Keywords = Grounded Theory
Sociology of Immigration

Explaining the phenomenon of engineering graduates’ migration from the perspective of Grounded Theory

Volume 18, Issue 3, Summer 2026, Pages 79-113

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2026.5689.5264

Zahra Sanati, Mohammad Hassani, Reza Fathi

Abstract Given the increasing trend of engineering graduates’ migration in recent years, the aim of the present study is to explain the phenomenon of engineering graduates’ migration. This research employed a qualitative approach based on Grounded Theory. The participants included faculty members in engineering and sociology from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, as well as experts and managers in the field of engineering. Using purposive sampling, individuals rich in relevant experiences and information were selected in line with the research objective, and data collection continued through in-depth, semi-structured interviews until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis was conducted through qualitative content analysis in three stages-open, axial, and selective coding-using MAXQDA 20 software. A total of 429 open codes were extracted, and through conceptual similarity and commonalities, main categories and subcategories were identified and placed within the paradigm model of Grounded Theory. The results indicate that the factors underlying the phenomenon of engineering graduates’ migration include, in causal conditions: push factors of the origin and pull factors of the destination; in contextual conditions: migration facilitation factors; in intervening conditions: migration support factors; and in strategies: intra-university damaging factors and extra-university deficiency factors. Ultimately, the main consequence of the migration phenomenon among engineering graduates is the weakening of the country’s technical and developmental capacities.

Environment

Presenting a green supply chain management model for sustainable environmental development using Grounded Theory and DEMATEL Method

Volume 13, Issue 2, Spring 2021, Pages 121-148

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2021.368

Z. Delshad, M. Rabani, H. Dehghan Dehnavi

Abstract The green supply chain management model is for environmental protection, which companies could use to reduce negative environmental impacts and achieve the optimal use of resources and energy. The study is an attempt to identify and develop a similar model for the petrochemical industry of Iran’s Fars province using Grounded Theory as a qualitative data technique and the DEMATEL method to test its effectiveness and efficiency. The data collection was based on documents as well as interviews with 20 experts selected through snowball sampling. To analyze the qualitative data, three stages of open, axial and selective coding were used. Criteria were also prioritized using the DEMATEL method and questionnaire. The results indicated the extraction of 21 axial and 90 open coding, which were placed in the form of a paradigm model. Then, using pairwise comparisons in the said method, and the final ranking of selected criteria of green supply chain, showed that the central process design, customers and other external institutions, green innovation, environmental management approaches, human resource management, environmental performance improvement, management and optimization of energy consumption (with values ​​greater than the threshold) have a higher degree of importance (weight).

The Sociological Study of the Process of Professional Identity Formation in Doctoral Students of Social Sciences in Iran

Volume 11, Issue 2, Spring 2019, Pages 65-101

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2019.3039.3354

G. Jafari, A. Sedighian Bidgoli, A. Vedadhir

Abstract Professional identity refers to a process that answers the question "who am I" during One has been studying for years at university. The PhD is the latest stage in the development of this kind of identity that has a great bearing on the career path of individuals. The present article attempts to test the theoretical model of the PhD students' professional identity development in Iran's social sciences. The Grounded Theory of Vedadhir and Others (2017) have been operationalized and the questionnaire has been tested with participation of 191 PhD students of social sciences. Quantitative findings confirm the theatrical propositions obtained from the basic theory model. As can be seen in the above equation, Regression results show that in general, the structure of higher education, the external conditions of the social sciences, the psychological traits of PhD students of social sciences, as well as financial conditions and scientific socialization can change the dependent variable of the professional identity of the PhD degree of social sciences among respondents Better than the rest of the independent variables. The statistical results indicate that the role of external and structural factors is important.

Higher Education

Explaining and modeling the thinking university in Iranian higher education: A Grounded Theory study

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 23 September 2026

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2026.5806.5341

Jamal Salimi, Ali Aminibagh

Abstract A thoughtful university is an institution that moves beyond instrumental functions and the mere transmission of knowledge, focusing instead on critical reflection, scholarly dialogue, and social responsibility. Given the structural challenges and the dominance of quantification in Iranian higher education, the present study aimed to develop a theoretical model of the thoughtful university within the context of Iranian higher education, drawing on the lived experiences of faculty members of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Kurdistan. The study adopted a qualitative approach using grounded theory methodology based on Strauss and Corbin’s systematic design. The research population consisted of faculty members of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Kurdistan. Using purposive sampling with a theoretical orientation, twenty faculty members were selected as the study sample. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was conducted in three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The causal conditions identified included the search for meaning, experiences of constraints, and environmental transformations. The contextual conditions comprised faculty culture, individual characteristics, and organizational conditions. The intervening conditions included evaluation policies, university management, and the climate of interaction. In response to these conditions, faculty members adopted strategies such strengthening scholarly dialogue within the university environment, rethinking teaching and research practices, drawing the collective capacities of faculty members, and managing ways compatible with structural constraints. The consequences of these strategies were categorized as strengthening intellectual life within the university, transforming students’ educational experience, improving the quality scholarly activity, and gradually redefining role the university in society. The findings indicated the realization of the thoughtful university Iran requires a transition from rigid and quantitatively oriented structures toward reflective agency among faculty members and the creation of informal spaces for dialogue.