Navigating the Future of Technology Governance in Iran's Higher Education: A Meta-Synthesis Approach

This study aims to explore the prospective research dimensions of technology governance within higher education through internal investigations. Utilizing a qualitative approach, the research adopted an inductive methodology and qualitative meta-synthesis method. The present investigation employed a comprehensive sample of 50 peer-reviewed scholarly articles that were published in esteemed domestic academic journals and conference proceedings between the years 2009 and 2023. Of this corpus, 20 articles were selected based on a set of predefined criteria, including their level of precision, originality, and innovative content. Data analysis was conducted using qualitative analysis facilitated by the maxqda20 software. The analysis yielded 89 codes, categorized into 4 primary themes, addressing topics such as the future of technology, technology's role in higher education in Iran, future trends in higher education research, and forthcoming research directions. The findings suggest that forthcoming internal research endeavors in technology within higher education are oriented towards aspects external to the university, particularly concerning the institution's engagement in the metaverse domain, which is anticipated to instigate comprehensive transformations.