The role of principals in school-based teacher professional development in three secondary schools.

Abstract

In line with the Policy Handbook for Educators through the Employment of Educators Act (EEA) no. 76 of 1998, principals are to ensure that teachers get professional development opportunities within and outside their schools. Experiencing learner underperformance in South Africa especially in schools that are located in rural communities, Department of Basic Education (DBE) initiated teacher development programmes and policies. In order for teachers to effectively implement these policies, special training and development were needed at teachers’ respective schools. The aim of the study was to explore the role of principals in school-based teacher professional development. The study targeted three secondary schools which are anonymised as Barter Park, Hashim Amla and Nazil Alli. Department of Education declared them as no fee schools and Quintile 1, 2 & 3, respectively, because they were located in communities with poor socio-economic backgrounds. The study was conducted in Umzinyathi under Nquthu Circuit Management Centre (CMC) in KwaZulu-Natal. The study was located within interpretative paradigm and adopted qualitative case study design. Semi-structured interview was conducted and documents collected. Nine participants including three principals and six teachers were interviewed. The documents like staff minutes, Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) and Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) files were collected and analysed. The study was informed by conceptual framework of a ‘core set of features of effective professional development’ advanced by Desimone (2011). The findings showed that principals engage teachers on induction, mentoring and IQMS activities. However, individual principals reported that they develop teachers on Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), Information Communication Technology (ICT) and One-on-one conversations. The documents that were collected from the participants’ IQMS files illustrated the uneven implementation of the IQMS in the three schools. All principals affirmed their responsibility to provide professional leadership and were able to positively influence teacher development. The data gathered indicated that the three principals provide resources and allocate time for professional development.