Leadership for school-based teacher professional development: the experience of a Chinese preschool

Workplace conditions created by principals for their teachers’ professional development in Vietnam

“…The development of a 'professional learning community' (Harris, Jones, & Huffman, 2017;Vescio et al, 2008;Wang, 2016) or a 'learning culture' (Qian et al, 2016;Thoonen, Sleegers, Oort, & Peetsma, 2012) requires effective leadership both from the principal and middle-level leaders (Clement & Vandenberghe, 2001;Geijsel et al, 2009;Leithwood, 1992;Leithwood & Louis, 2011;Sleegers et al, 2014). Thus, researchers who have investigated how workplace conditions influence teachers' engagement in productive professional development have highly appreciated the important contributions of principal leadership regardless of the leadership styles principals exercise such as autocratic, transactional, transformational or instructional one (Geijsel et al, 2009;He & Ho, 2017;Sleegers et al, 2014;Somprach et al, 2016;Youngs & King, 2002). Robinson, Lloyd, and Rowe (2008) stated that the principal's constructive participation and effective support for TPD is the most significant factor by which school leadership has most influences on student learning, improvement and achievements.…”

“…Robinson, Lloyd, and Rowe (2008) stated that the principal's constructive participation and effective support for TPD is the most significant factor by which school leadership has most influences on student learning, improvement and achievements. This important finding motivated more researchers to look for better understandings of how school principals create favorable conditions to promote the productive TPD in their schools (Geijsel et al, 2009;He & Ho, 2017;Liu et al, 2016;Sleegers et al, 2014;Somprach et al, 2016;Thoonen et al, 2012;Tran et al, 2018;). The most recent studies of school practices emphasize that in-service workshops and training courses and degree upgrading programmes represent a narrow vision and ineffective forms of TPD (Borko, 2004;Denton & Hasbrouck, 2009) because those forms are inadequate to address the complexity of educational problems and issues in classroom contexts (He & Ho, 2017).…”

“…This important finding motivated more researchers to look for better understandings of how school principals create favorable conditions to promote the productive TPD in their schools (Geijsel et al, 2009;He & Ho, 2017;Liu et al, 2016;Sleegers et al, 2014;Somprach et al, 2016;Thoonen et al, 2012;Tran et al, 2018;). The most recent studies of school practices emphasize that in-service workshops and training courses and degree upgrading programmes represent a narrow vision and ineffective forms of TPD (Borko, 2004;Denton & Hasbrouck, 2009) because those forms are inadequate to address the complexity of educational problems and issues in classroom contexts (He & Ho, 2017). Instead, researchers have argued that significant TPD should be carried out in the context of job-embedded, collaborative, and school-based activities (He & Ho, 2017;Kwakman, 2003;Little, 2012;Opfer & Pedder, 2011;Timperley, 2011;Tran et al, 2018;Webster-Wright, 2009).…”

“…The most recent studies of school practices emphasize that in-service workshops and training courses and degree upgrading programmes represent a narrow vision and ineffective forms of TPD (Borko, 2004;Denton & Hasbrouck, 2009) because those forms are inadequate to address the complexity of educational problems and issues in classroom contexts (He & Ho, 2017). Instead, researchers have argued that significant TPD should be carried out in the context of job-embedded, collaborative, and school-based activities (He & Ho, 2017;Kwakman, 2003;Little, 2012;Opfer & Pedder, 2011;Timperley, 2011;Tran et al, 2018;Webster-Wright, 2009). This social aspect of TPD (Rosenholtz, 1989) raises the importance of reshaping typical norms in the school from privacy, individualism, and tradition to collegiality, collaboration, empowerment and experimentation (Barth, 1990;Clement & Vandenberghe, 2001;Denton & Hasbrouck, 2009;Gumus, Bulut, & Bellibas, 2013;Heck & Hallinger, 2014;Leithwood & Louis, 2011;Saphier, King, & D'Auria, 2006;Thoonen et al, 2012).…”

“…However, TPD has been a process initiated during pre-service teacher education time and continues through job-embedded, collaborative, coherent and reflective professional activities, for the last few decades (Hallinger, Piyaman, & Viseshsiri, 2017;Kwakman, 2003;Lieberman & Pointer Mace, 2008;Opfer & Pedder, 2011;Poekert, 2012;Timperley, 2011;Webster-Wright, 2009). This led researchers' attention to understanding how workplace conditions enhance teachers' participation in productive and effective learning during their teaching careers (Geijsel, Sleegers, Stoel, & Krüger, 2009;He & Ho, 2017;Qian et al, 2017;Sleegers, Thoonen, Oort, & Peetsma, 2014;Youngs & King, 2002). A central theme in these studies as well as in the research literature is the role of school leaders in creating favorable working conditions for TPD.…”