A Conceptual Model of Cultural Transformation in Educational Organizations: A Qualitative Systematic Review
Keywords:
Cultural transformation of the educational system, organizational culture, conceptual model of transformation, antecedents of transformation, processes and strategies of transformation, contextual factors, intervening factorsAbstract
This study aimed to develop a conceptual model of cultural transformation in educational organizations by systematically synthesizing qualitative research and identifying the principal knowledge gaps in this field. This qualitative study employed systematic and scoping review procedures. The research population comprised domestic and international studies addressing cultural transformation in formal educational organizations, ranging from schools to universities. Relevant studies were retrieved from credible scientific databases through combinations of specialized keywords and selected using purposive sampling. The initial search yielded 150 articles. Following the removal of duplicate and irrelevant records and the application of predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 47 articles were retained for final analysis. Information concerning the concepts, antecedents, causal factors, dimensions, strategies, contextual conditions, intervening factors, and consequences of cultural transformation was extracted. The data were then coded, categorized, interpreted, and synthesized through qualitative content analysis. The synthesis identified eight principal categories: the concept of transformation, antecedents, causal factors, transformation dimensions, strategies, contextual conditions, intervening factors, and consequences. The resulting conceptual model comprised three interconnected layers. The input layer incorporated individual and organizational antecedents, including motivation, personal capability, self-awareness, organizational culture, leadership and management, organizational structure, and resources. The process layer encompassed value-development and value-leadership strategies, organizational strategies, and human-resource development strategies, grounded in the fundamental assumptions of belief in God and ethical values. The outcome layer included ethical, human, and managerial consequences. Identity and value-related challenges, inadequate value-oriented evaluation, structural barriers, weak cultural governance, insufficient professional competencies, cultural resistance, limited stakeholder participation, and socioeconomic constraints emerged as major intervening factors. Sustainable cultural transformation in educational organizations requires a systemic, value-oriented, and multilevel approach that integrates individual and organizational antecedents, executable transformation strategies, supportive contextual conditions, and ethical, human, and managerial outcomes.
Downloads
References
Abbasi, H., Mohammadi Naeini, M., & Nateghi, F. (2023). Explaining the components of elementary school effectiveness based on the Fundamental Transformation Document of Education. Journal of Educational Leadership and Management, 17(1), 214-247.
Abbaspour, A., Assareh, A., Sobhaninejad, M., & Ahqar, Q. (2019). Designing and validating a moral education curriculum model for lower secondary school with emphasis on the Fundamental Transformation Document of Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Research in Teaching and Learning, 16(2), 169-183.
Adibi, Z., Goudarzi, A., & Abolmaali Al-Hosseini, K. (2022). Explaining the role model of educational managers in the process of cultural development: A grounded theory. Educational Sciences from the Perspective of Islam, 10(19), 209-246.
Ahmadi Fard, M., & Amiri, D. (2017). Corrective methods in the moral education of the Holy Quran. Quranic Teachings(26), 28-58.
Akinsuroju, O. E. (2025). Evaluating the effectiveness of UNESCO's educational planning models in promoting cultural diversity in Nigerian schools. In Cultural Odyssey: 20 Years of Implementation of UNESCO's 2005 Convention in Nigeria.
Arar, K., & Haj-Yehia, K. (2018). Perceptions of educational leadership in medieval Islamic thought: A contribution to multicultural contexts. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 50(2), 69-81. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2017.1413341
Asrifan, A., Nursyam, N., Hermansyah, S., & Syahrir, L. (2025). Echoes of change: Reshaping educational environments through institutional culture. In Creating Positive and Inclusive Change in Educational Environments (pp. 227-258). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-5782-8.ch010
Dadashi, F., & Alizadeh, R. (2020). Examining the role of culture in education and students' curriculum. Third International Conference on Psychology, Educational Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities,
Danaei Fard, H., Bagheri Kani, M. a.-H., & Khani, A. (2015). Understanding strategic priorities for transforming the education system from the perspective of Imam Khamenei. Islamic Management, 23(1).
Ebadi, M., Sadeghzadeh, R., & Moghaddasi, K. (2024). The effect of social and cultural transformations on the education and upbringing of elementary students. Management and Humanities Research Conference in Iran: Proceedings of the Seventeenth National Conference on Management and Humanities Research in Iran,
Ebrahimi, A., Qaryeh Mirzaei, M., & Gholami Qaryeh Mirzaei, F. (2023). Improving quality in the education system based on the Fundamental Transformation Document of Education. Quarterly Journal of Strategic Research in Education and Training, 1(7), 185-204.
Eden, C. A., Chisom, O. N., & Adeniyi, I. S. (2024). Cultural competence in education: Strategies for fostering inclusivity and diversity awareness. International Journal of Applied Research in Social Sciences, 6(3), 383-392. https://doi.org/10.51594/ijarss.v6i3.895
Fullan, M. (2020). Leading in a Culture of Change. Jossey-Bass.
Garavand, M., Mohammadi, M., & Naderi Nasab, H. (2023). A study of ideas for improving transformational capacity in schools based on the Fundamental Transformation Document. Quarterly Journal of Strategic Research in Education and Training, 1(4), 11-17.
Garvin, D., Kondratyev, A., Lipton, A., & Paini, M. (2024). Quantum two-sample test for investment strategies (SSRN, Issue. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4789400
Hacker, S. K. (2015). Leading cultural transformation. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 37(4), 13-16.
