Identifying Factors Shaping Iranian Higher Education Quality Assurance: A Phenomenological Study

The era of globalization and log in to knowledge-based economy along with the increasing rate of change, actors’ sensitivity to quality issues in order to harmonize with the demands of stakeholders by the system of higher education has become more prominent. This study with review of main trends of higher education developments and major drivers affects the quality assurance of higher education by the point of views, outlooks, and ideas of experts, the typology of forces, shaping quality assurance of higher education. This study was conducted by qualitative method of phenomenological approach with purposive sampling and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 17 faculty members, and was analyzed by Streubert and Carpenter (2003). The results of the shaping quality assurance in 7 main themes including endogenous factors, environmental political, economic, social, international, infrastructure and environmental factors and 17 sub-thematic were summarized. The results of this study can open new horizons of thoughts in relation with creating a desirable future and normative for correct of policies and long-term plans in domain of issues related with higher education quality.