Semantic Representation of Teacher Autonomy: A Grounded Theory Study

The present study aimed to represent the autonomy of teachers adopting the grounded theory semantically. The research approach of this study was qualitative, and the theory method was grounded theory. The statistical population included all primary school teachers and principals in Lorestan, Iran. To collect qualitative data, interviews were conducted with 45 experienced teachers, school principals, specialists, and professors. In this study, the purposive sampling method was used for participant selection. The sampling method was purposefully continued until the researcher reached theoretical saturation. The basic indicators of the model of autonomy of schoolteachers were identified using a review of the research background and content analysis of the interviews. Next, the three stages of axial coding, selective coding, and main category resulted in six main categories: axial Phenomenon, Causal Conditions, Background Conditions, Interfering Conditions, Strategic Conditions, and Consequences Conditions. Teachers’ Autonomy Model was developed, including 23 axial codes in the form of six selective codes for the six dimensions of axial Phenomenon, causal conditions (with four axial codes), background conditions (with two axial codes), interfering factors (with two axial codes), strategy (with seven axial codes), and consequences (with four axial codes). The extracted qualitative model can be used in policy-making and professional autonomy planning, especially in the professional development of teachers.