درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The present study aimed to conduct a thematic analysis of the lived experiences of school principals at various educational levels regarding the impact of student behavior on their personality orientation. This research employed a qualitative approach with an interpretive phenomenological strategy. A purposeful and criterion-based sampling method was used to select individuals with the most relevant information and experiences related to the research topic, and the criterion for continuing the research was based on theoretical saturation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and a total of 14 school principals from different educational levels in Susangerd were interviewed. The data were analyzed using a three-stage thematic content analysis method (open, axial, selective coding). The findings indicate that principals' interactions with students at different educational levels have varying impacts on their personal and professional orientation. Seven final categories (main categories) were extracted from the data analysis, which include: 1) Impact of Students' Age Maturity, 2) The Difference in Relationships in Academic Levels, 3) The Impact on Personality Dimensions, 4) Principals' Personal and Professional Development, 5) Job Satisfaction of Managers, 6) The Role of Internal and External Factors, and 7) Creativity of Elementary Managers. The research results demonstrate that principals' lived experiences of interacting with students influence their personality orientation. These effects vary across different educational levels (elementary, junior high, senior high) due to the developmental characteristics of students and the specific challenges of each level. This study can contribute to designing empowerment programs for principals, taking into account level-specific needs.

Despite research on the destructive consequences of toxic leadership, existing studies have predominantly focused on industrial settings and relied on quantitative, outcome-oriented approaches. Consequently, the processes through which toxic leadership emerges and persists within educational organizations, particularly from the perspective of employees’ lived experiences, remain insufficiently theorized. This research was conducted with the aim of addressing this gap. This study adopted a qualitative grounded theory approach following Strauss and Corbin’s (1998) procedures. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 24 employees and subject-matter experts who had direct experience with toxic leadership. Participants were selected using purposive and theoretical sampling, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached. Data analysis involved open, axial, and selective coding. Trustworthiness was ensured through peer debriefing, member checking, and intra-coder consistency via re-analysis. Findings reveal that toxic leadership is not a static or purely behavioral phenomenon but a dynamic, multi-layered, and context-dependent process. It emerges and is sustained through the interaction of leaders’ motivations and power resources with dysfunctional organizational structures, toxic cultures, and employees’ cognitive–behavioral responses. The analysis generated 359 concepts, 55 components, and 16 core categories, which were integrated into a paradigmatic model encompassing causal, contextual, and intervening conditions, and action/interaction strategies and consequences. This study contributes by conceptualizing toxic leadership as a processual and institutionalized phenomenon embedded in the interplay between leaders, followers, and organizational contexts. The proposed model offers both theoretical advancement and practical insights for preventing, managing, and mitigating toxic leadership.