Strategies to improve the entrepreneurial behavior of principals of first secondary schools in Birjand

The aim of this research was to identify ways to improve the entrepreneurial behavior of principals in schools. The field of this research was the first secondary schools of Birjand city. In order to achieve this goal, the researcher has investigated the principals' perception of the factors that enhance and inhibit entrepreneurial behavior with the method of case study research and with a qualitative approach, and has provided solutions to improve entrepreneurial behavior in schools. The participants in the research included four principals of the first secondary school who had been able to perform significant activities in the field of educational entrepreneurship. In order to collect the required data, semi-structured interviews and document analysis were used. The data was analyzed using the coding method in two stages of open and axial coding. The results of this research showed that the most important factors driving entrepreneurial behavior include motivation, risk-taking, teamwork, training, and support. Also, the inhibiting factors include structural barriers, communication barriers, and time constraints for entrepreneurship in schools. Effective solutions to improve the entrepreneurial behavior of principals in schools including investing in the field of entrepreneurship, paying attention to operational learning, determining the vision and cooperation of the education institution with other institutions were identified. These solutions, which are based on the experience of successful school principals, can help policymakers and planners in promoting entrepreneurial behaviors in the education system.