National Model for Evaluation and Monitoring of Research Institutions in the Country: A Model Derived from Grounded Theory Research

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to present a conceptual model for evaluating and monitoring research institutions in the country. This research was qualitative in nature. The strategy of Grounded Theory (systematic version of Strauss and Corbin) was employed, consisting of open, axial, and selective coding to achieve the research-derived model. Participants included experts in policy-making or those with executive backgrounds in higher education, as well as specialists in the monitoring and evaluation of higher education. In this study, semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 experts and scholars in higher education, who possessed knowledge and lived experience regarding the studied phenomenon (policy-makers, senior managers, heads of research institutions, and faculty and professional members of institutions). Using a qualitative design and purposive and snowball sampling, the interviews were analyzed. Initial codes or concepts were identified after the content of the interviews was transcribed and preliminarily analyzed, and similar codes were grouped into specific categories to achieve the main themes. Titles encompassing all codes within each category were then selected. Findings indicated that the central theme of this study was the national model for evaluating and monitoring research institutions in the country. Strategies were developed based on causal conditions, contextual conditions, and intervening conditions, and the final model was presented accordingly. Subsequently, precise indicators based on the model were developed and organized into 51 indicators and 156 sub-indicators.