Challenges of Moral and Educational Affairs in Iran’s Ministry of Education: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis
Keywords:
Education system, moral education, educational affairs, challenges, thematic analysisAbstract
This study aimed to comprehensively identify and explain the structural, managerial, curricular, and discursive challenges of moral and educational affairs in Iran’s formal public education system from the perspective of experts. This qualitative study employed thematic analysis as its methodological approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 academic and executive experts involved in moral and educational affairs at school, district, provincial, and ministerial levels. Participants were selected using purposive sampling, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Interviews were fully transcribed and analyzed through an iterative coding process. To enhance credibility and refine the extracted themes, five focus group sessions were conducted with university scholars and senior educational administrators. The analysis yielded 378 basic themes, 60 organizing themes, and 9 overarching themes, including human resources, budgeting, facilities and capacity, content and programs, regulations and directives, macro-level management, macro-level planning, discourse and approach, and cooperation and collaboration. The findings indicate that low effectiveness and shortage of qualified educational staff, lack of dedicated funding, absence of evaluation and incentive systems, dominance of instructional over educational discourse, and institutional fragmentation constitute the core systemic challenges facing moral and educational affairs. Addressing the identified challenges requires policy-level reforms, strengthening educational governance, and coordinated institutional action to restore the central role of moral and educational functions in Iran’s education system.
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