Supporting teacher professional learning in Oman: The effects of principal leadership, teacher trust, and teacher agency

Lagging student performance in the Sultanate of Oman has, in recent years, led the Ministry of Education to target teachers’ professional learning as a key strategic pillar in its efforts to reform the education system. While international evidence finds principal leadership can make a meaningful difference in teacher engagement in professional learning, this has yet to be studied in Arab societies. The current study collected data from 887 teachers in 78 Omani middle schools with the aim of understanding if and how their principals’ learning-centered leadership influences teacher agency, teacher trust and teacher professional learning. Factor analysis, structural equation modelling, and bootstrapping were used to explore both partial and full mediation models of these relationships. Results validated a partial mediation model in which learning-centered leadership had moderate direct and indirect effects on teacher professional learning. The validated model also highlights the important role that principals can play in creating a climate of trust where teachers believe that investing their time and effort in professional learning will be beneficial for themselves and their schools. The results from Oman are compared with findings from other Asian societies and implications discussed.

Modeling the relationship between principal leadership and teacher professional learning in Kuwait: The mediating effects of Trust and Teacher Agency

Research has revealed that appropriate school leadership practices can positively support and promote teacher learning. This study examines the influences of Learning-Centered Leadership upon Teacher Agency, Trust and professional learning in a Kuwaiti context. Following results from recent empirical research, this study tested a model of principal leadership effects upon teacher learning via the mediators of Teacher Trust and Agency. The researchers collected data from 1060 teachers working at 64 Kuwaiti public schools and analyzed this data using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Results validated this model, showing that Learning-Centered Leadership affects teacher professional development via Teacher Trust and Agency. This improves our understanding of the relationship between school leadership and teacher professional learning both in Kuwait and internationally; relevant recommendations are listed.

Strengthening the Practice and Research Foundation of Andragogy Amidst Some Growing Controversy and Resistance to It

Zemke and Zemke believed 30 ideas/concepts/techniques related with adult learning/andragogy can help toward accomplishing the job as adult educators. Tenant analyzed Knowles' popular andragogical assumptions and processes, while Hartree, Jarvis, and the Davenports considered Knowles' andragogy overrated in its contribution. Not to be deterred, Knowles' published his book The Adult Learner (third edition) and Andragogy in Action, a compendium of 36 positive organizational results of andragogy. Brookfield called American andragogy an unproven theory. Taylor offered a very strong and articulate research-based process model for Knowles' andragogical implementation of four phases and four transitions into learning for self-direction in the classroom. Henschke developed an andragogical assessment inventory entitled: Modified Instructional Perspectives Inventory (MIPI), which is Cronbach Alpha validated three times for reliability, including seven factors of which ‘teacher trust of learners' is the strongest factor with 11 elements describing its dimensions. This chapter explores this.

Exploring the relationship between school leadership and teacher professional learning through structural equation modeling

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationship between leadership and teacher professional learning considering two mediating variables – teacher trust and teacher agency.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized structural equation modeling in analyzing the responses from 1,654 secondary public teachers from 43 schools in the Philippines.FindingsLeadership does not have a direct relationship with teacher professional learning. The established relationship of leadership and professional learning from literature exists through the mediation of teacher trust and teacher agency.Originality/valueThe results point out that school leaders must affect teacher trust and teacher agency to influence the engagement of teachers to professional learning. Contrary to what has been accepted in educational management that leaders can directly impact teachers, the findings of this study dictate that the full effects of leadership are coursed through mediating pathways.