The Role, Professional Development, and Challenges of Principals: Key Ingredients of School Leadership

Authors

  • Syed Kaleem Ullah Shah Bukhari The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan
  • Muhammad Abiodullah University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
  • Rafaquat Ali The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
  • Ayesha Kanwal University of Education, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2021.0902.0121

Keywords:

Professional Development, School Leadership, Financial Resources, School Improvement, School Planning

Abstract

The success of schools in the current era demands ever-increasing efforts from their principals. Professional development is an essential ingredient that enables them to work in diverse scenarios and deal with competing, complex, and unprecedented challenges and issues. The present study intends to explore principals’ professional development and its relationship with their roles and the challenges they face. Quantitative approach was employed to conduct this study. One hundred principals were selected based on the purposive sampling technique. Data were collected on a five-point rating scale from the principals of higher secondary schools in Lahore through a physically administered survey method. The questionnaire measured the participants' perceptions on three dimensions: professional development, roles, and challenges. Data were analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. The impact of the professional development on the role participants’ play and the challenges they face in schools' leadership were calculated using the regression analysis technique. The study found that professional development was a significant predictor in school efficiency/improvement, and school success depends heavily upon the professional development and the role of schools’ principals. It also shows a need to reprioritize the roles that principals play in leading their schools. The challenges about students show that further professional development is required for principals to improve their efficiency in school improvement. The challenges due to financial resources also indicate the need for financial management. The study concluded that professional development should be monitored and kept updated to improve schools' leadership.

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Author Biographies

Syed Kaleem Ullah Shah Bukhari, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan

Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Training, Bahawalnagar Campus

Muhammad Abiodullah, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Associate Professor, Institute of Education and Research

Rafaquat Ali, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Bahawalnagar Campus.

Ayesha Kanwal, University of Education, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

PhD Scholar

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Published

2021-09-30

How to Cite

Bukhari, S. K. U. S., Abiodullah, M., Ali, R., & Kanwal, A. (2021). The Role, Professional Development, and Challenges of Principals: Key Ingredients of School Leadership. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 9(2), 141–149. https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2021.0902.0121

Issue

Section

Articles