Investigating the impact of continuing professional development on secondary school leaders in the Northern Education Division: A case of the EQUALS school leadership programme.

Abstract

A school leader is critical in as far as learner achievement is concerned. His position is called an expert position due to its complex responsibilities. School leaders’ Continuing Professional Development is important in attaining sustainable education. Countries across the globe have been focusing on several In-Service Training systems as interventions towards CPD. Research revealed that several governments have focused on teacher Professional Development aimed at quality teaching and learning. However, the problem is limited, inconsistency and unsustainability of the school leaders’ CPDs in some parts around the globe and Malawi in particular. With the view to investigate the impact of school leaders’ CPD, the objectives of this qualitative research were: firstly, to investigate leadership practices of secondary school leaders that can sustain school improvement. Secondly, was to examine how secondary school leaders’ CPD contribute to their job performance in administration and management of institutions. Thirdly, it was to determine the extent to which the content of CPDs affects secondary school leaders’ leadership practices and roles. Finally, it was to interrogate the experiences of teachers under school leaders who underwent professional development through EQUALS School Leadership Programme. The study was conducted in the northern part of Malawi with 20 participants who included six school leaders, twelve teachers, one programme organisor and one quality assurance officer. To achieve this, Adult Education Theory and Technology Acceptance Model were used to dig the views, experiences and challenges of school leaders’ daily leadership practices. Document analysis and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis helped the researcher in anaysing, interpreting and making sense of the data. The study revealed that CPDs are indispensable for secondary school leadership. For quality teaching and learning and student achievement, school leaders’ CPDs should never at one point in the education sector be overlooked.