Iranian Journal of Public Policy

Iranian Journal of Public Policy

Designing A Policy Framework for Digital Transformation in Higher Education: A Meta-Ethnographic Synthesis of Public Policy Models

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
Shirin Rajabi Bazl 1
abasalt khorasani 2
Hamidreza Yazdani 3
farnoosh alami 4
1 Ph.D. Student of Higher Education Management, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor of Higher Education Planning and Development, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
3 Associate Professor of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Public Administration and Organizational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
4 Associate Professor of Educational Management, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
10.22059/jppolicy.2026.106380
Abstract
Digital transformation in higher education is an unavoidable necessity, yet the role of governments and public policies has been insufficiently addressed. Applying existing policy models in isolation proves inadequate for responding to the distinct challenges of digital transformation. This study seeks to integrate and adapt public policy models to the higher education context. Employing a meta-synthesis and meta-ethnographic approach, based on Noblit and Hare’s seven-step framework, 20 models were synthesized through three stages: reciprocal translation, refutational synthesis, and line-of-argument translation. The outcome is a six-stage meta-model comprising: (1) defining the context and stakeholders, (2) refining the problem and objectives, (3) analyzing evidence and data frameworks, (4) developing options and scenarios, (5) selecting options with stakeholder engagement, and (6) implementation with monitoring. By drawing on diverse international experiences, the study proposes a coherent and flexible meta-framework that addresses a critical gap in policy literature and supports both adaptive policymaking and the use of qualitative data for validation.
Keywords
Higher Education
Digital Transformation
Public Policymaking
Metamodel
  1. Abbasi, T. (2023). The public policy cycle: Some implicit implications of policy studies in higher education. Tehran University Press. (in Persian).
  2. Adam, L. (2003). "Information and Communication Technologies in Higher Education in Africa: Initiatives and Challenges." Journal of Higher Education in Africa/Revue de l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique, 1(1), 195–221
  3. Al-Saqqa, S., Sawalha, S., & Abdelnabi, H. (2020). Agile software development: Methodologies and trends. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM), 14(11), 246–270. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v14i11.13269
  4. Alvani, M., & Sharifzadeh, F. (2015). The public policy-making process. Tehran: Allameh Tabatabai University Press. (in Persian).
  5. Barnett-Page, E., & Thomas, J. (2009). Methods for the synthesis of qualitative research: A critical review. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 9, 59. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-9-59.
  6. Asgari, Nasser.(1397).Theories and Fundamentals of Public Policy Making,Tehran:farhang. (in Persian).
  7. Bauer, A., Capari, L., Fuchs, D., & Udrea, T. (2023). Diversification, integration, and opening: Developments in modelling for policy. Science and Public Policy, 50(6). (in Persian). https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scad038
  8. Carey, M. C., Kent, B., & Latour, J. M. (2019). Using meta-ethnography to develop a conceptual model of peer-assisted learning of nursing students in clinical practice. Nursing Open, 6(2), 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.229
  9. Casillas, M., Ramirez Martinell, A., & López Olivera, R. (2024). Periods of technological change in higher education. Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v16i2.5920
  10. Caldera, H. (2015). The landscape of transnational higher education. Higher Education Policy, 28(3), 327-348. https://doi.org/10.1057/hep.2015.6
  11. Cairney, p. (2013). Standing on the shoulders of giants: How do we combinethe insights of multiple theories in public policy Studies?. Policy StudiesJournal, 41(1), 1–21.
  12. Christensen, C. M., & Eyring, H. J. (2011). The innovative university: Changing the DNA of higher education from the inside out. Jossey-Bass
  13. Chen, Y., & Reyes, R. (2024). Review of completed studies on online learning platforms in higher education institutions. International Journal of Advanced Research, 12(7), 965–977. https://doi.org/10.21474/ijar01/1913
  14. Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, 39(7), 3-7.
  15. Danayifard, H., & Abbasi, T. (2007). Theories of public policy change: Their applications in Iran. Mehraban Publishing Institute. (in Persian).
  16. Danayifard, H. (2016). New discourses in public policymaking. Tehran: Imam Sadiq University Press. (in Persian).
  17. Díez-Garrido, M. (2023). Digital transparency and political communication. Profesional de la información, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2023.ene.04
  18. Dye, T. H. R. (2013). Understanding public policy. Available online at:https://repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/vnu_123/89996.
  19. Eskandari, A., Manian, A., Soltani, M., & Yazdani, H. R. (2024). A meta-model for policy-making in artificial intelligence development in the fintech industry. Iranian Journal of Public Administration Studies, 7(3), 1–49. https://doi.org/10.22034/jipas.2024.440482.1691. (in Persian).
  20. European Commission. (2021). Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027): Accessible, innovative and high-quality infrastructure for digital education. OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/5c34c2fb-en.
