Authors
1
PhD student in Higher Education Management, Department of Educational Management and Planning, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2
Associate Professor, Department of Educational Management and Planning, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3
Professor, Department of Educational Management and Planning, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The efficiency of Iran’s University of Applied Science and Technology (UAST) has been a contentious issue among researchers and higher education policymakers since its establishment. This study aimed to analyze the founding philosophy and the extent to which the university’s objectives have been achieved, employing an exploratory mixed-methods approach. In the qualitative phase, inductive content analysis was used, while the quantitative phase employed the Delphi technique. The study population consisted of experts in applied science education (41 participants in the first phase and 116 in the second phase). Qualitative data were collected through document review, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions, while quantitative data were gathered using a researcher-developed questionnaire and analyzed with Excel and SPSS 23 software. Sampling was purposive in the qualitative phase and snowball in the quantitative phase. The validity of the study was confirmed through the evaluation of two external reviewers, and reliability was established using Cronbach’s alpha (0.931). Findings indicated that the university was established to address four categories of material, efficient, formal, and final causes. These findings indicate that out of 36 objectives (16 educational, 14 economic, and 6 social), the university has successfully achieved 10 objectives, including enabling return or continuation of education, expanding educational equity and access, aligning knowledge with skills, ensuring continuity and coherence across academic levels, covering degree-based programs, facilitating participation of non-governmental and public institutions, and training specialized human resources required in the cultural and artistic, management and social services, and industrial sectors. These findings can serve as a basis for higher education policymakers in enhancing the quality of the University of Applied Science and Technology.
Keywords
Subjects
Quarterly Journal of Research and Planning in Higher Education