Designing a Professional Development Model for Elementary School Principals with an Emphasis on the Heutagogy Approach

Abstract

This study aimed to design and explain a professional development model for elementary school principals based on the heutagogy approach and to identify its key dimensions, components, and indicators. This applied qualitative study employed a systematic grounded theory approach. Participants consisted of 18 experts, including university faculty members, senior educational administrators, and specialists in elementary education, selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding based on the Strauss and Corbin paradigm model. Trustworthiness was established through Lincoln and Guba’s criteria of credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability. In addition, a two-round Delphi process was conducted to validate the conceptual model. Data analysis generated 346 initial codes that were refined into 118 indicators, 25 components, and 6 major dimensions. The core phenomenon was identified as principals’ self-directed, experience-based, and reflective professional learning. Causal conditions included the inefficiency of traditional professional development programs, misalignment between managerial training and school realities, centralized educational systems, the complexity of school leadership, and the dynamic nature of educational environments. Contextual conditions encompassed professional learning culture, organizational characteristics of schools, educational policies, and organizational support. Intervening conditions consisted of learning technologies, principals’ motivation, and time and workload constraints. Key strategies included active knowledge seeking, purposeful use of technology, reflective practice, professional networking, and collaborative learning. The model’s consequences involved professional empowerment, enhanced managerial decision-making, development of a learning culture, increased innovation, and improved student learning outcomes. Delphi validation confirmed that all 118 indicators exceeded the critical content validity ratio threshold, supporting the model’s theoretical validity and conceptual coherence. The findings indicate that effective professional development for elementary school principals should be grounded in self-determined, experience-based, and reflective learning. The proposed model highlights principals’ agency, lifelong learning, professional interaction, and technology-enabled learning as central drivers of sustainable professional growth. The model provides a comprehensive framework for redesigning professional development policies and practices and contributes to improving educational leadership effectiveness and overall school performance.