Development of a Structural Model of Soft Skills for Educational Leaders with an Artificial Intelligence Approach in Schools of Mazandaran Province

Abstract

The present study was conducted with the aim of developing a structural model of soft skills for educational leaders using an artificial intelligence approach in schools of Mazandaran Province. This research was applied in purpose, quantitative in data type, cross-sectional in data collection time, and descriptive-exploratory in methodology. The statistical population comprised all school principals and vice-principals in Mazandaran Province, totaling 22,362 individuals. Based on Cochran’s formula, 384 participants were selected using proportional stratified random sampling across 29 educational districts. Data collection was conducted using a 69-item researcher-made questionnaire structured around six main dimensions. Content validity was confirmed through the calculation of CVR and CVI indices, and construct validity was verified via convergent validity. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and Smart PLS software, employing Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. The structural model results indicated that contextual conditions had the strongest relationship with the main variable, with a path coefficient of 0.713. Strategies (0.694), core phenomena (0.671), outcomes (0.667), causal conditions (0.652), and intervening factors (0.525) followed in subsequent ranks. R-squared values were calculated for contextual conditions (0.509), strategies (0.482), core phenomena (0.450), outcomes (0.445), causal conditions (0.425), and intervening factors (0.275). All relationships were statistically significant at the 99% confidence level, and fit indices (SRMR = 0.062, NFI = 0.912) confirmed the model’s satisfactory fit. The research findings demonstrated that contextual conditions are the most significant factor in shaping and enhancing soft skills for educational leaders with an artificial intelligence approach. The development of these skills is a systematic, multidimensional process requiring simultaneous attention to creating supportive organizational and technological environments, designing targeted professional development strategies, and managing intervening factors. The proposed model can serve as a scientific framework for designing professional development programs for educational leaders, formulating educational policies, and evaluating school administrators’ performance in Mazandaran Province and other regions of the country.