Designing a Development Model for Regenerative Unlearning in Primary Schools

This study aimed to design a model for the development of “generative unlearning” within elementary schools. The research employed a qualitative approach based on the systematic Grounded Theory design of Strauss and Corbin. The statistical population included university professors, elementary school principals, and experienced teachers in Ardabil Province, Iran. Using purposive sampling, 14 qualified experts were selected as participants until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the continuous comparative method across three stages: open, axial, and selective coding. A total of 120 open codes, 55 concepts, 10 axial categories, and 6 principal dimensions were identified, comprising: causal conditions, the central phenomenon, strategies, intervening conditions, contextual factors, and consequences. The central phenomenon was identified as “Generative Unlearning in Elementary Schools,” referring to a systematic process of reviewing, refining, and recreating educational knowledge, experiences, and procedures. The results indicated that this phenomenon emerges from the interaction between “transforming mindsets” and “renewing professional knowledge,” shaped within the culture and structure of the school and influenced by “educational leadership.” Furthermore, strategies such as transforming instructional processes, reconstructing professional experiences, and evolving organizational behaviors play a key role in its realization. The primary outcome of this process is the “professional development of teachers” in elementary schools. Overall, generative unlearning is characterized as an active, multi-layered, and organizational process that seeks not merely the deletion of past knowledge, but its purposeful recreation to improve learning and enhance the educational system. Consequently, it is recommended that simultaneous interventions be implemented at the individual, organizational, and cultural levels of schools to facilitate this approach.