Sociological Perspectives on Educational Evaluation and Quality Assurance in Iraqi Higher Education: A Field Study on University Teaching Practices

The assessment of education and quality improvement has become part and parcel of the larger higher-education reform agenda, especially in Iraq where universities are faced with simultaneous structural, cultural, and institutional change. This research takes a sociological perspective to examine the dimensions defining evaluation practices and quality assurance with a focus on the interplay between organizational culture, social interaction, and faculty perceptions of teaching performance and institutional development. Mixed-method approach in a field study was utilized, which combines both quantitative survey data, which was conducted among 276 instructors in three Iraqi universities, and qualitative interviews, which were developed to question the socio-cultural meaning of evaluation. Statistical analysis showed that there were strong positive relationships between institutional transparency, collegial trust and faculty involvement in quality assurance activities. Based on qualitative results, recognition, fairness, and sense of professional identity were emphasized as key factors in promoting participation. The research finds that sociologically based variables, namely trust, shared values, and communicative processes, are some of the determinants of legitimacy and effectiveness of evaluation systems. Improving participatory cultures in evaluation and moving national quality policy frameworks and academic realities closer to each other would support credibility and spur lasting change in Iraqi higher education.