreneurial mindset, Therefore, in the present study, using the cognitive approach to evaluate the role of (formal-informal) entrepreneurial education in the development of entrepreneurial mindsets among the students of the Iranian higher education system. The statistical population of the research included all students of the Iranian higher education system, 436 of whom were selected for the study. The research tool was a standard questionnaire whose validity was checked by a group of experts and its construct validity and reliability were checked by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient and composite reliability. The findings of the research showed that the state of entrepreneurial elaborating and implementing mindsets of the respondents was not at a favorable level. The results of structural equation modeling showed that the latent variable of non-formal entrepreneurship education had a positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial elaborating and implementing mindsets of Iranian students. Also, the positive and significant effect of the latent variable of formal entrepreneurship education on the entrepreneurial elaborating mindset was confirmed, but its significant effect on the entrepreneurial implementing mindset of students in Iran's higher education system was not supported. According to the results of the research, it is recommended to the planners and policymakers of the higher education system to plan and implement extracurricular entrepreneurship courses in the country's higher education system. Also, in compulsory and optional entrepreneurship curricula in universities and higher education institutions, they pay more attention to practical issues and provide real and suitable conditions - such as holding start-up events - for students to gain experience and entrepreneurship.

Today, the world is facing various environmental hazards as a result of non-standard human activities, and different societies are forced to find solutions to manage and solve them. Universities are one of the significant social institutions in every society, which generally take on special duties when a crisis occurs. Regarding the management of environmental risks, one of the tasks assigned to universities is to implement the idea of a green university, which has often been implemented in different parts of the world in the form of greening the physical environment of the university. While green education in general and green curriculum in particular can increase the effectiveness of universities' activities in this field. Hence, this qualitative research aimed to conceptualize the green curriculum in Iran's higher education system. The population was the curriculum experts who have been active in the field of sustainability and environmental management. Moreover, a collection of authentic scientific papers related to the research objectives were also used in order to further enrich and complete the data. Data analysis was done through semantic content analysis. The results led to extraction of 47 codes related to the concept of the green curriculum. Accordingly, the concept of green curriculum can be categorized in three dimensions: concepts aimed at the society, concepts aimed at the learning ecosystem, and concepts aimed at the classroom and learners.

This study examines the impact of proactive personality on entrepreneurial behavior, considering the mediating role of entrepreneurial intention and the moderating role of gender among students in Iran's higher education system. The research aims to enhance understanding of personality traits in fostering entrepreneurship and provide practical insights for improving entrepreneurship education. The statistical population comprised associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students in Iran’s higher education system. Using simple random sampling in an online setting, 506 students were selected. Data were collected through a standardized questionnaire, whose validity was assessed via expert opinions and construct validity analysis, while reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability. Data analysis, conducted using SPSS 26 and SmartPLS 4, revealed that proactive personality significantly and positively influences entrepreneurial behavior. Students with a proactive personality are more likely to engage in entrepreneurial activities. Additionally, proactive personality affects entrepreneurial intention, which, in turn, enhances entrepreneurial behavior, indicating a mediating role of entrepreneurial intention. The study also explored gender as a moderating factor but found no statistically significant moderating effect on the relationship between proactive personality and entrepreneurial intention or behavior. This suggests that the influence of proactive personality on entrepreneurship is independent of gender. These findings have practical implications for policymakers and educators in designing entrepreneurship programs. Strengthening proactive personality traits in students can encourage entrepreneurial engagement. Moreover, since gender does not play a moderating role, entrepreneurship education should be designed equally for all students.

Higher education in every country has a special place and role in the process of educational, technological, cultural, socio-economic development of the society, it greatly influences other levels and formats of the education system of the given country, such as informal, lifelong (continuous) and adult education. Adult education is based on the main approach that learning is not limited to a certain level of education, but is a continuous process. The purpose of the article is to thoroughly study and analyze the management features and challenges of Iran's higher education system, as well as its importance in adult education. The methods used by us are: the study of sources and documents, data analysis. The scientific novelty of the research is that the current state of Iran's education system, policies and curricula, gaps and challenges were comprehensively analyzed, and in that context, the problems and shortcomings of adult education in Iran were highlighted and evaluated. The main problem has also been studied by Abtahi Seyed Hossein, Bagherimoghadam Nasser, Isazadeh Ebrahim, Ghurchian Nadergholi, Nafisi Abdulhossein, whose views also played a role in the development of higher education in Iran, also studied the basic problem.

Research of The Combination of Production and Education In Higher Vocational Education In The Period of Economic Transition