Understanding School Educational Leaders’ Perceptions of Professional Development in Relation to Prevailing Theories and Practices

Abstract

This follow up study has been conducted under Interpretivist paradigm while using Qualitative approach. There were 17 school heads including male and female and also representative of urban and rural areas from Punjab School Education Department selected with purposive sampling. The data were collected with the help of Semi-structured interview protocol validated through experts’ opinion. The collected data were analyzed with the help of Manual Thematic analysis. Based on results, it is revealed that professional development was found to be essential for enhancing school leadership, yet its impact was limited by a persistent gap between theory and practice. While participants reported positive changes in leadership identity, decision-making, and collaboration, the study concludes that professional development must be contextualized, sustained, and practice-oriented to become a truly transformative force in educational leadership.