Primary school principals' lived experiences of professional development and the factors affecting it

Document Type : Qualitative Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student in Educational Management, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor of Educational Management, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor of Educational Management, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran

4 Assistant Professor of Educational Management, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

5 Associate Professor of Educational Management, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.34785/J010.2021.011

Abstract

Abstract
The present study is a qualitative research with a phenomenological approach that has been conducted to identify the dimensions and components of professional development of primary school principals and to develop its framework. The statistical population of the study was the principals of public primary schools in Tehran in the academic year of 2019-2020. In two stages of sampling, samples were selected by quota and then purposive sampling methods. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The interview continued until the data exploration and data collection process reached a theoretical saturation point after interviewing 14 people. Data were analyzed by open and axial coding steps. Two methods of verifying the interviewees and verifying an external expert were used to control the validity. Two methods of verifying the interviewees and verifying an external expert were used to control the validity. To determine the reliability, two methods of reviewing the writings and also the method of recoding were used. The agreement was calculated in the coding homogeneity and the agreement coefficient was 86%. Findings showed that the professional development framework for primary school principals has 3 dimensions, 14 components with 117 indicators  Which includes : the content dimension of professional development (with components of general management knowledge, specialized management knowledge, interactive skills, resource management skills, professional skills, personal inclinations, managerial attitude, physical and mental ability and intellectual ability), the dimension of professional development process (with the components of self-development actions and developer relations) and the dimension of organizational requirements (with the components of knowledge acquisition and acquisition of skills, modification of selection and appointment methods of managers, improvement of organizational structure and processes).

Keywords


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