Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

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

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

Jamal Salimi 1
Ali Aminibagh 2

1 Associate Professor of Curriculum Studies, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

2 PhD Student in Higher Education Development Planning, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

10.22035/isih.2026.5806.5341
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.

Keywords

thoughtful university
Iranian higher education
Grounded Theory
humanities
critical reflection
Subjects
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Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

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

  • Receive Date 21 April 2026
  • Revise Date 19 June 2026
  • Accept Date 28 June 2026

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