Identifying Indicators for Successful High Schools in the City of Kermanshah (A School for Life): A Delphi Study

The present research aims to identify the indicators determining successful high schools. Using a qualitative method, a Delphi study was carried out in a classical fashion. The statistical population consisted of all experts on the domain of teaching children and young adults in Kermanshah, and 15 university professors and teachers and advisors working for the Ministry of Education formed the panel group participating in this research. The present study was conducted in four phases. First, a questionnaire involving an open question was devised: What do you think are the features of a successful school? Qualitative analysis of the participants’ responses led to the extraction of 120 codes, 16 sub-indicators, and eventually for main indicators (emotional development, social development, career development, and cognitive-academic development). In the second phase, using the codes extracted, a questionnaire consisting of 66 questions was designed for the panel group to decide on. An 80-percent agreement was set as the criterion for acceptance. Eventually, after the phases of going through answers again, 4 questions were omitted, and the panel group reached a final agreement over 62 questions. As a result, a successful school is one that prepares young adults for their future lives by planning for and addressing the four dimensions of emotional development, social development, career development, and cognitive-academic development rather than merely aiming to prepare students for success in the university entrance exam.