Developing a Human Development Framework for Students in Smart Schools with Emphasis on Social-Emotional Skills, Critical Thinking, and Digital Adaptability
Keywords:
Human development, smart schools, social-emotional skills, critical thinking, digital adaptability, thematic analysis, studentsAbstract
This study aimed to develop a qualitative framework for students’ human development in smart schools with emphasis on social-emotional skills, critical thinking, and digital adaptability. This qualitative study employed a thematic analysis design. Participants included 24 stakeholders from smart schools in Tehran, selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation. The participants consisted of students, teachers, school counselors, principals, and educational technology specialists. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Initial saturation occurred in the twenty-first interview, followed by three additional interviews to confirm data adequacy. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo software through systematic coding and thematic analysis procedures. Data analysis resulted in five main categories: “social-emotional empowerment in smart school environments,” “development of critical thinking and evidence-based judgment,” “digital adaptability and responsible citizenship,” “human-centered and interactive teaching-learning design,” and “supportive ecosystem, school governance, and digital equity.” The findings indicated that human development in smart schools is achieved when technology is not reduced to a content-delivery tool but is intentionally used to support self-awareness, emotion regulation, social interaction, critical analysis of information, digital responsibility, and active student participation. The proposed framework suggests that a human-centered smart school should integrate technology with social-emotional learning, critical thinking, digital adaptability, and institutional support. Accordingly, school digitalization contributes to students’ human development only when it is accompanied by curriculum redesign, teacher empowerment, family-school collaboration, data ethics, and attention to digital inequalities.
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