Study of the Entrance Exam Elimination Process Based on Grounded Theory

The purpose of this study was to study the process of eliminating the national entrance examination in Iran and to present a model based on Grounded theory.

The research approach was qualitative using grounded theory. The in-depth interview tool was semi-structured. The study population was all education specialists and higher education experts. The purposive sampling method was theoretical and ended with 16 interviews with theoretical saturation criteria. The data analysis process was performed using open, axial and selective coding methods and Lincoln and Guba methods were used to evaluate the validity and reliability.

Findings showed that the central category is the necessity and complexity of eliminating the entrance exam and other categories in five categories: causal conditions (2 categories), environmental intervention conditions (2 categories), contextual characteristics (3 categories), strategies (2 categories) and consequences (2 categories) were categorized.

According to the results of the research, it can be acknowledged that in relation to the issue of eliminating the entrance exam on the other handIssues such as unhealthy competition and psychological issues and the shifting of educational goals have created a sense of necessity of elimination, and on the other hand, issues such as high demand for access to higher education have complicated the elimination process.