Explain and Design the Process of Internationalization of Iranian Higher Education with a Mixed Approach

Abstract

Purpose: The present study was conducted with the aim of explain and design the process of internationalization of higher education with a mixed approach. Methodology: This study was mixed in terms of practical purpose and method of implementation. The research population was in the qualitative section of documents and international experts on higher education of Payame Noor University, Georgia International Branch. According to the principle of theoretical saturation, 15 of them were selected as the sample by purposive sampling. The research population was a small part of the students of the mentioned university in the academic year of 2009-2010. According to Krejcie and Morgan table, 350 students were selected as a sample by random sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data in the qualitative part and a researcher-made questionnaire (47 items) was used in the quantitative part, and their psychometric indices were confirmed. Data were analyzed by open, axial and selective coding methods and partial least squares in SPSS and Smart PLS software. Findings: The findings showed that in the process of internationalization of higher education, causal conditions included of cultural and social components and economic components, underlying conditions included of financial infrastructure, facilities and equipment components and political components, intervening conditions included of administrative components and support and service components, strategies included of organizational components and academic components and outcomes included of international communication components and educational and curricular components. Also, the process of internationalization of higher education had a good fit and causal conditions on the internationalization of higher education, internationalization of higher education, underlying conditions and intervening conditions on strategies and strategies on outcomes had a significant effect (p < 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, it is necessary to plan for the internationalization of higher education, which for this purpose the use of identified components can be effective.