Background: The purpose of this study was to present a paradigm model of institutionalization of professional ethics in faculty members of physical education and sports sciences.
Method: The present study was conducted by a qualitative method using a systematic approach of grounded theory (GT). The statistical population consisted of academic professors and experts in professional ethics; and sampling was performed by convenience and Snowball method. The validity of interviews was determined by a method by Lincoln & Guba as well as using the reliability of test-retest between codes at two time intervals.
Results: The identified concepts were classified into the following six main categories and a paradigm model of research was created according to their association: 1) Causal conditions (personality, personal, scientific (knowledge) and ethical factors), 2) Central category (institutionalization of professional ethics), 3) Strategies (qualification of promotion, monitoring and evaluation, and attraction process), 4) Contextual factors (effective communication; motivational features; specialization; and fair evaluation), 5) Intervening factors (political, cultural and economic factors), 6) Consequences (building trust and gaining the respect; extension of ethics; optimal performance; and creation of a positive competition culture).
Conclusion: The attention to the above subjects and their implementation can lead to positive consequences, including the faculty members' optimal performance, extension of ethics at sports science universities, building mutual trust between students and professors, and finally creation of a competition culture in a positive, ethical atmosphere.