عباس عباسپور

The present study aimed to design and validate a mindfulness model for school educational principals. To achieve this objective, an exploratory mixed-method approach was employed. The qualitative phase was based on grounded theory methodology. Participants included 18 experienced, specialized, and knowledgeable educational principals in the study topic, selected through theoretical purposive sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's systematic approach (open, axial, and selective coding). Validation strategies included data and researcher triangulation, member checking by participants, and peer review of results. The paradigmatic model dimensions consisted of: Causal conditions (Pain and suffering, Demand, Study, Meditation, Interaction); Core phenomenon (Cultivating mindful educational principals); Contextual conditions (Educational system, Family institution, Attendance at spiritual gatherings, Attendance in nature); Intervening conditions (Educational and training system status, Welfare and economic status, Social and cultural status); Actions/interactions (Metacognitive awareness, Metacognitive skills); and Consequences (Spiritual growth and personal transformation, Improving the quality of personal and professional life). Based on these dimensions, the mindfulness model for educational principals was designed. In the quantitative phase, a questionnaire was developed based on qualitative findings and administered to 448 educational principals from seven educational districts in Razavi Khorasan Province. Collected data were analyzed descriptively, through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM), confirming the validity of the overall model. The results can assist stakeholders and researchers in understanding mindfulness dimensions—particularly for educational principals—and provide a foundation for cultivating their development and equipping them with new competencies.