  21. Fowler, M. (2001). The new methodology. Wuhan University Journal of Natural Sciences, 6(1), 12–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160222.
  22. France, E. F., Uny, I., Ring, N., Turley, R. L., Maxwell, M., Duncan, E. A. S., Jepson, R. G., Roberts, R. J., & Noyes, J. (2019). A methodological systematic review of meta-ethnography conduct to articulate the complex analytical phases. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 19(1), Article 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-019-0670-7
  23. Gabriel, F., Marrone, R., Van Sebille, Y., Kovanovic, V., & de Laat, M. (2022). Digital education strategies around the world: Practices and policies. Studies in Higher Education, 47(1), 85-106. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2021.2022513.
  24. Etzkowitz, H. (2003). Innovation in innovation: The Triple Helix of university-industry-government relations. Social Science Information, 42(3), 293–337. https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184030423002
  25. Gutiérrez.Rivera, Higuera-Zimbron.Erika, Argüello. Alejandro. (2024). Georgina Strategic approach to digital transformation in higher education institutions.ECORFAN Journal Spain.DOI:10.35429/EJS.2024.20.11.1.14.
  26. Haase, S., & Buus, L. (2020). Translating government digitalisation policy in higher education institutions: The Danish case. Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, 15(4), 246–258. https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.1891-943x-2020-04-03
  27. Iosad, A. (2020). Digital at the core: A 2030 strategy framework for university leaders. https://www.uis.unesco.org/en/digital-transformation-higher-education-beyond-crisis
  28. Jones, M. (2023). Policy analysis and higher education policy. Higher Education Quarterly, 77(3), 345-358.
  29. Komljenovic, J., Birch, K., Sellar, S., Bergviken Rensfeldt, A., Deville, J., Eaton, C., ... & Williamson, B. (2024). Digitalised higher education: Key developments, questions, and concerns. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 1-17.
  30. Krishnasamy, Ong, Loo, and Thistlethwaite (2019) investigated how medical education affects empathy and compassion in medical students through a meta-ethnography.
  31. Li, C., & Brown, T. (2023). Policy-making models for digital education in China: A systematic review. Policy Studies, 44(5), 801–818.
  32. Liu, S., & He, Y. (2024). Revising higher education digitalization policy: A Chinese case study. Asia Pacific Education Review, 25(4), 541–560.
  33. Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2009). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. U.S. Department of Education.
  34. Merchan-Narváez, A., et al. (2024). Comparación de metodologías ágiles para el desarrollo de software. MQRinvestigar.
  35. Nieto-Taborda, M. L., & Luppicini, R. (2024). Accelerated digital transformation of higher education in the wake of COVID-19: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Changes in Education. https://doi.org/10.54480/jste.v2i2.37
  36. Nguyen, H. L., Dang, B., Hong, Y., & Nguyen, A. (2024). Digital transformation in Vietnamese higher education: an epistemic network analysis of policy documents. Journal of International Cooperation in Education. https://doi.org/10.1108/jice-03-2024-0010
  37. Pilkington, H. (2017). Employing meta-ethnography in the analysis of qualitative data sets on youth activism: A new tool for transnational research projects? Qualitative Research, 18(1), 108–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794117707805
  38. Pereira, M., & Prado, S. (2020). A new agile process for web development. International Conference on Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10779-020-0
  39. Popova, T. N., Mitrofanova, Y. S., Ivanova, O. A., & Vereshchak, S. B. (2020). Economic and Organizational Aspects of University Digital Transformation (pp. 371–381). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5584-8_32
  40. Pina, V., & Torres, L. (2019). Online transparency and corporate governance in Spanish governmental agencies. Online Information Review, 43(4), 653-675. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-03-2018-0102
  41. rajabibazl, S. , khorasani, A. , yazdani, H. and alami, F. (2025). The Necessity of Rethinking Policy Assumptions in Digital transformation of Higher Education. Journal of Economic & Developmental Sociology, 14(2), 84-104. doi: 10.22034/jeds.2025.68851.1896
  42. Romanovskyi, O& El Makhdi, M. (2021). Higher education innovatics: Management of innovation in the sphere of higher education and science. Journal of Social
  43. Shamim, M. (2024). Agile project management in software development industries: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Software Engineering and Applications, 13(2), 45-59. https://doi.org/10.1002/s00001-020-0096-4
  44. Soni, S., & Kaur, P. (2011). Agile methodology - A new framework for software development.
  45. Stolze, A. (2020). A meta-ethnography on HEIs’ transformation into more entrepreneurial institutions: Towards an action-framework proposition. Industry and Higher Education, 35(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950422220922677
  46. Taleb, M., & Azizi, H. (2022). Digitalization of public policies for higher education in the 21st century. Journal of Public Administration Studies, 27(2), 106-119.
  47. Williamson, B., & Hogan, A. (2020). Commercialization and governance in digital higher education: Mapping the new policymaking terrain. Journal of Education Policy, 35(1), 91–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2019.1664767.
  48. Yazdani, H. R. (2024). Doctoral research methods course notes, Department of Management, University of Tehran. (in Persian).
Iranian Journal of Public Policy
Volume 12, Issue 1
Winter 2026
Pages 209-224