Portuguese Principals’ Professional Development Needs and Preferred Learning Methods
Due to the crucial role principals have on school outcomes, investing in their training is a cost-effective approach for schools’ improvement. Research shows that principals attribute pertinence to their ongoing professional development. However, little research has been conducted on principals’ tra...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/10/9/219 |
| _version_ | 1797555384886493184 |
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| author | Rosário Serrão Cunha Mireia Tintoré Ilídia Cabral José Matias Alves |
| author_facet | Rosário Serrão Cunha Mireia Tintoré Ilídia Cabral José Matias Alves |
| author_sort | Rosário Serrão Cunha |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Due to the crucial role principals have on school outcomes, investing in their training is a cost-effective approach for schools’ improvement. Research shows that principals attribute pertinence to their ongoing professional development. However, little research has been conducted on principals’ training needs from their viewpoint, particularly in Portugal. Through individual interviews (<i>n</i> = 19) and a questionnaire (<i>n</i> = 117) to principals, we collected data that enable us to understand principals’ perceptions on their training needs, focusing on learning areas, skills to be developed and learning methods. Results show considerable variability, reinforcing the relevance of tailored and contextualised approaches to professional development. Globally, principals request management skills and training opportunities that enable them to develop leadership skills (e.g., personal, interpersonal/socioemotional). Moreover, principals need training on instructional and distributed leadership practices. Collaborative and reflective methods are the ones principals prefer. Practical implications for the design of systematic professional development practices, in a lifelong perspective, are also discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:46:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3d7fa8a95d4442a380360d4615842e87 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:46:43Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-3d7fa8a95d4442a380360d4615842e872023-11-20T11:30:59ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022020-08-0110921910.3390/educsci10090219Portuguese Principals’ Professional Development Needs and Preferred Learning MethodsRosário Serrão Cunha0Mireia Tintoré1Ilídia Cabral2José Matias Alves3Faculty of Education and Psychology, Research Centre for Human Development, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, PortugalFaculty of Education, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya-UIC, 08017 Barcelona, SpainFaculty of Education and Psychology, Research Centre for Human Development, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, PortugalFaculty of Education and Psychology, Research Centre for Human Development, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, PortugalDue to the crucial role principals have on school outcomes, investing in their training is a cost-effective approach for schools’ improvement. Research shows that principals attribute pertinence to their ongoing professional development. However, little research has been conducted on principals’ training needs from their viewpoint, particularly in Portugal. Through individual interviews (<i>n</i> = 19) and a questionnaire (<i>n</i> = 117) to principals, we collected data that enable us to understand principals’ perceptions on their training needs, focusing on learning areas, skills to be developed and learning methods. Results show considerable variability, reinforcing the relevance of tailored and contextualised approaches to professional development. Globally, principals request management skills and training opportunities that enable them to develop leadership skills (e.g., personal, interpersonal/socioemotional). Moreover, principals need training on instructional and distributed leadership practices. Collaborative and reflective methods are the ones principals prefer. Practical implications for the design of systematic professional development practices, in a lifelong perspective, are also discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/10/9/219professional traininglearning methodseducational administrationleadershipschool management |
| spellingShingle | Rosário Serrão Cunha Mireia Tintoré Ilídia Cabral José Matias Alves Portuguese Principals’ Professional Development Needs and Preferred Learning Methods Education Sciences professional training learning methods educational administration leadership school management |
| title | Portuguese Principals’ Professional Development Needs and Preferred Learning Methods |
| title_full | Portuguese Principals’ Professional Development Needs and Preferred Learning Methods |
| title_fullStr | Portuguese Principals’ Professional Development Needs and Preferred Learning Methods |
| title_full_unstemmed | Portuguese Principals’ Professional Development Needs and Preferred Learning Methods |
| title_short | Portuguese Principals’ Professional Development Needs and Preferred Learning Methods |
| title_sort | portuguese principals professional development needs and preferred learning methods |
| topic | professional training learning methods educational administration leadership school management |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/10/9/219 |
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