۱.
The present study examines the role of educational leaders in school changes: an analysis of approaches from the perspective of school principals and teachers. The research approach is qualitative and employs interpretative phenomenology. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The research sample includes 14 principals and teachers from schools in Kermanshah province, selected through maximum variation sampling (examining cases where the phenomena of interest have a strong presence). Data analysis was conducted using the critical incident technique. To determine the validity of the research, three methods were used: credibility, transferability, and confirmability. The research findings revealed seven key categories as effective approaches of educational leaders in schools for facilitating changes, which are: peer coaching approach, reflective/intellectual leadership approach, motivational mechanism approach, supportive/clinical approach, democratic leadership approach, communication-centered and trust-based approach, and the multidimensional perspective of leaders in assessment and judgment. Additionally, five key categories were identified as ineffective approaches of educational leaders in schools, which are: limited vision of leaders, weakness in the culture of specialization, lack of an integrative/unifying perspective from leaders, the inherently weak relationship between educational leaders and teachers, and an overemphasis on inspection. Therefore, it can be concluded that despite the importance of educational leaders in schools, the specialized nature of this role has been neglected by education policymakers, which can ultimately lead to a decline in students' academic performance in schools.
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The aim of this study was to identify the challenges and expectations of parents and elementary school teachers.The research was applied in terms of its purpose and qualitative in terms of its data collection method and descriptive phenomenology. Participants included two groups—teachers and parents of elementary school students in Rudsar during the academic year (2024–2025). Purposeful sampling with maximum variation was employed to ensure the inclusion of diverse individuals.The data collection tool was semi-structured interviews. The questions were developed based on the research problem and focused on four key areas: teachers’ expectations, parents’ expectations, challenges, and solutions.To analyze the collected data, Colaizzi’s (1987) coding method was used. Content analysis was coded using MAXQDA software. In total, after data analysis, teachers’ expectations of parents were presented under five main categories: educational, developmental, behavioral, health-related, and administrative and the identified challenges were grouped into three categories: school structure, conflicting perspectives between teachers and parents, and lack of mutual trust. In conclusion, the study found that teachers' most significant expectations were related to parents’ behavioral roles; parents’ key expectations from teachers were administrative. The critical challenge was the lack of mutual trust, and the solution was strengthening communication channels between teachers and parents
۳.
In recent years, the intensification of competition among schools—particularly in the non-governmental (private) sector—has significantly heightened the importance of educational marketing and the determinants influencing school selection by families. This growing emphasis underscores the strategic role of marketing practices within educational institutions. The present study aims to identify key indicators and attributes influencing school choice from the perspective of academic literature. This qualitative research employed a summative content analysis approach. The study population comprised ten peer-reviewed domestic and international scholarly articles published in the domains of educational marketing, school choice, and educational management, which were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through a systematic literature review and analyzed via qualitative content analysis involving coding, categorization, and abstraction. The findings revealed nine core components as the principal criteria considered by students and their parents in school selection: quality of education, infrastructure and facilities, temporal and spatial proximity to the school, financial costs, academic reputation, curriculum modernity, institutional credibility, developmental services, and positive feedback.
۴.
The present investigated the role of self-assessment and critical thinking to Iranian EFL students’ engagement in school and self-esteem, taking gender into account. For this purpose, 100 male and female Iranian EFL students were selected through convenience sampling. The data were collected by the Core of Self-assessment Questionnaire, Watson-Glasser critical thinking evaluation form, the Student Engagement Scale, and the Foreign Language Learning Self-Esteem Scale. The obtained data were analyzed by standard multiple regression. The findings revealed that self-assessment predicted student engagement and self-esteem, with no significant effect of gender. Besides, student engagement in school was predicted by inference and interpretation components of critical thinking. For male participants, inference and evaluation components predicted student engagement, while for female participants, the interpretation component predicted student engagement. Finally, self-esteem was predicted by making deductions and interpretations. Regarding gender, deductions and interpretation components predicted the self-esteem of male participants, while the interpretation component predicted the self-esteem of female participants. These findings suggest that fostering self-assessment and critical thinking skills of male and female EFL students can enhance their engagement and self-esteem; therefore, educators can adopt gender-sensitive approaches to support all students, addressing the unique influences on students’ engagement and self-esteem.
