A Qualitative Study of the Process of Knowledge Utilization in the Social Sciences

This research aimed to propose a model of knowledge utilization in social sciences based on the analysis of the views of Iranian academics. This research was conducted based on a qualitative approach using grounded theory. The structured interview method was used to obtain the opinions of the experts. The research population consisted of academic members of Social Sciences in Iranian universities. Due to the extensive statistical population, sequential theoretical sampling was employed. We selected 25 academics with the highest number of both publications and citations (h-index) as the interviewees to determine the reliability and validity of this research. The evaluative criteria proposed by Lincoln and Guba were adopted. Moreover, to analyze the collected data and reach a theory, Theoretical Coding was applied. After coding, classifying, and analyzing data, the research findings led to a model derived from the ideas of Social Sciences experts in four areas as Knowledge Production, Knowledge Transfer, Knowledge Sharing, and Knowledge Utilization. According to the results achieved from analyzing the ideas of Social Sciences experts, knowledge utilization was determined as the central core of the model.