Framing continuous professional development through the lenses of leadership for learning: perspectives from three Caribbean islands

[摘要] The concepts of school leadership and continuing professional development have become the cornerstone of much educational debate and enquiry. This mixed-methods study investigates the perceptions of teachers, head teachers and ministry officials in relation to what they feel are the defining constituents of continuing professional development and school leadership in three Caribbean islands. Drawing on data from questionnaires, interviews and focus-group discussions, the researcher examined participants’ views about their existing circumstances as they relate to the main concepts. The findings highlight three key but interesting view-points. First, leadership was characterized by three major constructs which are directly interrelated but more importantly, captures the essence of leadership from the island narratives. Second, respondents’ accounts showed that improvement in organizational practices and personal development were considered as the main purpose of CPD in addition to, highlighting some concerns regarding the way in which it is planned and executed. Third, the context in which teachers and school leaders operate seem to play an important part in shaping the way in which they perceive both concepts. These contextual factors appear to guide the manner in which leadership and CPD are practiced across the islands in question. This in turn supports the discourses in the leadership literature that it is not a concept which is easily defined. Added to this, the evidence also suggests that sustained learning particularly as it relates to CPD would require the combined processes of these leadership constructs and a supporting atmosphere of structured dialogues between policy-makers and practitioners.

[发布机构] University:University of Birmingham;Department:School of Education

[关键词] L Education;LB Theory and practice of education