Providing a Leadership Model Based on Sociology in Iran’s Educational System
Keywords:
Leadership model, educational system, sociology, IranAbstract
Leadership in the educational system is one of the most influential factors affecting instructional quality and students’ academic advancement. From a sociological perspective, schools are social institutions formed within the cultural, structural, and power dynamics of society. Therefore, leadership in education must consider not only managerial dimensions but also social and cultural aspects in order to foster broader and more effective stakeholder participation. The present qualitative research is exploratory in nature, applied in purpose, and descriptive-survey in terms of data collection. The dominant strategy of this study is a case study approach. Using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants from Asan Pardakht Company, and after reviewing the available documents, thematic analysis—one of the qualitative methods—was applied. As a result, 5 main themes were identified: participatory leadership, social capital, social interactions within the school, social legitimacy of leadership, and cultural capital; and 29 subthemes were extracted. Participants included faculty members and experts, policy-makers at the Ministry of Education, directors of provincial education departments, and school principals. Among these individuals, 14 were men and 4 were women. Ultimately, it was found that participatory leadership based on sociological foundations provides the groundwork for an inclusive and democratic educational system in which all members feel responsible and connected. This model not only enhances educational quality but also strengthens the role of the school as a social institution. The final conclusion of the study indicates that, based on the findings, cultural capital is the most influential component in proposing a sociology-based leadership model for Iran’s educational system.
Downloads
References
1. Chowdhury TI, Saeedi ASA, Karim AM, Ahmed AR, Karim AM. Effective Contemporary Leadership in the Tertiary Education: Global Stakeholders Viewpoint. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. 2024;14(1). doi: 10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i1/20466.
2. Dabie PK, Asare J. Revisiting Transformational Leadership in U.S. Higher Education: A Critical Conceptual Review. International Journal of Applied Research in Social Sciences. 2025;7(9):673-84. doi: 10.51594/ijarss.v7i9.2039.
3. Arinaldo W, Efriyanti F. The Effect of Servant Leadership and Organizational Commitment on the Performance of PLN ULP Wayhalim Employees. International Journal of Education Social Studies and Management (Ijessm). 2024;4(1):45-54. doi: 10.52121/ijessm.v4i1.209.
4. Hnaish EMA, Khairi Ahmed RM. Review the Literature of Administrative Leadership and Its Impact on Job Performance in the Context of Higher Education. International Journal of Current Business and Social Sciences. 2024;10(1):1-11.
5. Kyambade M, Namatovu A, Namubiru B, Muganzi C. Socially responsible leadership practices in university context: a developing nation perspective. International Journal of Educational Management. 2025;39(1):275-93. doi: 10.1108/IJEM-02-2024-0067.
6. Reyes EM. Leadership 5.0, Cross-Functional Collaboration, and Team Innovation Attributes Among Faculty in Selected Higher Education Institutions. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research. 2024;7(06). doi: 10.47191/ijsshr/v7-i06-51.
7. Karaköse T, Tülübaş T, Papadakis S. The scientific evolution of social justice leadership in education: structural and longitudinal analysis of the existing knowledge base, 2003–2022. Frontiers in Education. 2023;8:1-15.
8. McDonnell M, Yang Y, Zadhasn Z. Linking Emotional and Social Competencies to Career Readiness Among Senior Undergraduates. Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology. 2024;7(1):198-204. doi: 10.61838/kman.ijes.7.1.19.
9. Pawzi H, Alias BS. Navigating IR 4.0 Education: School Leaders as Catalysts for Effective Physical Management in Malaysia Education. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (Mjssh). 2024;9(12):e003142. doi: 10.47405/mjssh.v9i12.3142.
10. Zhu H. Research on the Construction of University Education Informationization Leadership in WEB3.0 Era. Journal of Education Humanities and Social Sciences. 2023;22:883-8. doi: 10.54097/ehss.v22i.14557.
11. Seifi E, Ahmadi A, Moazzami M. Identifying the dimensions and components of the application of new technologies in the fourth generation university. Management and Educational Perspective. 2024;5(4):24-51. doi: 10.22034/jmep.2024.426783.1282.
