An investigation of strategies used by school principals in promoting professional development among teaching staff in the Keiskammahoek area.

The fusion of the different Departments of Education after 1994 resulted in many changes in the education system of South Africa, which created confusion and uncertainty among educators. Among the changes was the introduction of the National Curriculum Statement and Outcomes-Based Education that was intended to transform teaching and learning in schools. To prepare educators for the myriad of changes, short courses were conducted via the cascade model, but these proved largely ineffective and educators have been crying out for proper Professional Development programmes to better prepare them for their crucial roles in the new South Africa. Amongst the many challenges in rural areas, multi-grade and multi-phase teaching is prevalent. Most educators were not adequately prepared for these during teacher training. The poor quality of training and lack of professional development have resulted in feelings of frustration and inadequacy among educators. To ameliorate the situation, the Department of Education instituted the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS), aimed at improving the quality of learning and teaching by empowering, motivating and training educators. However, professional development has remained elusive as the IQMS is not properly used since it has been characterised by political interference, and seems almost exclusively focused on salary progression. At the end of the day, it is often the overworked and over-burdened school principal who is attempting to provide professional development for staff, with little or no help from outside sources. Very little research that has been undertaken into what it is that rural school principals actually do to develop staff. The researcher has attempted to understand how principals undertake the professional development of educators, given that many are in remote and resource-poor areas, which makes development very difficult. Added to this is the heavy workload and burden of classroom teaching which many of the principals face, especially those in remote areas, where smaller schools are the norm. The researcher explored different strategies which school principals can use for the professional development of their staff before going to the field to see what it is that principals are actually doing. School principals are strategically situated to play a significant role in improving the quality of teaching and learning, as the success and failure of their schools rest on their shoulders. Every study is located within a paradigm. The paradigm used in this study is the interpretivist one, as it allowed the researcher to investigate the meanings and the interpretation of the social actors in a particular situation. Hermeneutic theory within a qualitative research approach was used, as its main concern is an understanding of the way in which individuals construct, modify and interpret the world in which they find themselves. The research design used was semi-structured interviews, chosen to elicit information from the participants about professional development in their schools. Interview questions were prepared that emanated from the main research question. Through fieldwork, the researcher developed an understanding of the challenges that face the principals, and of the strategies they use to promote professional growth and development. It was discovered that principals in smaller rural schools in Keiskammahoek make extensive use of delegation as a developmental tool, but that while there are other attempts to develop staff, there seems to be very little comprehensive planning or execution of professional development. Recommendations made are that school principals should use workshops regularly, encourage educators to plan together and monitor such planning, delegate duties, encourage group and team work among the teachers, implement the IQMS and encourage mentoring and coaching for development purposes. School principals should jointly form forums and clusters that are aimed at professional growth and development. Principals should also take initiative in professional development, even if they are faced with difficult situations and conditions. The Department of Education should invest in education by ensuring that all educators, no matter where they teach, should enjoy continuous professional development to improve the quality of learning and teaching in schools