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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Education sciences 2020-09, Vol.10 (9), p.219
Main Authors: Serrão Cunha, Rosário, Tintoré, Mireia, Cabral, Ilídia, Matias Alves, José
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coaching
Collaboration
Cooperative Learning
Curricula
Educational Administration
Educational leadership
Educational Needs
Foreign Countries
Individualized Instruction
Instructional Leadership
Knowledge management
leadership
Leadership Training
Learning
learning methods
Management
Management Development
Preferences
Principals
Professional Continuing Education
Professional development
professional training
Reflection
School Administration
school management
School principals
Schools
Skill Development
Teaching methods
Training Methods
Tutoring
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Summary: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 (n = 19) and a questionnaire (n = 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.
ISSN:2227-7102
2227-7102
DOI:10.3390/educsci10090219