Successful Development Programmes

It has been suggested that the best development courses positively shape the path of employee behaviour and productivity in a school setting (Bedinham, 1998). Bullock (2013) summarised the characteristics of effective development programmes, which can influence behavioural change while simultaneously expanding learning capacities and performance. The features of this include the assessment of training needs followed by the identification of objectives and outcomes. A successful development programme will include relevant content which actively demonstrates to the trainees how to model specific skills. In addition, successful programmes will provide opportunities for practice and regular feedback during the training period. The post- training environment is also important because that is where employees are given opportunities to demonstrate the skills they have learned. On advanced development programmes, it is recommended that individual development objectives are designed to fulfil particular needs for certain people (Forde et al., 2013). Forde et al. (2013) identify the key components of successful development programmes involving areas such as coaching, school-based portfolio work, residential conferences and 360 degree feedback and assessment. These are individual programmes designed to meet specific support and development needs, something which is not included anywhere in the Saudi context in terms of coaching.

Successful programmes should endeavour to understand how to develop leadership capacity and undertake instructional improvement in specific contexts (Darling- Hammond et al. 2009). Ball and Cohen (1999, cited in Darling-Hammond et al., 2009) stated that effective professional learning programmes are characterised by a careful blend of coaching and support practice with a daily work routine that helps create a sound basis for practical action. Successful programmes therefore usually create a professional environment through which people learn to collaborate with each other and understand the link between coursework and field-based experiences. This link does not exist in the Saudi context, as presented in Chapter Six, as the situation is that lecturers who do not know what is going in the daily life of schools. Darling- Hammond et al. (2009) stated that the key features of an effective development programme should be in place prior to the programme beginning. This was expressed

in terms of the initial selection and recruitment for heads that need certain skills being fulfilled by utilising a menu of the skills that are required. In addition, successful programmes should focus on instructional improvement and transformational leadership which, in turn, guides high-quality coursework and fieldwork. Unfortunately, in the Saudi context, the opportunity to practise new skills and ideas in a school setting occurs just once a week and only for the duration of that training period. It is clear that Saudi head teacher professional learning not only lacks chances for feedback, it also suffers from a lack of post-course development opportunities.

When designing and conducting effective development courses, the identification of the requirements of schools and participants, and the setting of appropriate goals, curricula, and timetables are vital. A suitable venue, materials, and trainers to facilitate and assess the training course are important to its success (Kirkpatrick, 2005). Figure 5 below outlines a model for formulating training programmes (Buckley & Caple, 2009), which emphasises the importance of appraising the training programme’s capabilities.

Figure 5 Buckley and Caple’s (2009) basic model of a systematic approach to training

This study aims to identify the head teachers’ perceptions regarding their professional learning, development and support needs. An ambiguity of in the identification of development and support needs might lead to the inappropriate implementation of the proposed model. To avoid this, Coolidge (2006) suggests a number of methods to identify the development needs, such as job and task analysis, interviews, surveys, appraisals, skill matrices and development centres.

When head teachers attend development programmes, these programmes should be Assess Effectiveness of Training Conduct Training Investigate Training Needs Design Training

appropriate development programme. The purposes of the training and the nature of the audience must also be considered to design and develop the best training using appropriate methods and techniques to engage the audience and achieve the aims (Nickols, 2003).

There is a basic model called the Kirkpatrick model, which was established in 1994 and which is divided into four sections: reaction, learning, behaviour and result. This model was also deemed to be relevant to this study since it focuses on trainees (school head teachers) as individuals and also on the environment resulting from the trainees’ performance (schools). There is also a value guide, created by Rae (2002), to identify the head teachers’ perceptions of the training they have received. The figure below illustrates the four sections of the Kirkpatrick model:

Figure 6 Kirkpatrick's model (1994)

A mixed approach was thus deemed to be best suited to the objectives of the study, and therefore a combination of the Kirkpatrick model and Rae’s Guide was adopted for use in this research in order to identify their views with regard to the development programme.

Overall, the aim of this study was to re-vision the professional development of head teachers in Jeddah. The training programme within a university context was taken as a starting point for determining the extent to which this type of activity is valuable for head teachers and how much it contributes to their professional development. Several studies that have focused on identifying development and support needs in the Saudi and worldwide contexts will now be presented.

3.8 Previous Research Conducted on Head Teachers’ Professional Learning,