Identifying the Levels of Commercialization of Knowledge in the Iranian Higher Education System and its Validation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD., Student, Department of Higher Education Management, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Management and Higher Education, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify and prioritize the levels of knowledge commercialization within the Iranian higher education system and to validate these findings.
Method: The research method employed is an exploratory mixed-method approach. To gather information, a combination of library studies and the identification of an expert group was utilized. Sixteen individuals were interviewed using a semi-structured interview tool and the snowball sampling method, ultimately achieving theoretical saturation. After conducting the interviews, examples were identified and categorized using the content analysis method. Subsequently, the identified examples from the research community, specifically professors at the Islamic Azad University of Tehran, were prioritized and validated. The validity and reliability of the qualitative component were established through the triangulation method and the test-retest index. In the quantitative component, these were confirmed by subject matter experts, Cronbach's alpha, and factor loadings.
Findings: The findings were derived from both qualitative and quantitative components. In the qualitative segment, the levels of knowledge commercialization within the country's higher education system were assessed through interviews with a group of experts. The collected information was analyzed using content analysis, which identified six comprehensive themes: environmental factors, organizational structure, characteristics of intellectual creators, characteristics of created knowledge, characteristics of knowledge consumers, and types of knowledge. Additionally, the analysis revealed 25 organizing themes and 87 basic themes. Then, in the quantitative phase, data was collected using a questionnaire distributed among the research community, specifically professors at Islamic Azad University in Tehran. The data was prioritized based on factor loadings. The analysis revealed that the theme of intellectual characteristics of intellectual creators had a coefficient of 93.9%, while the theme of specialized knowledge had a coefficient of 94.9%. Both themes were identified as the top priorities within the levels of comprehensive and organizing themes.
Conclusion: The results of the study indicate the identification of the levels of commercialization within the Iranian higher education system. The calculated factor loadings highlight the importance of considering all levels of analysis. The order of prioritization derived from these loadings underscores the need to evaluate the contribution of each instance to the variable under study, particularly in light of limited resources and the necessity for effective management.

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Main Subjects


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