KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) International Journal of Innovation Management and Organizational Behavior (IJIMOB) 3041-8992 5 Serial Number 21 2025 07 01 Explaining and Designing a Framework for the Phenomenon of Educational Corruption with a Grounded Theory Approach in Universities Explaining and Designing a Framework for the Phenomenon of Educational Corruption with a Grounded Theory Approach in Universities 1 9 10.61838/kman.ijimob.5.4.9 EN Journal Article 2024 12 25 <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p><strong>Objective:</strong> The main goal of this study was to explain and design a framework for the phenomenon of educational corruption using a grounded theory approach in universities.</p> <p><strong>Methodology:</strong> The statistical population of the study consisted of twelve university administrators, faculty members, and staff members from higher education institutions in Tehran. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with them through a snowball sampling method until theoretical saturation was reached. Data analysis was performed in three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, using the qualitative analysis software MAXQDA. Based on this analysis, the qualitative model of the research was designed.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> The results showed that the paradigm model included causal conditions (organizational commitment, employee job satisfaction, social capital, external factors, political factors, problem-solving mechanisms, structural mechanisms, social factors, internal factors, avoidance of favoritism, negligence, individual and ethical characteristics of employees, religious adherence, inappropriate professional behaviors); the core category (practical solutions for combating corruption, abuse, and unknown activities); strategies (use of information technology, legalism in organizations, effective participation of civil society, trust-building, conflict resolution, administrative integrity, public oversight, existence of monitoring mechanisms); intervening conditions (solutions related to rulers and holders of power, accountability within organizations, justice, feelings of injustice); contextual conditions (ethical orientation, freedom and independence, organizational transparency, attention to livelihood and legal rights and benefits, administrative and economic factors, cultural factors); and outcomes (specialized selective mechanisms, employee training, meritocracy, structural integrity, political integrity). These elements reflect the educational corruption process in universities and the relationships between various dimensions and their components.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Educational corruption is a multifaceted issue with various causes and reasons. To combat it, policymakers can design educational environments in a way that increases transparency, based on the findings of this study.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/ijimob/article/download/3480/6868