Designing a Metaverse-Based Curriculum Model for Iranian Secondary Education: A Grounded Theory Study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a context-sensitive and indigenous model for designing and implementing a metaverse-based curriculum in Iranian secondary education.

Methods and Materials: This qualitative study employed grounded theory based on the systematic approach of Corbin and Strauss. The research field included secondary-school teachers, curriculum planners, educational technology specialists, school principals, and students in Tehran who were familiar with digital technologies and immersive learning environments. Participants were recruited through purposive maximum-variation and snowball sampling, with sampling continuing until theoretical saturation. Saturation was achieved after 28 interviews, followed by three confirmatory interviews, resulting in 31 participants. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed concurrently using open, axial, and selective coding. MAXQDA 2025 was used to organize and manage the qualitative data. Trustworthiness was established through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability procedures, including member checking, peer review, triangulation, an audit trail, and independent coding.

Findings: The analysis indicated that metaverse-based curriculum development is a systemic and context-dependent process rather than a solely technological intervention. The central phenomenon was identified as the design and implementation of a metaverse-based curriculum within the Iranian secondary education system, while the core category emphasized the development of a context-sensitive indigenous curriculum model. Causal conditions reflected the inadequacy of traditional educational approaches and opportunities arising from technological and global developments. Contextual conditions included national policies, technical infrastructure, sociocultural attitudes, and digital competencies. Institutional facilitators and barriers shaped implementation, while the principal strategies involved instructional design, human-resource empowerment, assessment and data analysis, localization and educational equity, and intersectoral collaboration. The model suggested that appropriate implementation could enhance motivation, interaction, higher-order thinking, digital literacy, and experiential learning, whereas inadequate implementation could intensify cognitive load, technological dependence, privacy concerns, and educational inequalities.

Conclusion: Effective integration of the metaverse into Iranian secondary education requires coordinated alignment among curriculum design, teacher competencies, infrastructure, cultural localization, ethical governance, assessment systems, institutional support, and equitable access rather than technology-centered implementation.