Providing a Model for Promoting Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) in Teachers: an Applied Research, Grounded Theory Approach

The present study aims to provide a model for promoting the abilities of personal knowledge management (PKM) in teachers; it could be considered as an applied and data-based research.

To realize the purpose of this research, qualitative research approach and especially grounded theory approach has been used. The statistical population includes the managers of Education and Training Organization in the East and west Azerbyjan and also notable experts from universities in the fields related to knowledge management. To design the research model, ten people were selected by using saturation principle and combining judgmental and snow-ball methods. Data collection tool was semi-structured interviews and surveys, which were analyzed and codified by Maxqda software, version 10. The analysis of the data was conducted through open, axial, and selective coding based on grounded theory. Accordingly, 284 primary open codes, 152 selective codes, and 31 final extracted codes in the form of 11 concepts and 6 main categories were classified. After these stages, a model was proposed for promoting the abilities of personal knowledge management of teachers..

The findings of the research show that the main components of personal knowledge management(PKM) include; "creating communication and retrieval skills in oneself" and "the ability to analyze and present the information". Its determining casual conditions are the organizational and individual factors. The contextual conditions are leadership skills and organizational structure. The intervening conditions are economic environmental features and cultural features. The determining strategies include rewarding and passive strategies. The consequences of teachers' personal knowledge management are positive organizational atmosphere and positive organizational results..

The findings of the present study emphasize the importance of the main components and identified dimensions of teachers' personal knowledge management for the application of learning skills in acquiring knowledge; therefore, these factors should be included in teachers' educational program in order to promote their abilities in the field of personal knowledge Management.