Journal of Research in Educational Systems

Abstract Objective: “The present study was conducted with the aim a qualitative systematic review of factors affecting educational technology leadership in schools”.
Method: This research is applied in terms of purpose. In this research, a qualitative method of systematic review was used to determine the factors affecting technology leadership in schools. In this research, articles indexed in reputable domestic and foreign scientific journal databases (Science Direct, Emerald, and Springer for foreign articles and SID and Magiran for domestic articles) during the years 2018-2025 were reviewed on the topics of "technology leadership", and during this period 335 articles were reviewed and screened to the point of theoretical saturation, and finally 54 articles were examined for final analysis. During the studies conducted, 38 primary codes were drawn and finally a network of themes with 2 overarching themes, 5 constructive themes, and 25 basic themes was drawn.
Results: According to the results of the study, factors affecting technology leadership in schools include individual (cognitive, psychological, and functional) and organizational (human resources and process) factors.
Conclusions: In general, it can be said that identifying the factors affecting technology leadership in schools will improve the quality of educational technologies in schools by principals, and the use of selected smart and electronic tools is also essential for the growth of education in schools.

Abstract Objective: The present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Digital Communication Empathy Scale (DCES). This instrument measures individuals’ empathy within online communication contexts and seeks to assess the multifaceted dimensions of this construct in virtual interactions. Method: This applied, descriptive–survey research was conducted on individuals aged 18 and above who actively used social networks and online messaging platforms between August and September 2025 (N = 570). A convenience sampling method was employed. Data were collected using the Digital Communication Empathy Scale (Collins et al., 2022) and the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (Spreng et al., 2009). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed in SPSS 25, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted in LISREL 8.8. Content validity was evaluated using expert judgment, and criterion validity was confirmed through the correlation with the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (r = 0.46, p < 0.001). Results: EFA findings revealed that the 36-item DCES comprises six core components: Digital Emotional Resonance, Perceived Digital Empathic Accuracy, Digital Perspective-Taking, Digital Sympathy, Digital Personal Distress, and Digital Empathic Anger. First- and second-order CFA demonstrated a good model fit, indicating satisfactory reliability and validity of all subscales. Content validity indices showed strong expert agreement, with an overall CVR of 0.98 and an overall CVI of 0.92, reflecting the adequacy, relevance, and clarity of the items. These findings, together with the factor-analytic evidence, demonstrate that the Persian version of the scale possesses satisfactory validity and reliability. Conclusions: The Digital Communication Empathy Scale demonstrates strong psychometric properties and can serve as a valid instrument for assessing various dimensions of empathy within online communication environments. This tool can assist researchers and practitioners in examining and enhancing digital social interactions and can provide a foundation for designing educational interventions and improving the quality of relationships in virtual settings.

Abstract Objective: The present study aimed to Present and validate the Smart leadership model for school principals and was conducted based on a local conceptual model extracted from the research literature. Method: This study was conducted using a qualitative-quantitative method, in which thematic analysis was used in the qualitative part and the survey method in the quantitative part. First, 97 basic themes were identified using the inductive thematic analysis method from 40 scientific sources, based on the Atride-Sterling perspective, which became the basis for the formation of the Smart leadership model after calculating the agreement of the two coders and confirming its content validity by 15 experts. Relying on the conceptual model approved by the experts as the basis for designing the research tool, it was implemented on a statistical sample of 314 school principals using a non-random sampling method of the available type. The data collection tool was a 97-item researcher-made questionnaire with appropriate content and construct validity, whose reliability was also confirmed by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.923. The research data were analyzed using Amos26 and SPSS26 software. Results: Based on thematic analysis, 3 overarching themes (semantic, argumentative, and insightful), 12 organizing themes, and 97 basic themes for Smart leadership of school principals were obtained, which became the basis for the formation of an Smart leadership model for school principals. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model had sufficient fit and the validity of the model was confirmed. Conclusions: The school principals' Smart leadership scale had adequate validity in measuring and fitting the model. This tool, due to its comprehensiveness, flexibility, ease of use, quality, and appropriateness, has adequate capacity for use in future research.

Abstract Objective: Given the concerning rise in high-risk behaviors among adolescents and the existing gap in indigenous and sustainable interventions, this research aimed to design and validate the content of a dialogue-based intervention package based on William Glasser's Choice Theory for students exhibiting high-risk behaviors. Method: This study was of a developmental mixed-methods type. In the qualitative part, using the Delphi method and comparative content analysis based on the principles of Choice Theory, a 12-session intervention package was designed. The content validity of the package was assessed through the opinions of 8 experts by calculating the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI). In the quantitative part and for the preliminary evaluation of effectiveness, three questionnaires Iranian Adolescents' Risk-Taking (Zadeh Mohammadi et al., 2011), Achivement Emotions (Pukrun et al., 2011), and health-oriented academic lifestyle behaviors (Salehzadeh et al., 2017) and a single-subject A-B design with two participants were used. The data were analyzed using visual-graphical analysis and the PND, NAP, and Tau-U indices. Findings: The content validation results indicated that all sessions were deemed essential by the experts (CVR = 1) and their content was highly relevant to the session objectives (CVI = 0.94). The pilot implementation of the package also led to a significant increase in positive academic emotions and health-oriented behaviors, and a decrease in negative academic emotions during the intervention phase, with these changes sustained during the follow-up phase. Quantitative effectiveness indices (such as PND above 80% and NAP and Tau-U values above 0.70) confirmed a medium to large effect size for the intervention. Conclusion: The designed intervention package possesses desirable content validity, and its preliminary implementation demonstrates the potential effectiveness of this dialogue-based intervention in reducing high-risk behaviors and improving emotional and health-related indicators in students. As an indigenous, systematic intervention tool based on principles of internal control, this package can address the gap in previous interventions and be used in school counseling settings. Conducting more extensive research with larger sample sizes is recommended for greater generalizability of the results.

