Empowerment within educational environments not only enhances the professional competencies of teachers but also enables them to design effective learning settings, utilize educational resources efficiently, and achieve pedagogical goals. Accordingly, the study aimed to design a model for empowering PE student-teachers in Iran.
This qualitative study was applied in nature and conducted using an exploratory approach within the framework of grounded theory. The participants included faculty members and expert professionals in the field of PE from Farhangian University across Iran. Participants were selected through purposive and theoretical sampling. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 key informants. Data analysis followed the three-stage coding process proposed by Strauss and Corbin (1998).
Based on the findings, a total of 488 open codes, 42 axial codes, and 16 selective codes included (individual, extra-organizational, and organizational factors for casual conditions; driving forces, core elements, economic factors, and reinforcers for intervening conditions; educational-organizational backgrounds, individual-communicational backgrounds, and abilities and skills for contextual conditions; educational, macro, and individual strategies for strategies; and organizational, individual, and social outcomes for outcomes) were identified in relation to the research topic.
The findings suggest that empowering PE student-teachers not only contributes to their personal and professional growth but also yields broader benefits at organizational and societal levels. Therefore, the proposed practical model can address existing gaps in the empowerment system of physical education teachers in Iran in a structured manner and serve as a foundation for designing policies and continuous improvement programs.