Jajarmizadeh, M. (2022). Designing a model of cultural transformation management in universities based on the views of Ayatollah Khamenei. Iranian Public Management Studies(15), 59-87.
Jannah, I. N., Rodliyah, R., & Usriyah, L. (2023). Cultural transformation in religious activities based on Ahlussunnah Wal Jama'ah values in Islamic boarding schools. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 6(2), 306-319. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v6i2.3404
Joodzadeh, M., Namvar, A., & Yaghoubi, N. (2021). Designing a comprehensive model for strengthening organizational culture based on Islamic moral values. Applied Ethics Studies, 17(41), 11-42.
Kiaei, Z., Abolmaali, K., & Bagheri, F. (2021). The existential structure of the human being in the Quran and its application in educational domains based on the Fundamental Transformation Document of Education. Research in Issues of Islamic Education(50), 135-175.
Lahmar, F. (2020). Islamic education: An Islamic wisdom-based cultural environment in a western context. Religions, 11(8), 409. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11080409
Lamaro, G., Areng, B., Komuhangi, B., & Okellolirra, G. (2024). Leadership strategies for shaping school culture and facilitating educational change. East African Journal of Education Studies. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.8.4.4245
Mohamed Hashim, M. A., Tlemsani, I., & Matthews, R. (2022). Higher education strategy in digital transformation. Education and Information Technologies, 27(3), 3171-3195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10739-1
Nazemi Ardakani, M., & Sadegh Morakkabi, M. S. (2018). An analysis of the strategic cultural management model of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Strategic Management Studies of National Defense(6), 195-224.
Ni'am, S., Khamami, A. R., Mahtukhin, M., & Hakimi, M. (2024). Reconstruction of Islamic thought: An epistemological approach to advancing Islamic education. Jurnal At-Tarbiyat: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(2).
Nour Afshan, M. (2015). Foundations and methods of cultural transformation in the Holy Quran University of Tehran].
Oecd. (2021). The State of Schooling: Digital Transformation in Education.
Rostamaneh Najafabadi, N., Fadavi, M. S., & Shah Talebi, B. (2022). Developing of value-based leadership pattern based on the fundamental transformation document and national curriculum document in Iranian education. Sociology of Education, 8(1), 166-177.
Sadeghi, A., Moradi, S., Faqih Aram, B., Araghiyeh, A., & Sharifian, L. (2021). Presenting a model for developing Islamic organizational culture for education: A case study of counties in Tehran Province. Cultural Management, 15(54), 11-31.
Sadeghzadeh, N., Ebrahimpour, A., Rabiei, M., & Darman, F. (2021a). The effect of value-based cultural transformation through strategic leadership and knowledge management on organizational performance among faculty members of Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch. Human Capital Empowerment, 4(1), 13-28.
Sadeghzadeh, N., Ebrahimpour, A., Rabiei, M., & Darman, F. (2021b). A grounded-theory model of cultural transformation at Islamic Azad University: Case study of Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch. Culture in the Islamic University, 11(1), 137-174.
Sadeghzadeh, N., Ebrahimpour, A., Rabiei, M., & Darman, F. (2021c). Lived experience of faculty members at Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch, regarding value-based cultural transformation. Cultural Psychology, 5(1), 258-282.
Schein, E. H. (2017). Organizational Culture and Leadership. Wiley.
Schleicher, A. (2018). World Class: How to Build a 21st-Century School System. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264300002-en
Shahsouni, F., & Seddiqi Shiri, A. (2024). Challenges facing fundamental transformations in Iran's educational system. First National Conference on New Perspectives in Educational Issues,
Sharifzadeh, F., Rezaei, B., & Ezzati, A. (2019). Factors affecting the institutionalization of organizational culture based on Islamic values. Management Studies, 28(92), 135-163.
Shiddiq, A., Ulfatin, N., Imron, A., & Imron, A. (2024). Developing student character education through Islamic boarding school culture in Islamic elementary schools. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 16(2), 2276-2288. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v16i2.5260
Siemens, G. (2014). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, 2(1), 1-8.
Tarasov, A., Belyaev, D., & Pogorelova, I. (2019). Socio-cultural transformation as a systemic phenomenon in cultural dynamics. SHS Web of Conferences, https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20197203004
Taremi, S., Mojtabazadeh, M., & Moradi, M. (2022). Designing a model of organizational culture transformation with a productivity-enhancement approach for Iran's education system using grounded theory. Journal of Cultural Management, 16(56), 49-63.
Watkins, C. (2018). Educational leadership in Catholic schools: A practice-based theology of vocation. In Researching Catholic Education (pp. 155-168). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7808-8_12
Yazdani, S., Afshar, L., & Dashti Rahmatabadi, M. (2025). Manifestation of educational justice in the mirror of Islamic moral teachings and presentation of a conceptual model of educational justice. Encyclopedia of Islamic Medical Ethics, 1-15.
Zarei, F., Gholtash, A., & Mashinchi, A. A. (2024). Designing a curriculum model for Iranian-Islamic lifestyle in the secondary level of the national education system. First National Conference on Dynamic Management and Knowledge-Based Economy,
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Zahra Sadat Shah Ahmad Qasemi (Author); Akram Goodarzi; Susan Keshavarz, Niko Dialmeh (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
