Validation of the Educational Corruption Model in Universities

Corruption in general, and educational corruption specifically, is a disruptive factor in the development of various societal sectors. The aim of the present study was to validate an educational corruption model in universities. This research was a quantitative-survey study and, in terms of its purpose, was applied. The statistical population included 384 employees of universities and higher education institutions, selected through random sampling. The research tool was a researcher-developed questionnaire based on qualitative findings and the literature review. Structural equation modeling with PLS Smart software was used for data analysis. The results indicated that in the quantitative evaluation of the model, all values were significant, greater than 1.96, and the standardized coefficients were greater than 0.4, confirming the model. Given that the goodness of fit index was 0.626, the final model was confirmed. Accordingly, the impact coefficient of strategies on outcomes (0.90 and t-value of 1.07), the impact of contextual conditions on strategies (24.6 and t-value of 4.7), the impact of intervening conditions on strategies (0.85 and t-value of 1.46), the impact of causal factors on the central phenomenon (93.4 and t-value of 14.6), and the impact of the central phenomenon on strategies (0.714 and t-value of 14.9) were observed. It can be concluded that corruption is a multi-dimensional issue, and higher education policymakers should focus on identifying its causes based on various research results, including the findings of this study, in order to establish and foster corruption-free higher education.