12. Haris A, Nuraeni N. Adaptive Leadership in the Era of Disruption: Integrating Digital Transformation, Organizational Culture, and Teacher Performance (A Case Study of Muhammadiyah High Schools in Cianjur Regency). Dinasti International Journal of Education Management and Social Science. 2025;6(2):1649-61. doi: 10.38035/dijemss.v6i2.3961.
13. Alene AA, Tsegaye MA, Wolle GS. Secondary school principals' adaptive leadership practices amid the quality education crisis in Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. Social Sciences & Humanities Open. 2025;11:101349. doi: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101349.
14. Rezvani Z, Bani Si M. The Role of Dimensions of Social Responsibility in Educational Leadership within Schools. Psychology and Educational Sciences in the Third Millennium. 2023;23:311-06.
15. Shariati F, Niazazari K, Jabbary N. Presenting a Model for Virtual Education Considering Educational Equity with a Phenomenological Approach in Schools of Golestan Province. Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology. 2024;7(1):66-78. doi: 10.61838/kman.ijes.7.1.7.
16. Wahib A. The Influence of the Principal's Participative Leadership Style and School Climate on Teachers' Work Ethic in MAN 2 Mojokerto, East Java, Indonesia. International Journal of Educational Research & Social Sciences. 2023;4(6):1101-6. doi: 10.51601/ijersc.v4i6.748.
17. Yousefi-Jam S, editor The Relationship Between Principals' Learning-Centered Leadership and Professional Learning of High School Teachers in Borujerd: The Mediating Role of Trust and Knowledge Sharing Behavior. 10th International Conference on New Research in Psychology, Social Sciences, Educational and Instructional Sciences; 2023.
18. Emami Khotbesara Z, Mahdian H, Bakhshipour A. Comparing the Effectiveness of Academic Buoyancy and Psychological Capital Training on Academic Procrastination in Female High School Students. Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology. 2024;7(3):149-60. doi: 10.61838/kman.ijes.7.3.18.
19. Nadeem M. Distributed leadership in educational contexts: A catalyst for school improvement. Social Sciences & Humanities Open. 2024;9:100835. doi: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.100835.
20. Mohtaram M, Pakbaz Z. Designing a Competency Model for Ambidextrous Leadership in Social Systems. Journal of Management and Educational Perspective. 2023;5(3):25-48.
21. Faliza N, Ahmad MB, Setiawan R, Wiwit A. The effect of leadership effectiveness and Islamic work motivation on organization performance with Islamic work ethics as a moderating variable. Reslaj: Religion Education Social Laa Roiba Journal. 2024;6(1):409-25. doi: 10.47467/reslaj.v6i1.4016.
22. Osman H, Mumo R, Gori JM. Team Building as a Lens for Instructional Leadership and Curriculum Supervision: Insights From Secondary Schools in Garissa Sub-County, Kenya. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies. 2025;51(9):916-26. doi: 10.9734/ajess/2025/v51i92426.
23. Ziduli M, Mqondiso A. Improving Quality Education in Rural South African Schools through Shared Leadership Style: A Case Study of Three Rural Secondary Schools. E -Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (EHASS). 2023:977-91. doi: 10.38159/ehass.20234514, 10.38159/ehass.2023487.
24. Şahin A, Soylu D, Jafari M. Professional Development Needs of Teachers in Rural Schools. Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology. 2024;7(1):219-25. doi: 10.61838/kman.ijes.7.1.22.
25. Salman Al-Oda AH, Sadeghi M, Al-Murshidi RHA, Sharifi S. Investigating the Relationship Between Talent Management Implementation Categories in the Basra Province Education Organization. Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology. 2024;7(1):1-9. doi: 10.61838/kman.ijes.7.1.1.
26. Yang J, Seyed Alitabar SH. The Effects of School Size on Student Participation and Sense of Community. Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology. 2024;7(1):205-11. doi: 10.61838/kman.ijes.7.1.20.
27. Sheikhabadi I, Bagheri M, Jahed H. Identifying the Supervisory Components of Instructional and Educational Leaders of Primary Schools in order to Providing a Comprehensive Pattern for Iran's Government Education. Sociology of Education. 2024;10(1):295-304. doi: 10.22034/ijes.2023.2008390.1446.
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Manouchehr Khoram (Author); Samineh Bahadori Jahromi; Abdolhamid Delshad, Keramatollah Rasek (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
