Identifying Challenges and Strategies for Enhancing Research Effectiveness in The field of education in Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : research article

Authors

1 Postdoctoral Researcher in Higher Education, Department of Educational Management and Planning, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 Professor of Education Economics, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Policy Evaluation and Science, Technology and Innovation Monitoring Department, National Research Institute for Science Policy (NRISP), Tehran, Iran.

10.22080/eps.2026.32123.2432

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the present study is to identify the challenges and strategies for enhancing research effectiveness in the field of education in Iran. To achieve this, two main research questions were formulated and addressed: identifying the challenges and barriers to the effectiveness of research in this field from the perspective of experts, and extracting effective strategies to enhance this effectiveness.
Methodology: This is an applied research in terms of purpose, and a qualitative study based on interpretive phenomenology in terms of approach. Data were collected through open-ended, semi-structured interviews with 15 experts in policymaking and research effectiveness, and analyzed using Clarke and Braun's (2013) seven-step thematic analysis method. To ensure trustworthiness, strategies such as data triangulation, member checking, and peer review were employed.
Results: The findings revealed that the factors influencing the effectiveness of university research in the field of education are categorized into two main dimensions: "intra-university factors" (including researchers' individual competencies, scientific-technical infrastructure, and structural-managerial factors) and "extra-university factors" (including contextual-environmental, economic, and political factors), along with their respective sub-components. Additionally, in response to the second question, corresponding policy implications and strategies tailored to each challenge were identified and presented.
Conclusions and suggestions: Under current conditions, moving towards effectiveness by researchers, policymakers, and education governance at both macro and micro levels is inevitable and essential. This shift will lead to improved mechanisms for funding and allocating research resources, enhanced decision-making quality within the education system, facilitated policymaking in this domain, and increased attention from researchers to the applicability and effectiveness of their findings.
Innovation and originality: By categorizing endogenous and exogenous factors and emphasizing the role of "human agency," "problem-oriented culture," and "science-belief" within the educational governance ecosystem, this study provides a novel, context-specific model for enhancing the effectiveness of educational sciences research in Iran.

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Main Subjects

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Journal of Educational Planning Studies

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 17 August 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 07 June 2026
  • Revise Date: 29 July 2026
  • Accept Date: 17 August 2026

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