DESIGNING A RETENTION MODEL FOR ENGINEERING GRADUATES OF UNIVERSITIE AND HIGHEREDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Sanati, Zahra; Hassan, Mohammad; Fathi, Reza

doi:10.22047/ijee.2025.553552.2217

DESIGNING A RETENTION MODEL FOR ENGINEERING GRADUATES OF UNIVERSITIE AND HIGHEREDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Document Type : Scientific - Research

Authors

Zahra Sanati ¹

Mohammad Hassan ¹

Reza Fathi ²

¹ Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

² Department of Energy, Materials and Energy Research Center, Karaj, Iran

10.22047/ijee.2025.553552.2217

Abstract

Considering the increasing trend of engineering graduate attrition in recent years, the present study aimed to design a retention model for engineering graduates in universities and higher education institutions. This qualitative research was conducted with a data-based theorizing approach and with the participation of 30 professors, experts, and managers in the field of engineering, who were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured and in-depth interviews and analysed using qualitative content analysis in three stages of open, axial, and selective coding in MAXQDA 20 software. From a total of 805 initial codes, 32 concepts were extracted by merging similar concepts and organized within the framework of the paradigmatic model of grounded theory. The results of the research show that the phenomenon of engineering graduate retention is influenced by a set of causal conditions, contextual conditions, and intervening conditions and it is realized through strategies such as empowering knowledge-based companies, leadership and management in the industry, innovative development, optimizing employment or career paths, reforming the educational system, and creating a social and cultural platform. The consequences of this model include scientific transformation and innovation, economic and industrial development, and the preservation and development of capital.

Keywords

Retention

engineering

graduates

universities and higher education

institutions

grounded theory

20.1001.1.16072316.1405.28.109.2.7

Subjects

Education in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Psychology and Educational Science

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