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Professional learning networks (PLNs) are an emerging research area that requires further exploration. We need more information about the basic processes of teachers' learning in these networks. The present study aimed to identify and validate the dimensions and components of the professional learning network model of elementary school teachers in Tabriz. In this study, a mixed method (qualitative-quantitative) of sequential exploratory type was used. In the qualitative part of the research, the required data was collected using the meta-synthesis method, and in this regard, 35 articles were purposefully selected and included in the analysis. Also, the fuzzy Delphi method was used to confirm and screen the findings, and the final weight of the desired dimensions and components was obtained using the SWARA method. In the quantitative part, to examine the fit of the identified model, the research components were collected in a questionnaire and distributed among elementary school teachers in Tabriz using cluster and stratified sampling methods. The data in this section were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis in SPSS26 and AMOS26 software. In total, 308 codes were extracted from the studied sources. These codes were included in 15 concepts and 3 main categories: individual, group, and organizational, and a model of teachers' professional learning networks was formed. The concepts of valuing people, the occurrence of change, and progress were introduced as the most important. The fit indices of the measurement model show that the identified dimensions and components had a good fit.
۶.
If the educational system fulfills its mission properly, it will provide a favorable environment for cultural, economic, political and social growth in society. A large part of the complexity and sensitivity of the education system goes back to the behavior of education managers. One of the challenges of human resource management in education is how to manage talent, succession, selection and promotion of managers. Therefore, the present study was designed with the aim of developing a model of alternative model of education managers with a data-based approach. For conducting the research, a qualitative approach of phenomenological type and grand theory method was used to conduct the research. The study population was all experts, professors and senior managers in the field of human resources in education who were interviewed using purposive sampling with 18 experts. The research tool was a semi-structured interview. Coding method was used to analyze the qualitative findings. The results showed that "succession planning and talent management" as a central category, "succession planning, evaluation system, analysis of training gaps and staff development, and meritocracy and merit selection" as causal conditions, "Improving the human resource system, creating progress, creating a professional perspective and laying the groundwork for the implementation of a decent-oriented succession" as strategies, categories of "organizational culture of leadership development and facilities" as a platform, "organizational factors and "Legal barriers and problems" were introduced as intervening conditions, and succession can have positive individual and organizational consequences in education. By designing and applying the succession model of education managers based on talent management, a clear and optimal vision for providing, training and maintaining human resources in education will be provided.
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The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of school leadership on professional learning with the mediating role of collective efficiency and the moderating role of uncertainty avoidance among elementary school teachers in the 2nd district of Urmia city. This research, in terms of its practical purpose, in terms of the descriptive-correlational research method, is of the structural equation modeling type and falls within the scope of causal modeling research. The statistical population of the current research was all primary school teachers of district 2 of Urmia city, numbering 1285. The statistical sample size was 296 using Cochran's formula. The sampling method in this research is the cluster method and the data collection tool is the questionnaire. In this research, the data analysis was done in two parts, descriptive and inferential. The results of the research hypotheses test showed that school leadership on professional learning, school leadership on collective efficiency, collective efficiency on The professional learning of school leadership has a positive and significant effect on the professional learning of teachers through the mediation of collective efficiency. Finally, the moderating role of uncertainty avoidance in the relationship between school leadership and collective efficacy of teachers was confirmed.
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Background and Purpose: Grounded in social cognitive theory and organizational behavior literature, this study examines the relationship between servant leadership and innovative work behavior, with an emphasis on the mediating roles of creative self-efficacy and affective commitment. While prior research has established links between leadership styles and innovation, limited attention has been paid to the psychological mechanisms through which servant leadership fosters innovation in educational settings. This study addresses this gap by proposing a model that integrates both intrapersonal and organizational factors. Methodology: A descriptive-correlational design was employed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population comprised all primary school teachers in Javanrood City during the 2024–2025 academic year, with 219 participants selected via convenience sampling. Data were collected using four standardized instruments: Allen and Meyer’s Affective Commitment Scale, Karwowski et al.’s Creative Self-Efficacy Scale, the Servant Leadership Questionnaire by Gholipour and Hazrati, and Janssen’s Innovative Work Behavior Questionnaire. Analyses were conducted using SPSS and AMOS software. Findings: The findings showed that the research model, which aimed to predict innovative work behavior based on servant leadership, with creative self-efficacy and affective commitment as mediators, was a good fit. Additionally, servant leadership significantly influenced innovative work behavior through both mediators (p < .01). Conclusion: The findings suggest that innovative behaviors are shaped not only by elements of servant leadership but also by intrapersonal factors such as creative self-efficacy and emotional commitment. Enhancing these behaviors, therefore, requires a dual focus on both organizational dynamics and individual psychological capacities.
