Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology 2645-3460 9 July 2026 2026 07 30 Designing a Vitality-Enhancing School Model for Iranian Girls’ Schools Designing a Vitality-Enhancing School Model for Iranian Girls’ Schools 1 18 10.61838/9j90bn68 EN Journal Article 2026 03 01 Purpose: This study aimed to design and validate a vitality-enhancing school model for girls’ schools in Iran. In this study, the school was not viewed merely as an educational institution, but as a multidimensional ecosystem in which leadership, organizational culture, human relationships, psychological and physical safety, meaningful learning, stakeholder participation, and cultural and social contexts play roles in shaping school vitality. Methods and Materials: This study was applied in purpose and qualitative and exploratory in nature. The research strategy was grounded theory, using the systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 participants, including 7 principals and teachers of girls’ schools, 7 female students, and 7 experts in education, selected purposively until theoretical saturation was reached. Relevant documents and texts were also reviewed to supplement and compare the data. Data analysis was conducted through open, axial, and selective coding, based on the constant comparative method. Findings: The analysis led to the extraction of 180 initial concepts, 30 major categories, and 10 core categories. The central phenomenon of the study was “an empowering and vitality-enhancing ecosystem for girls in school.” The final paradigmatic model showed that positive leadership and professional autonomy were causal conditions; vitality-enhancing architecture and Iranian-Islamic culture were contextual conditions; supportive climate and stakeholder participation were intervening conditions; joyful learning and girls’ safety were action/interaction strategies; and multidimensional health and student empowerment were the main outcomes of the model. To ensure trustworthiness, member checking, source triangulation, recoding, and agreement between two coders were used, and Cohen’s kappa coefficient was obtained as 0.855. Conclusion: The vitality-enhancing school model shows that sustainable vitality in girls’ schools is the result of the coordinated interaction of managerial, educational, psychological, cultural, environmental, and social factors, and cannot be reduced to recreational or short-term activities. Accordingly, moving from a control-oriented school to a support-oriented school, from uniform teaching to vitality-enhancing learning, and from administrative management to human-centered educational leadership is essential for realizing an empowering and vibrant school.

https://www.qijes.com/index.php/ijes/article/download/1525/1549