An Analytical Study of Aspects and Components of Institutional Research: Presenting an Integrated Model of Institutional Research

Toroghi, Jafar; Arefi, Mahboobeh; Yamani Douzi Sorkhabi, Mohammad; Marjaei, Seyed Hadi

doi:10.22034/jsfc.2019.100939

An Analytical Study of Aspects and Components of Institutional Research: Presenting an Integrated Model of Institutional Research

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Jafar Toroghi ¹

Mahboobeh Arefi ²

Mohammad Yamani Douzi Sorkhabi ³

Seyed Hadi Marjaei ⁴

¹ Phd (Higher Education development planning), Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran

² Associate Professor, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran

³ Professor, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran

⁴ Assistant Professor, Institute for Research and Planning in Higher Education (IRPHE)

10.22034/jsfc.2019.100939

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analytically study the academic works of higher education experts on identification and conceptualization of different aspects and components of institutional research as well as to present an integrated model based on a functional approach. Institutional research is a set of activities aimed at supporting policy-making and planning for university development by an official central department. The present research is an attempt to identify and explore the institutional research constructs through analytical classification of the contents of related documents and texts. The extracted concepts were classified and analyzed in three steps, i.e. primary open coding, secondary open coding, and axial coding. The selected sample included 58 articles, out of which 52 were published between 1980 and 2015 in international journals outside the country and six of them were published in national journals. The findings of the research show four main categories and twelve subcategories. The four main categories are: Information authority, policy research, decision-making, and accountability. An integrated model of institutional research was developed on the basis of the findings of this research. This model can be a general framework for institutional research ideas and activities in the universities across the country.

Keywords

Institutional Research

University Development Planning

Higher Education Management

Decision-Making

Policy Research

Research and Development