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- PaperEdArXiv (OSF Preprints)20 Jul 2026
Sustainable Governance in Iran's Higher Education System under Geopolitical Crisis: A Study on the Resilience of Teacher Practicum during Internet Shutdowns
Hossein Talebzadeh
This study examines governance gaps in Iran's teacher practicum system during geopolitical crises and internet shutdowns, proposing a sustainable governance model. Findings reveal that while student-teachers developed micro-observation skills and self-awareness, the system lacked alternative protocols, limiting institutional resilience. The paper emphasizes the need to shift from individual to institutional resilience in higher education crisis management.
Original abstract
Over the past two decades, educational systems—particularly in countries embroiled in geopolitical crises—have encountered unprecedented challenges that fundamentally disrupt their core functions. Among the most critical of these challenges is the widespread and recurrent internet shutdown, which renders both in-person instruction and virtual platforms inoperative. The present study aims to identify governance gaps within Iran's teacher practicum system under geopolitical crisis and internet disruption, and to propose a sustainable governance model for its stabilization. Employing a qualitative approach and secondary data analysis, the study re-examined data from 12 student-teachers collected under actual crisis conditions through the lens of sustainable governance. Quantitative findings indicated a significant positive effect of the instructional intervention on students' micro-observation skills (p = .021); however, the non-significant improvement in crisis management style identification (p = .413) reflects not a failure of the intervention, but rather a transition from overconfidence to professional realism. Qualitative analysis further revealed three growth patterns: development of micro-observation despite infrastructural collapse; growth in self-awareness in the absence of institutional support; and the design of alternative strategies to compensate for institutional voids. The findings underscore that despite students' high individual resilience capacity, the educational system lacks any "alternative protocol" or "backup plan" for crisis conditions, severely constraining the effectiveness of any pedagogical intervention. By introducing the concept of "governance gaps" and proposing a 5-step model for stabilizing teacher practicum, this study illuminates the imperative of transitioning from individual resilience to institutional resilience.