The Impact of Outstanding School Leadership on Supporting Teachers' Professional Development

(A Field Study from the Perspective of the Educational Staff in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah)

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the impact of distinguished school leadership on supporting the professional development of teachers from the perspective of the educational staff. To achieve this objective, a quantitative approach was adopted. A questionnaire was developed as the data collection instrument, consisting of (20) items distributed across two main dimensions: distinguished school leadership and support for teachers’ professional development. The questionnaire was administered to a random sample of (104) male and female teachers. The results of the study indicated that the participants’ perceptions of distinguished school leadership practices were high, with a mean score of (3.96) and a standard deviation of (0.98). Similarly, the findings showed that the respondents’ perceptions of the role of school leadership in supporting teachers’ professional development were also high, with a mean score of (3.85) and a standard deviation of (1.04).The results of the independent samples t-test revealed no statistically significant differences in participants’ responses attributed to gender in the first dimension related to distinguished school leadership, where the significance level was (0.050). However, statistically significant differences were found in the second dimension related to supporting teachers’ professional development based on gender, with a significance level of (0.009). Furthermore, the results of the one-way ANOVA indicated no statistically significant differences in the responses of the participants attributed to years of experience or academic qualification in both dimensions of the study. In light of these findings, the study recommends strengthening school leadership practices that support teachers’ professional development and providing a supportive educational environment that encourages teachers to enhance their professional skills, thereby improving the overall quality of the educational process.