Coaching and Developing School Principals: from Necessity to Implementation
Subject Areas :
zahra zahedi vafa
1
,
Farnoosh Alami
2
*
,
Abasalt Khorasani
3
,
Somaye Rahimi
4
1 - Graduated with a Master's degree in Education and Human Resources Development, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran,
3 - Associate Professor of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
4 - Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: personal-professional development, coaching, school principals.,
Abstract :
The increasingly significance of the role of school principals in enhancing the quality of education as well as the existing complexities of today's educational environment make the continuous development of principals' competencies and skills an essential factor. Coaching, considered as an effective approach to individual and organizational development, can play a significant role in improving school principals' performance. However, limited research at the national level in Iran have been conducted on the key components influencing coaching for the development of school principals. Therefore, the present study, with the aim of investigating the components of coaching for the development of school principals (from necessity to implementation), seeks to explain pathway of coaching for school principals. In terms of purpose, this study is considered as applied research, and in terms of data collection, it adopts a qualitative research design. The participants consisted of subject-matter experts (coaching specialists, school principals, and university faculty members in related fields) and 12 participants were selected by purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. The content analysis method was used for coding the verbal data obtained in three stages and the main themes were extracted. The findings indicated that the major components of coaching path for school principals’ development include: (1) the necessity and significance of coaching for school principal development; (2) the organizational and legal framework; (3) implementation prerequisites for coaching; (4) the individual and professional development of school principals; (5) the outcomes and impacts of coaching; and (6) consideration of implementation challenges and barriers. Furthermore, educational organizations can employ coaching as an functional tool for the individual and professional development of school principals by creating legal frameworks and providing the executive infrastructure. Moreover, school principals can utilize coaching in their interactions with staff in order to create a supportive and motivating atmosphere that facilitates teachers' professional growth and improves school performance.
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