Research Article

Professional Development Experiences of Basic Education School Principals

Volume: 9 Number: 2 December 30, 2025

Professional Development Experiences of Basic Education School Principals

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the views of basic education school principals on their professional development. Holistic multiple case design was used as a qualitative method with. The research group consisted of 16 school principals working in basic education schools in Konya’s Meram, Selçuklu, and Karatay districts during the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. Findings show that principals views about professional development as continuous renewal, frequently attend in-service training, and particularly need improvement in technological skills. Intrinsic motivation stems from a desire for self-improvement, while extrinsic motivation comes from stakeholders’ expectations. Access to resources facilitates development, whereas workload hinders it. Professional development enhances leadership skills individually and supports teacher development and knowledge sharing institutionally. Principals also pursue growth in teaching. Interactive, hands-on activities are seen as more effective, and incentives and supportive environments are recommended for improvement.

Keywords

References

  1. Acar, E. (2022). Mesleki öğrenme topluluklarındaki okul geliştirme uygulamalarına yönelik öğretmen VE yönetici görüşleri [Teachers' and administrators' views on school ımprovement practices in professional learning communities]. [Master’s Thesis]. Karabük University.
  2. Açıkalın, A. (2016). Toplumsal, kurumsal ve yönleriyle okul yöneticiliği [School administration in its social, ınstitutional and other aspects]. Pegem Akademi.
  3. Akkaya, A. E. (2010). Okul yöneticilerinin bilgi teknolojileri becerilerinin ve tutumlarının geliştirilmesi: Bir hizmetiçi eğitim uygulaması [Developing school administrators' ınformation technology skills and attitudes: An ın-service training application]. [Master’s Thesis] Akdeniz University.
  4. Aktepe, V. (2014). Okul yöneticilerinin seçme ve yetiştirme uygulamalarına yönelik öğretmen ve yönetici görüşleri [Teachers' and administrators' views on school administrators' selection and training practices]. Turkish Studies, 9(2), 89–105. http://dx.doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.6207
  5. Allan, A. G., Floyd, B., & Bruce, M. W. (2005). Curriculum leadership: Development and ımplementation. SAGE Publications.
  6. Arı, K., & Yavuz, M. (2024). Professional development experiences of autodidactic teachers. Research on Education and Psychology. https://doi.org/10.54535/rep.1441532
  7. Arı, M. (2014). Resmi ortaokul yöneticilerinin mesleki gelişim faaliyetlerine ilişkin görüşlerinin değerlendirilmesi [Evaluation of official secondary school administrators' opinions on professional development activities] [Master’s Thesis]. Maltepe University.
  8. Arslan, H., & Sevinç, N. (2020). Okul yöneticiliğinde entelektüel liderliğe [Intellectual leadership in school management ]. Anı Yayıncılık.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

In-Service Training , Lifelong learning , Adult Education , Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

December 3, 2025

Publication Date

December 30, 2025

Submission Date

July 28, 2025

Acceptance Date

October 15, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 9 Number: 2

APA
Arı, K., & Yavuz, M. (2025). Professional Development Experiences of Basic Education School Principals. Research on Education and Psychology, 9(2), 330-369. https://doi.org/10.54535/rep.1752678

17908

All the articles published in REP are licensed with "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License"