Developing a Model for Optimizing Cultural Events in the Education Sector

This study aimed to develop a comprehensive model for optimizing cultural events within the education sector through a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, grounded theory using Glaser’s emergent approach was applied via semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled planning and policymaking managers, school principals, educational counselors, and students, leading to the identification of five core constructs: cultural governance (strategy orientation, goal orientation, and unified decision-making), design and content (needs orientation, diversification, personalization, timing, and standardization), context and infrastructure (school structure redesign, actor empowerment, student networking, and school cultural economy), motivation and enhancement (motivation building, intelligent rewards, sustainable support, awareness raising, media engagement, and evaluation), and participation and implementation (cultural guidance, student responsibility delegation, alignment with educational life, and talent mapping). Subsequently, in the quantitative phase, a researcher-developed questionnaire was administered to 276 managers and 263 educational counselors (determined via Cochran’s formula), and second-order confirmatory factor analysis within structural equation modeling confirmed that these components collectively account for a substantial proportion of the variance in the optimization of cultural events. The proposed model offers practical implications for enhancing the efficiency, relevance, and impact of cultural programming in educational settings.