Designing and Validation of a Vitality-Enhancing School Model for Girls' Schools in Iran
Keywords:
Designing, Girls' Schools, Iran, Model, Validation, Vitality, Enhancing SchoolAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to design and validate a comprehensive, indigenous, and multidimensional vitality-enhancing school model for girls’ schools in Iran that integrates the managerial, educational, psychological, cultural, social, and environmental dimensions of female students’ school experiences.
Methodology: This applied study employed an exploratory mixed-methods design with an instrument-development orientation. In the qualitative phase, Strauss and Corbin’s systematic grounded theory approach was used, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 educational experts and stakeholders selected through purposive, snowball, and theoretical sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-developed 30-item questionnaire derived from the qualitative findings was administered to 384 principals and teachers from girls’ schools using cluster and stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed using SPSS 29, AMOS 29, and SmartPLS 4 through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.
Findings: The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin index was 0.966, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant (χ²=34452.786, df=435, p<0.001), confirming the adequacy of the data for factor analysis. First-order confirmatory factor analysis yielded standardized factor loadings ranging from 0.70 to 0.96, with all coefficients statistically significant at p<0.001. Model-fit indices demonstrated satisfactory fit (CMIN/DF=2.072, RMSEA=0.039, GFI=0.971, AGFI=0.957, CFI=0.941, NFI=0.967, TLI=0.955, and IFI=0.963). Reliability coefficients exceeded 0.70, and average variance extracted values exceeded 0.50. However, second-order loadings ranging from 0.98 to 1.01 and high correlations among several constructs indicated the need for further examination of discriminant validity and potential multicollinearity.
Conclusion: The proposed model demonstrated satisfactory empirical support as a framework for conceptualizing vitality-enhancing girls’ schools and may guide educational policy and school-level planning aimed at improving female students’ school experiences, psychological well-being, safety, belonging, participation, and empowerment; nevertheless, further validation of the second-order measurement structure is warranted.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Samaneh Ahmadhosseini (Author); Jafar Rahmani; Seyfollah Fazlollahi Ghomshei (Author)
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