Abstract Objective: This study was conducted with the aim of providing an integrated model of Philosophy for Children (P4C) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in primary education. Method: In terms of purpose, this study is applied, and in terms of approach, it is qualitative and of the thematic analysis type. The statistical population consisted of experts and specialists in the fields of philosophy, pedagogical content knowledge, and curriculum planning in the years 2024-2025. Using purposive sampling and the snowball technique, 18 individuals (15 professors and 3 curriculum planners) were selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis with inter-coder agreement (reliability coefficient of 0.78). Results: Data analysis led to the extraction of 33 basic themes, 11 organizing themes, and ultimately 6 overarching themes as the main dimensions of the model. The identified organizing themes were: basic cognitive skills, mental readiness, content comprehension, content design skills, communication skills, interaction skills, analysis and judgment, problem-solving, concept linking, self-regulation, and knowledge of educational tools. These components were organized within a comprehensive integrated model. Conclusion: The findings showed that the purposeful integration of the two approaches, P4C and PCK, can provide an effective conceptual framework for designing primary education curricula. This model, by simultaneously enhancing philosophical thinking skills (such as analysis and judgment) and content-focused teaching competencies (such as understanding and designing content), provides an effective framework for designing primary education curricula.



This study adopts a qualitative and applied research design employing the Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology. Data were collected through document analysis, theoretical framework review, and semi-structured interviews with 10 experts in the field of education. Thematic analysis was used to examine the collected data.



Based on the findings, an integrative model was designed comprising six core components: objectives, content, teaching strategies, teacher’s role, learner’s role, and assessment methods. The proposed model was validated by experts and demonstrated the potential to effectively combine content-based instruction with the cultivation of students’ thinking skills.



Furthermore, the model promotes dialogue-centered classrooms, enhances meaningful learning, and fosters active student participation. Given its flexibility, the model is adaptable to localized contexts and can be widely implemented in concept-oriented subjects in primary education. It can also serve as a practical guide for teachers, curriculum designers, and teacher training programs seeking to integrate philosophical inquiry with pedagogical content knowledge in the classroom.

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating academic help-seeking in the relationship between academic hope and academic well-being. Method: The research method was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of data collection method. The statistical population of the research was all second-year high school students in Shiraz in the academic year 2024-2025, among whom 516 students (223 boys and 293 girls) were selected using a multi-stage random cluster sampling method and responded to the Academic Hope Questionnaire (Khormaee & Kamari, 2017) Academic Well-Being Questionnaire (Tuominen-Soini et al., 2012) and Academic Help-Seeking Scale (Ryan & Pintrich, 1997). Structural equation analysis was used to analyze the data using SPSS-26 and AMOS-24 software. Results: The findings showed that hope for education had a direct and significant relationship with the acceptance of help-seeking (p=0.01, β=0.64) and a negative and significant relationship with the avoidance of help-seeking (p=0.009, β=-0.49). While the avoidance of help-seeking had no significant relationship with academic well-being (p=0.15, β=-0.12), the relationship between the acceptance of help-seeking and academic well-being was direct and significant (p=0.005, β=0.50). Also, hope for education indirectly, through avoidance of help-seeking (p=0.02, β=0.11) and acceptance of help-seeking (p=0.008, β=0.33) and the simultaneous effect of these two (p=0.009, β=0.39), was negatively and significantly associated with academic well-being. Conclusions: Overall, the findings of the present study indicate the importance of paying attention to the role of academic hope and academic help-seeking in increasing students' academic well-being.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this research was to analyze the sharing of knowledge and experiences among teachers in virtual environments based on ethical norms and cognitive trust of teachers. Method: The research method was correlational. The statistical population of the study included 457 elementary school teachers working in education department in Ahar city in the academic year 2023-2024. From this population, 201 teachers were selected using stratified sampling and responded to the cognitive trust (researcher-made, 2024), ethical norms (researcher-made, 2024), and knowledge sharing (researcher-made, 2024) questionnaires. For data analysis, SPSS20 and AMOS21 software were used based on structural equation modeling and one-sample t-test. Face validity and convergent validity were used to assess the questionnaire's validity. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the average extracted variance for the studied constructs was acceptable (AVE≥0.585). Also, the composite reliability value for all constructs was appropriate (CR≥0.88). Results: The empirical results of the study using structural equation modeling showed that there is a significant relationship between the ethical norms variable and teachers' knowledge sharing in virtual environments (β-0.457, t=6.876, p≤0.001). Also, teachers' cognitive trust has a positive and significant relationship with their knowledge sharing in virtual environments (β=0.374, t=6.287, p≤0.001). These two variables explained 51% of the variance of the dependent variable. The ethical norms variable (r=0.46) was a stronger predictor for the knowledge sharing variable. Also, the results of the one-sample t-test (Test value = 3) showed that the characteristic of ethical norms among teachers was more appropriate than the characteristics of cognitive trust and knowledge sharing. Conclusions: In the teachers' community, being responsible, performing assigned tasks and responsibilities, fulfilling work commitments, performing activities professionally and professionally, and having good faith towards the efforts of other teachers can improve the sharing of knowledge and experiences among teachers. Also, belief and commitment to sharing knowledge with colleagues, feeling good about this activity, and using new technologies play a role in facilitating the sharing of knowledge and experience among teachers.