Uncovering the role of principals in enhancing teacher professional learning in a centralized education system

IF 2.4 Q3 MANAGEMENT International Journal of Educational Management Pub Date : 2024-03-26 DOI:10.1108/ijem-12-2023-0654

Fatemeh Abbaspour, Rezvan Hosseingholizadeh, Mehmet Şükrü Bellibaş

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Abstract

Purpose

Current school leadership research has primarily utilized quantitative methods to explore the relationship between leadership and teacher learning. However, there is a notable gap in understanding how principals facilitate professional learning, especially in centralized educational settings. This study aims to address this gap by examining the role of school leadership in enhancing teacher professional learning within a highly centralized education system.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative case study delves into the lived experiences of 15 teachers and eight school leaders in eight primary schools in Mashhad, Iran. Through semistructured interviews, researchers employed open and axial coding to systematically explore and categorize qualitative data. The study focuses on understanding the role of principal leadership in facilitating teacher professional learning by connecting themes and sub-themes across transcripts.

Findings

Effective principals worked on the cultivation of a culture that champions perpetual personal growth and development, the nurturing of a collaborative learning community, and the provision of essential resources and support. Findings showed the pivotal role of principals in promoting teachers' self-development, facilitating idea exchange and acknowledging their efforts. Principals appeared as key to encouraging information sharing, fostering collective learning, promoting professional development, overseeing teaching practices and ensuring the availability of resources to cultivate a supportive climate in a centralized education context.

Originality/value

We concluded that in centralized education, leadership practices for promoting teacher learning share similarities and differences with decentralized settings. The findings offer guidance for principals in centralized systems, supporting them in facilitating teacher professional learning in their schools.

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揭示校长在加强中央集权教育体制下教师专业学习中的作用

目的当前的学校领导力研究主要采用定量方法来探讨领导力与教师学习之间的关系。然而，在了解校长如何促进教师专业学习方面还存在着明显的差距，尤其是在中央集权的教育环境中。本研究旨在通过考察学校领导力在高度集中的教育系统中促进教师专业学习的作用来弥补这一空白。本定性案例研究深入探讨了伊朗马什哈德市八所小学的 15 名教师和八名学校领导的生活经历。通过半结构式访谈，研究人员采用开放式和轴向编码法对定性数据进行了系统的探索和分类。研究结果高效的校长致力于培养一种促进个人成长和发展的文化，培育一个合作学习社区，并提供必要的资源和支持。研究结果表明，校长在促进教师的自我发展、促进思想交流和认可教师的努力方面发挥着举足轻重的作用。在集中式教育环境中，校长似乎是鼓励信息共享、促进集体学习、推动专业发展、监督教学实践和确保提供资源以培养支持性氛围的关键。研究结果为中央集权体制下的校长提供了指导，帮助他们促进学校的教师专业学习。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Educational Management MANAGEMENT-

CiteScore

4.30

自引率

8.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Educational Management (IJEM) provides those interested in the effective management of the educational process with a broad overview of developments and best practice in the field, with particular reference to how new ideas can be applied worldwide. As the whole structure and philosophy of education goes through a sea-change, and as budgets are cut, educational managers need to keep abreast of new developments in order to maximize their resources and determine the most appropriate management strategy for their institution. The journal explores research in the following areas: -Innovation in educational management across the spectrum -The development of educational delivery mechanisms -Creation of an environment in which the management of resources provides the most efficient outputs -Sharing of new initiatives, with an international application The International Journal of Educational Management addresses the increasingly complex role of the educational manager, offering international perspectives on common problems and providing a forum for the sharing of ideas, information and expertise.