Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Fereshteh Ghaemi ¹
• Mohammad Mehdi Zolfagharzadeh ²
• Marzieh Safari ³

¹ Department of Research and Assessment, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran

² Associate Professor, College of Management, University of Tehran

³ Master of Social Sciences

Abstract

This study aimed to identify and prioritize the educational needs of cultural and social affairs experts at the Ministry of Science. As scientific and cultural institutions, universities require competent experts to effectively manage cultural and social diversity. To this end, the present study adopted an exploratory mixed-methods approach, comprising qualitative and quantitative phases. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 cultural and social experts, and the data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results revealed four main categories of needs: knowledge-based, executive-managerial, professional-specialized, and ethical-perceptual, which were further elaborated into 26 subcategories and 210 key concepts. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-developed questionnaire based on the qualitative findings was distributed among 252 cultural experts. Statistical analyses indicated a high priority for training in areas such as media literacy, audience analysis, communication skills, and effective methods for organizing cultural events, while topics like familiarity with art or literature were considered lower priorities. The findings suggest that designing targeted training programs based on these priorities can enhance the effectiveness of cultural initiatives by the Ministry of Science and empower experts to address the socio-cultural challenges faced by universities.

Keywords

• Training Needs Assessment
• Cultural and Social Specialists
• Ministry of Science
• Mixed Methods
• Prioritization

Main Subjects

• Academic Management