TY - JOUR
T1 - Portuguese principals’ professional development needs and preferred learning methods
AU - Cunha, Rosário Serrão
AU - Tintoré, Mireia
AU - Cabral, Ilídia
AU - Alves, José Matias
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by EDULOG—Fundação Belmiro de Azevedo, grant number EDULOG/EDUGEST/2019—and The APC was funded by EDULOG—Fundação Belmiro de Azevedo, grant number EDULOG/EDUGEST/2019.
Funding Information:
This research was funded by EDULOG?Funda??o Belmiro de Azevedo, grant number EDULOG/EDUGEST/2019?and The APC was funded by EDULOG?Funda??o Belmiro de Azevedo, grant number EDULOG/EDUGEST/2019.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 by the authors.
PY - 2020/9
Y1 - 2020/9
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Educational administration
KW - Leadership
KW - Learning methods
KW - Professional training
KW - School management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85093899005&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/educsci10090219
DO - 10.3390/educsci10090219
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85093899005
SN - 2227-7102
VL - 10
SP - 1
EP - 16
JO - Education Sciences
JF - Education Sciences
IS - 9
M1 - 219
ER -