This study investigates the institutional, social, and familial contexts shaping Tehran adolescent girls’ inclination toward Korean pop music (K-pop). Adopting a qualitative approach grounded in Grounded Theory methodology, the research seeks to move beyond individualistic explanations and examine the broader structural and relational conditions that influence this cultural tendency. The study population consisted of female upper secondary school students in Tehran. Through purposive sampling, 17 participants with a clear interest in K-pop were selected, and data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data analysis followed systematic coding procedures, including open, axial, and selective coding, to identify core categories and relational patterns.
Findings indicate that adolescents’ engagement with K-pop is constructed within a multi-layered contextual framework encompassing institutional, social, and familial dimensions. At the institutional level, schools’ cultural orientations, hidden curricula, and disciplinary policies significantly shape students’ encounters with global cultural products. At the social level, peer networks, friendship circles, and collective identity formation reinforce and normalize interest in K-pop through shared practices and symbolic belonging. At the familial level, parental control and support function in a dual manner: restrictive and authoritarian control often results in secrecy, resistance, or intensified attachment, whereas supportive, dialogical, and emotionally responsive parenting creates a safer space for mediated cultural consumption.
Overall, the findings demonstrate that the inclination toward K-pop is not merely an individual preference but a socio-institutional construct emerging from the dynamic interaction between educational structures, peer relations, and family dynamics. These results underscore the need for culturally responsive educational and policy strategies that acknowledge generational shifts and global cultural flows.