Extended Abstract
Background and Purpose
Development is a multidimensional concept encompassing broad economic, social, and cultural contexts. When referring to a developed or underdeveloped society, we imply a community that fulfills various economic, social, human, and cultural development indicators. The advancement of national sports represents a critical component within national socio-economic development. The widespread participation in public sports enhances social vitality and productivity, while the promotion of elite championship sports garners national and international recognition.
Thus, the achievements and broader impacts of national sports development extend beyond athletics, contributing to both economic prosperity and social well-being. The development of physical education and sports, which underpin the preparation and training of healthy and physically fit human resources, is considered integral to national development strategies. Consequently, sports form a socio-cultural subsystem within the nation’s overarching system and require comprehensive development plans aligned with macro-level goals.
In particular, sports education within schools and its advancement are prioritized in national policy frameworks. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to propose a development model for Iranian student sports utilizing a fuzzy DEMATEL approach.
Materials and Methods
This study was applied research in terms of purpose, descriptive in nature, and mixed in variable scope. It was conducted in two phases. The initial phase involved identifying the indicators of student sports development in Iran through interviews analyzed via Glaser’s grounded theory methodology.
The statistical population comprised experts in student sports, including education directors and deputy directors, physical education managers at various levels nationwide, sports management professors with expertise in student sports, and practitioners such as experienced physical education teachers and school principals. Purposive sampling was employed, conducting thirteen interviews until theoretical saturation was attained.
In the second phase, influential and affected factors regarding the development indicators were identified and prioritized through fuzzy DEMATEL analysis. This method allowed assessment of the direct and indirect influences among identified factors.
Results
Initial coding yielded 59 open codes, organized into 11 core concepts pertaining to the development of Iranian student sports. Utilizing fuzzy DEMATEL, these concepts were classified based on their relative influence and dependency, producing a conceptual model distinguishing influencing and affected indicators.
The analysis (presented in Table 1 and Figure 1) shows that points above the horizontal axis represent influential factors, whereas points below denote affected factors. The model thus visualizes interrelationships among developmental factors.
 
Conclusion
Participants acknowledged that the development and enhancement of school physical education—in terms of available facilities and program quality and quantity—directly influences student sports development. In summary, school sports advancement depends on multiple contributing indicators. The fuzzy DEMATEL results highlight that influential factors require initial prioritization, emphasizing that influential components depend on these drivers and, in isolation, cannot independently cultivate student sports development.
Thus, interventions should proceed according to the identified priorities to maximize the growth of student sports.
Article Message
The article’s core message is the necessity to address two categories of factors to achieve sustainable student sports development. Influential factors—such as financial resources, sports infrastructure, physical education instruction, and human resource quality and quantity—play a foundational and vital role. Improvement in these drivers directly impacts dependent factors—including technological capabilities, professionalization, student competitions, and talent identification. Investing in and strategically enhancing influential components is the prerequisite and accelerator for activating and advancing dependent elements, ultimately promoting student sports development.
Ethical Considerations
This manuscript derives from a doctoral dissertation where ethical considerations were rigorously observed. Participants were fully informed about the study objectives and processes, provided written informed consent, and confidentiality was maintained. Transparency in results dissemination and impartiality in reporting were ensured, upholding honesty and trustworthiness throughout analysis and citation.
Funding
This research received no financial support from external funding agencies.
Authors’ Contributions
All authors actively contributed from the research planning phase through data collection, analysis, manuscript drafting, and final review.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this manuscript.
Acknowledgments
The authors express gratitude to all participants and individuals who provided assistance during this study. Special thanks are extended to academic colleagues who supported evaluation and editing of this article.