Designing a Conceptual model for Environmental Education with a Sustainable Economic Management Approach

The purpose of the present study was to design a conceptual model of the environment with an approach of sustainable economic management. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach and the systematic grounded theory method. Participants included 20 university faculty members, experts in the field of environmental education, and economic and environmental activists, who were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. To increase the validity and reliability of the data, data triangulation, member checking, and agreement between two coders were utilized. Data analysis was performed using open, axial, and selective coding methods, and the MAXQDA software was employed to facilitate the analysis process. The dimensions of the paradigmatic model were as follows: central phenomenon (weak institutionalization of environmental education in Iran's educational system), causal conditions (environmental crises, inefficiency of the educational system in addressing environmental issues, lack of environmental attitude and responsibility, absence of policy-making and institutional support, need for sustainable economic development), contextual conditions (societal cultural structure, formal and informal education system, regional economic conditions, political and institutional structure), intervening conditions (understanding and interpretation by managers and mid-level implementers, professional motivation and sense of belonging among implementers, flexibility of the executive structure, centralization in evaluation and higher-level structures, instability in policy-making and management, institutional and administrative support), strategies (socio-cultural opportunities and limitations, active teaching methods, experiential and practical environmental education, localization of education, modern educational technologies, teacher empowerment), consequences (strengthening environmental awareness and knowledge, improvement of individual and collective behaviors, development of a culture of social responsibility, enhancement of school cultural identity, increase in inter-institutional cohesion, facilitation of achieving local sustainable development).