Identify of Pathology Components of Knowledge Production in Islamic Azad University

Today, the importance of knowledge and its production is not hidden from anyone and universities are considered as the main axis of its production. Knowledge production, like all other productions, has challenges and disadvantages that need to be studied. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to identify the components of pathology of knowledge production in Islamic Azad University.

This study was applied in terms of purpose and qualitative in terms of implementation method. Participants in the study included academic experts of the Islamic Azad University of Isfahan in the academic year 2020-21. Based on the theoretical saturation method, 22 people were selected by purposive samplingThe research tool was semi-structured interviews. To validate the findings, two methods of content validity were used by 4 experts outside the research and 2 experts inside the research. Also, for reliability, the coding agreement method was used, which resulted in 0.86. For data analysis, open, axial and selective coding method was used using thematic analysis method with Maxqda18 software

Findings showed that 86 open codes, 9 central codes and three selected codes for knowledge production pathology were identified in Islamic Azad University; So that the selected codes include the harms of the university system (policy makers, stakeholders); There were structural damage (higher education curriculum, research structure, support structure, dependent structure) and economic, cultural and social damage (cultural, social, economic).

Based on the findings, it can be concluded that knowledge production in Islamic Azad University has challenges in three areas (Academic, structural and cultural injuries) that in order to improve the quantity and quality of knowledge production, the laws related to science and science should be reviewed as well as scientific promotion of professors and students.