Deminsions and Factors Affacting the Job Engagement of the Faculty Members of Islamic Azad University: A Qualitative Approach

The study aims to develop a model for increasing the job engagement of the faculty members of Islamic Azad University.

This is a qualitative study and a content analysis was used to analyze the data. The statistical population of the study consisted of specialists, the policymakers of the higher education system, experienced professors, and academic experts in the field of behavioral science. In the study, using purposive sampling and based on the theoretical saturation criterion, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 people as participants. Guba and Lincoln's method (1985) was used to assess validity and reliability.

The results of the data analysis during two stages of open and axial coding consisted of 367 important phrases and sentences as primary codes, 47 semantic units as secondary codes and finally 13 axial codes. These codes consist of job satisfaction, individual factors, recruitment, ethic, education and research, performance, university branding, economic factors, organizational factors, academic independence, communications, rules and regulations, and justice, which each of the components includes also sub-components.

Therefore, it can be said that the quality and development of knowledge depends on the performance of academic staff members. A positive attitude and interest in the job leads to more effort and improvement of organizational performance.