A Systematic Analysis of Challenges to Effective Education in University: A Study at Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University

Mohamadi, Zahra; Asadian, Sirous

doi:10.22034/hecs.2026.555540.2038

A Systematic Analysis of Challenges to Effective Education in University: A Study at Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

zahra mohamadi ¹

sirous asadian ²

¹ Master of Arts in Curriculum Studies, Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan.

² Associate Professor of Curriculum Studies, Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan

10.22034/hecs.2026.555540.2038

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify the underlying barriers and challenges to effective education at the university level. This research employed a mixed-methods exploratory design. The statistical population consisted of 284 faculty members of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University. The sample size was determined as 162 individuals using Cochran's formula, and participants were selected through proportional stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire, which consisted of two parts. In the first part, an open-ended questionnaire was designed and distributed to a panel of 32 experienced specialists using the Delphi approach to derive a list of prevailing challenges. This list was further refined by consulting theoretical foundations and previous research. In the second part, based on the factors identified from the open-ended questionnaire, a closed-ended questionnaire was developed. The face and content validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by a panel of specialists. The overall reliability of the questionnaire, estimated using Cronbach's alpha, was 0.939. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, etc.), and to address the research questions, exploratory factor analysis and analysis of variance were employed. The findings indicated that the challenges to effective education at the university level can be examined and analyzed across four distinct levels: macro-national, institutional, curriculum, and individual. Accordingly, six challenges to effective education at the university level were identified, in order of significance: emotional and psychological barriers related to students, economic and livelihood factors affecting faculty members, factors related to upstream regulations, human barriers within the organization, communication barriers, and executive barriers. Furthermore, part of the findings revealed that among the identified challenges, only human barriers within the organization showed a significant difference based on years of service. This difference was significant solely between faculty members with less than ten years of experience and those with sixteen years or more. Additionally, among the barriers to effective education, only economic and livelihood factors showed a significant difference based on academic rank, observed specifically between instructors and associate professors. Thus, economic and livelihood barriers had a more pronounced impact on the teaching activities of instructors. Finally, the conclusion of the study indicated that the challenges to effective education constitute a system of intertwined problems at all levels. Therefore, developing specific standards for each level, establishing monitoring mechanisms such as accreditation, and particularly the need to revise micro and macro policies for supporting faculty members are strategic necessities for moving from the scattered identification of challenges towards designing an integrated quality assurance system in higher education

Keywords

Effective Education

Performance Evaluation

Quality Assurance in Education

Higher Education Challenges

Subjects

Higher education curriculum planning

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