Re-visioning the development of head teachers in Jeddah : seeing head teachers professional learning through a new lens

Abstract

This study investigates the perceptions of head teachers in the city of Jeddah regarding their professional development and support needs. It presents their views on the training they have received and determines to what extent this has fulfilled their professional learning and support needs. It identifies appropriate forms of professional development to meet head teachers’ ongoing professional learning and support needs, and propose a new model to re-vision the professional learning, development and support of head teachers. This is important as there is little literature or research on head teacher professional development within the Saudi educational context. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify global trends in head teachers’ preparation and professional learning. This study employed mixed methods approach with a qualitative-dominant sequential explanatory strategy. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed based on the Rae Guide and this was distributed to 54 head teachers, in the city of Jeddah. Forty eight questionnaires were returned. Following this, semi-structured interviews were conducted face to face with 18 head teachers in the city of Jeddah. An evaluation model was adopted in order to identify the head teachers’ perceptions of the training they had received and the professional learning opportunities they would like to receive, based on Kirkpatrick’s model (1994). The thematic analysis indicated that head teachers perceived the training they had received to be poor as it did not fulfil their needs entirely. In addition, a number of professional learning and support needs were identified by the head teachers that were not addressed by their previous training, such as communications technology and using technology in management, planning skills, and evaluation of teachers’ performance. Responses from head teachers on their professional learning needs and concerns revealed nine themes, including a perceived lack of moral support, the absence of a preparatory programme, lack of training, absence of any financial reward, shortage of staff, absence of qualified presenters such as coaches, the cultural influence and the nature of their daily job, such as being deemed operational managers rather than leaders. iv A number of elements emerged as important in shaping head teacher professional development, such as culture, values and context. The findings were utilised to design the Proposed Leadership Development Model (PLDM) to address three main factors: the head teachers’ perceptions of their training experiences, the professional development needs identified, and global trends in head teachers’ preparation and development. The recommendations together with the PLDM are intended to guide and support the future policy of the Ministry of Education in Saudi, particularly in terms of the provision of preparation programmes and ongoing collaborative development for head teachers. The model may also be useful in terms of review of head teacher development needs in other contexts.