Abstract

Introduction: Digital transformation in schools represents a complex, gradual, and multi-layered process that extends far beyond the mere acquisition of hardware or the use of technological tools. It fundamentally requires transformation in attitudes, redefinition of roles, redesign of structures, and reconstruction of educational discourse. School principals, as the primary agents of this transformation, experience the greatest pressure and responsibility in navigating digitalization. Despite the emphasis of national policies on digital learning and 21st-century skills, evidence indicates that schools face numerous challenges in their digitalization journey. Understanding these challenges requires more than describing technical problems; it demands a deep approach that reveals hidden factors at cultural, cognitive, and mythical levels. What appears superficially as lack of technological skills, infrastructure limitations, work pressure, or staff resistance represents only the surface layer of the problem, while the main roots of these challenges lie in deeper layers. Many principals operate within structures still based on traditional school administration logic, where policies, processes, and educational management methods are designed with little flexibility for digital transformation. Additionally, prevailing educational discourses continue to emphasize face-to-face classrooms, teacher centrality, book-centeredness, and unilateral authority—discourses that conflict with the participatory, networked, data-driven, and flexible nature of digital education. Furthermore, the lack of effective data systems, absence of clear digital transformation strategies, and insufficient regional and provincial support complicate the digital transformation management process. This study employed Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) as a futures studies methodology to examine the multi-layered challenges facing school principals in digitalization and engagement with emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.



Methodology: This qualitative futures study utilized the CLA approach, investigating issues across four levels: litany (surface), systemic causes (structural), discourse (worldview), and myth/metaphor (deep cultural). The research population included public and private school principals in Isfahan with at least 25 years of experience during the 2025-2026 academic year. Purposeful sampling continued until theoretical saturation, resulting in 21 principals selected for in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Questions were designed within the CLA framework but conducted flexibly. For validation, participant review and comparison with previous research findings were employed. Data analysis employed thematic analysis, including coding, extraction of basic themes, categorization into organizing themes, and identification of global themes aligned with each causal layer.



Findings: The findings revealed that principals' challenges in digitalization encompassed four layers. At the litany (surface) level, challenges included infrastructure deficiencies (poor internet, inadequate equipment, lack of secure networks), principals' technological skill deficiencies (unfamiliarity with AI tools, weak data management), staff resistance (fear of technology, job security concerns, teacher confusion), work pressure from transformation (increased workload, task fragmentation), time constraints (intensive scheduling, numerous meetings), lack of financial and technical support (budget shortages, absence of IT support), simultaneous management of traditional and digital affairs leading to burnout, and lack of technical specialists. At the systemic (structural) level, challenges included inadequate digitalization policies (lack of roadmap, scattered policies, institutional incoordination), bureaucracy and traditional structures (slow decision-making, intense centralization), lack of sustainable investment (budget limitations, dependence on temporary projects), role and responsibility conflicts (unclear digital duties, absence of effective technology units), inadequacies in teacher training systems (ineffective courses, uniform training), and absence of integrated data systems (insufficient databases, non-intelligent reporting). At the discursive level, challenges included traditional attitudes toward education (belief in superiority of classical methods, skepticism toward technology), technophobia (fear of human replacement by machines, concerns about digital surveillance), misunderstanding of digital transformation (superficial understanding, limiting it to equipment purchase), control-oriented discourse (focus on authoritarian management, fear of data transparency), instrumental view of technology (reducing AI to tools), and distrust in technology effectiveness. At the myth/metaphor level, challenges included the belief that "technology is humanity's enemy" (fear of machine dominance), the myth that "a good teacher doesn't need technology" (sanctification of traditional teachers), the narrative that "school remains what it always has been" (tradition sanctification), the belief that "students become deviant with technology" (exaggerated ethical concerns), the myth that "technology is cost not investment" (short-term economic perspective), and the narrative that "AI is only for advanced schools" (organizational self-deprecation). The futures study model illustrated the progression from surface challenges to deeper structural, discursive, and mythical layers, demonstrating that school digitalization is not merely a technical issue but a cultural, attitudinal, and institutional challenge.



Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that principals' challenges in digitalization are not limited to equipment deficiencies and weak infrastructure but encompass deeper layers manifesting through dysfunctional structures, dominant discourses, and cultural myths. The results align with international studies (Gidiotis, 2026; Cheng, 2026; Mogas et al., 2022; Yang, Alias, & Nor, 2025). At the litany level, surface challenges like infrastructure deficiencies and skill gaps represent mere manifestations of deeper issues. At the systemic level, lack of coherent policy, bureaucratic structures, insufficient sustainable investment, and role ambiguity constitute primary transformation barriers. At the discursive level, traditional educational attitudes, technophobia, misunderstanding of digital transformation, and instrumental views toward technology indicate that true change occurs when principals' and teachers' mental models are transformed. At the deepest myth/metaphor level, deeply rooted beliefs such as "technology is humanity's enemy," "a good teacher doesn't need technology," and "school remains what it always has been" play a determining role in shaping hidden resistances. These narratives have sedimented in the cultural unconscious of schools and unconsciously guide the behavior of principals and teachers. Until these myths and foundational metaphors are revisited and redefined, superficial and structural efforts for digitalization will result only in principal burnout, destruction of teacher motivation, and project failure. This research demonstrated that the key to digital transformation lies not in tools, but in the human, structural, and cultural aspects of schools. Consequently, principals must recognize their role as leaders of cultural and cognitive transformation, and the educational system must provide the necessary groundwork through redesigning structures, policies, and empowerment programs. The integrated four-layer approach reveals that digitalization in Iranian schools will succeed when technical and financial infrastructures are adequately provided; macro-policy and clear roadmaps are developed; roles and responsibilities regarding technology are clarified; the empowerment system for principals and teachers is redesigned; educational discourse shifts from tradition-centeredness to intelligent learning; and cultural narratives hindering transformation are reviewed and reconstructed. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education design and implement a "Comprehensive School Digital Transformation Program" based on the CLA framework, ensuring simultaneous interventions across all four layers to enhance the success and sustainability of digital transformation in schools.