Journal of Foresight and Health Governance

Conventional assessment in school physical education frequently privileges short-term physical performance and fixed motor benchmarks. Such practices may underrepresent the cognitive, affective, and developmental dimensions that are central to physical literacy. This study aimed to develop a context-sensitive, progress-oriented assessment model for secondary school physical education based on the paradigm of physical literacy. A qualitative grounded theory design was used. Sixteen experts in curriculum studies and physical education were selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding in MAXQDA. Trustworthiness was addressed through member checking, peer debriefing, audit-trail documentation, and constant comparison. The analysis generated 58 initial codes, 9 subcategories, and 3 overarching categories. The core phenomenon was the establishment of holistic, formative, and progress-oriented assessment. The model comprised causal conditions, including the need to broaden the goals of physical education; contextual conditions, including quantitative grading structures and unequal school infrastructure; intervening conditions, including the absence of formal protocols and the dominance of entrance-exam culture; strategies, including standardized rubrics, ipsative assessment, portfolios, self-assessment, peer assessment, and descriptive feedback; and expected consequences, including fairer grading, stronger teacher accountability, holistic student development, and increased physical self-efficacy. The proposed model reframes assessment from a mechanism for ranking students to a pedagogical process that supports learning, inclusion, and lifelong active living. A preliminary 60-20-20 weighting structure is proposed, with 60% allocated to psychomotor performance, 20% to cognitive knowledge, and 20% to affective-social competence. The weighting requires empirical validation, and implementation requires formal assessment protocols, teacher professional development, and infrastructure-sensitive interpretation of student progress.

The present study was conducted with the aim of designing a paradigmatic model of ethical governance in Iranian governmental organizations, with emphasis on the analysis of causal, contextual, and intervening factors using a grounded theory approach. In terms of purpose, this research is applied, and in terms of nature, it is qualitative. The study was carried out using the Strauss and Corbin version of grounded theory. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 experts, including university professors, senior managers of governmental organizations, and specialists in public administration. Data analysis was performed in three stages of open, axial, and selective coding and led to the identification of 202 open codes, 18 sub-components, and 6 main categories. The findings showed that the paradigmatic model of ethical governance consists of six main categories: causal factors (deficiencies in organizational culture and commitment, managerial and structural limitations, environmental influences), contextual factors (economic and livelihood conditions, social and cultural factors, dysfunctional structures), intervening factors (supervision and laws, conflicts of interest and external influences, resources and managerial will), core factors (ethical leadership and management, culture-building and training, supportive and supervisory systems), strategies (establishing ethical infrastructures, strengthening organizational culture, supervision and accountability), and outcomes (organizational performance, trust and social capital, justice and employee satisfaction). Validation of the findings by participants and professors indicated an agreement rate of 85%, and theoretical saturation was achieved after the ninth interview. The proposed paradigmatic model can be used as a scientific framework for analyzing and improving ethical performance in Iranian governmental organizations and can facilitate the realization of ethical governance through coordinated interaction among the influential factors.

The present study aimed to formulate and determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats governing children’s swimming in Iraq in order to provide practical strategies for the development of this fundamental and medal-winning sport. This applied descriptive-analytical study included sport managers, coaches, young swimmers, and physical education students in Iraq. A total of 134 participants were selected purposively. Data were collected through documentary studies, expert interviews, and a researcher-made questionnaire. The face and content validity of the questionnaire were confirmed, and its reliability, measured by Cronbach’s alpha, ranged from 0.85 to 0.92. Descriptive statistics, the Friedman test, Internal and External Factor Evaluation matrices, the Internal-External matrix, and SWOT analysis were used for data analysis. The results showed a significant difference among the four SWOT factors. The most important strengths included the existence of educational institutions related to physical education, the presence of specialized sport managers, and the existence of talented children and adolescents. The most important weaknesses included insufficient attention to children’s needs and interests, limited access to standard facilities, and lack of financial resources. The existence of potential talents, increased participation of children in sport activities, and expansion of sport events were identified as the most important opportunities. In addition, the increased cost of swimming pool maintenance, the rising price of equipment, and children’s tendency toward sedentary leisure activities were among the most important threats. Based on SWOT analysis, 11 strategies were formulated in four groups: aggressive, competitive, conservative, and defensive. The development of children’s swimming in Iraq requires strategic planning, coordination among sport and educational institutions, sustainable investment, and serious attention to children’s age-related needs. It is suggested that establishing an integrated talent identification system, training specialized coaches, and standardizing equipment and swimming pools for children should be prioritized in executive programs.

