Educational Exclusion in Iran's Higher Education System: Causes and Contexts

Social exclusion manifests itself within the educational realm, particularly in the echelons of higher education. The pivotal role of such exclusion lies in impeding individuals' access to rights and opportunities, creating barriers that either thwart their continued participation in the higher education system or relegate them to the periphery. This study meticulously investigates educational exclusion within the Iranian higher education system, scrutinizing the processes contributing to the contextual landscape and the root causes of student exclusion. Furthermore, employing Grounded Theory, diverse dimensions of educational exclusion are explored, presenting a thick description. In the present study, semi-structured interviews with students and professionals were conducted to discern the facets of educational exclusion and identify influential factors. The gleaned contexts and rationales for exclusion encompass contexts, multifaceted family dynamics, impediments to effective communication, academic interactions, societal structures, and factors such as financial constraints, disabilities, inadequate educational policies, and the portrayal of higher education policies as agents of educational injustice.