Presenting a Paradigmatic Model of Educational Sustainable Development with Emphasis on the Local Ecosystem in Iran’s Education System

Abstract

The aim of this study is to present a paradigmatic model of educational sustainable development in Iran’s education system. Given the nature of the subject and objectives, the study adopts an interpretive paradigm and a qualitative approach. The methodology is based on grounded theory and involves two populations. The first population comprises scholarly articles related to educational sustainable development and cultural identity, with a sample size of 5 articles. The second population consists of professors and experts in the field of educational management who hold views on educational sustainable development and the local ecosystem. The sample size in this part includes 33 individuals. In both parts, purposive sampling with criterion-based selection was employed. Additionally, snowball sampling was used for participant recruitment. The research instruments included non-intrusive measures and semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA software. In this study, 6 categories, 17 concepts, and 191 codes were identified and structured within the paradigmatic model. The findings indicated that, due to the need for educational sustainable development in alignment with the local ecosystem (causal conditions), education aimed at cultural, social, economic, and environmental development (core phenomenon) must be implemented through sustainable and developmental education approaches, facilitated by orientation and policies as well as a sustainable monitoring and evaluation system (strategies). Organizational characteristics, stakeholders and their relationships, and sustainable management (contextual conditions), along with individual and structural factors (intervening conditions), influence the success of educational sustainable development and lead to individual, social, cultural, and environmental outcomes.