Decision-making is one of the most important managerial functions in public organizations, and its quality has a direct impact on efficiency, justice, and the realization of the public interest. Despite the importance of rationality in decision-making, many prevailing management models are based primarily on purely instrumental and empirical approaches and pay limited attention to value-based and guidance-oriented foundations. In this context, the teachings of the Holy Qur’an, as one of the major epistemic sources in Islamic thought, have considerable potential to explain a rational model of decision-making within managerial systems. Accordingly, the present study aims to design a model of rational decision-making in public organizations based on the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. This study adopted a qualitative approach within an interpretive paradigm. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data collected. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews as well as document and text analysis, including the Holy Qur’an, Qur’anic exegeses, and scholarly sources. To validate the research model, the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability were applied. The findings revealed four overarching themes and twelve organizing themes. The results showed that the model of rational decision-making in public organizations rests on four overarching themes: rational governance grounded in divine guidance, ethics-centered managerial decision-making, people-centeredness and social responsibility in governance, and foresight and sustainability in management and implementation. The findings suggest that the proposed model can improve the quality of decision-making, strengthen accountability, uphold justice, and enhance efficiency in public organizations, and can serve as both a theoretical and practical framework in public administration.

The visualization of mental disorders in cinema plays a major role in shaping public attitudes toward mental health, psychiatric patients, and treatment institutions. Because media texts actively construct meaning rather than neutrally reflecting reality, cinematic portrayals can either reproduce stigma or challenge it. This qualitative study analyzes the representation of mental disorders in three films by Iranian filmmaker Fereydoun Jeyrani—Ghermez (1998), Park Way (2006), and Khefeghi (2016)—using Stuart Hall’s theory of representation, John Fiske’s multi-level communication model, and Roland Barthes’ semiotics. The analysis indicates a gradual shift from individualized, violence-centered depictions toward more structurally complex portrayals that increasingly highlight gendered power relations, social class dynamics, and institutional labeling processes. However, the recurring emphasis on tragic and violent outcomes still risks reinforcing stigma and fear-based interpretations of mental illness. The paper underscores the need to strengthen health communication discourse and encourage more responsible mental health portrayals in Iranian cinema.

This study aimed to identify and prioritize sports policies that contribute to national security development. Using a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, the research integrated constructivist grounded theory with the TOPSIS multi-criteria decision-making technique. In the qualitative phase, 16 experts from sport governance, national security institutions, and academia were selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed using focused coding, leading to the identification of 32 policy actions grouped into eight strategic themes: roadmap design, inter-sectoral coordination, infrastructure development, support for specific groups, international engagement, alliance-building, sport promotion, and cultural development and support. In the quantitative phase, these policies were prioritized through TOPSIS based on expert weighting. Results indicated that “improving the country’s international image” ranked first, followed by “strategic policymaking and training,” and “strengthening diplomatic relations.” Findings highlight that soft power-oriented and sport diplomacy-based policies exert the greatest perceived impact on national security. The study provides a structured decision-making framework enabling policymakers to allocate resources more strategically. By moving beyond descriptive analysis of sport-security relationships, this research contributes a prescriptive and operational roadmap for leveraging sport as an instrument of national resilience and geopolitical positioning.

This study developed a sustainable development model for sport tourism in Qeshm Island by framing sport tourism as a future-oriented public health strategy that can generate economic benefits while supporting active lifestyles and environmental stewardship. A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. In the qualitative phase, 23 semi-structured interviews with experts in sport management, tourism, business, and environmental management were analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in 50 indicators organized into 10 components and five dimensions: natural and environmental resources, infrastructure and services, economic factors, socio-cultural factors, and management and governance. In the quantitative phase, 560 stakeholders of sport tourism development in Qeshm were surveyed using a researcher-made questionnaire with confirmed validity and reliability. Descriptive findings showed that, except for natural and environmental resources (M = 3.10), other dimensions were below the desired midpoint: infrastructure and services (M = 2.15), economic factors (M = 2.05), socio-cultural factors (M = 2.43), and management and governance (M = 1.78). Structural equation modeling indicated that all five dimensions significantly and positively predicted sustainable sport tourism development, with the strongest effects for management and governance (β = 0.35) and infrastructure and services (β = 0.30). Model fit indices supported acceptable fit. The model provides an operational roadmap for policy and planning to convert Qeshm’s natural potential into sustainable, health-supportive sport tourism outcomes.