Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology 2645-3460 In Press 2026 09 01 Identifying Factors Influencing Educational Governance in the Secondary Education System: A Qualitative Study Using Meta-Synthesis and Delphi Approaches Identifying Factors Influencing Educational Governance in the Secondary Education System: A Qualitative Study Using Meta-Synthesis and Delphi Approaches 1 24 10.61838/c9jv6x17 EN Journal Article 2026 04 01 <p><strong>Purpose:</strong> This study aimed to identify, organize, and validate the factors influencing educational governance in the secondary education system through an integrated qualitative approach based on meta-synthesis and expert consensus.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials:</strong> This applied qualitative-exploratory study was conducted in two sequential phases. In the first phase, a systematic meta-synthesis of national and international literature related to educational governance, educational policymaking, decentralization, accountability, educational equity, stakeholder participation, human resources, leadership, and educational financing was performed. Following systematic screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 31 relevant sources were retained for qualitative analysis. Concepts and findings were extracted, coded, compared, merged, and hierarchically organized into indicators, components, and dimensions. In the second phase, the indicators obtained from the meta-synthesis were evaluated by 18 experts in educational governance and education through a four-round Delphi process. Indicators with mean scores below 4.00 were eliminated, while expert-proposed indicators were reviewed in subsequent rounds. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was used to assess expert consensus.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> Meta-synthesis initially yielded 132 indicators organized into 20 components and five overarching dimensions: structural, policy-related, human, participatory, and economic. During the Delphi process, seven indicators with insufficient expert support were removed, while five new indicators were added based on expert recommendations. The final framework therefore consisted of 130 validated indicators. Expert ratings showed progressive convergence across the Delphi rounds, and Kendall’s coefficient exceeded 0.70 in the final rounds, indicating an acceptable and substantial level of consensus.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Educational governance in secondary education is a multidimensional and interdependent construct that requires simultaneous attention to institutional structures, coherent policy implementation, human capacities, stakeholder relationships, accountability, equity, technological adaptation, and sustainable resource management.</p> https://qijes.com/index.php/ijes/article/download/1543/1519