Benchmarking best practice - preparing primary school principals for staff management: female headteachers in Saudi Arabian girls’ schools

According to Adamson et al. (1998), a career involves different stages and changes through time. Professional development is essential for any employee in any working environment, as it helps to improve the work of professionals and their achievements in their particular fields. School headteachers face different challenges in schools which vary over time, so they need continuous development in their profession to adapt to these challenges. Headteachers’ professional development has gained international attention, involving the design of different development programmes for headteachers in developed countries, such as the USA and the UK. However, there is an absence of such professional development programmes for female headteachers in Saudi Arabia. In the Saudi context, there has been a lack of research into female headteachers’ professional development, research only having been conducted into the professional development needs of male headteachers. This study is aimed at establishing a benchmark for a professional development programme for Saudi female headteachers that is designed based on their professional needs and the special cultural aspects of the country. The study explores the current status of female headteachers, in order to provide a clear understanding of the degree of professional development they believe they require. It also identifies female headteachers’ needs, based on their professional experience. Moreover, the study aims to illustrate the perceptions of female headteachers of the benefits that a professional development programme would help them achieve. The study also demonstrates the possible challenges that may affect the implementation of a development programme for female headteachers in Saudi Arabia. A literature review is conducted to demonstrate different examples of international experiences of professional development for headteachers, in addition to providing examples from Gulf countries that share similarities with Saudi Arabia with regard to culture and religion. However, there is very little literature, in either English or Arabic, on Saudi female headteachers’ professional development. The study involved 111 female headteachers who worked in primary schools in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. A mixed methods approach was adopted, which used a questionnaire and interviews. Questionnaires (with open and closed questions) were distributed to 150 female primary school headteachers, 101 completed questionnaire forms being obtained. The researcher also conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 female headteachers. The data collected was analysed, using SPSS for the questionnaires and NVivo software for the interviews. The results demonstrate an absence of a professional development programme for female headteachers in Saudi Arabia, and that they were not satisfied with their current situation. The female headteachers also agreed that there was a need to establish a professional development programme that considered their professional needs and the Saudi cultural background. The results show that there is a lack of attention from the Saudi government, represented by the Ministry of Education, with regards to female headteachers’ professional development. The findings illustrate the barriers that may affect the professional development of female headteachers, such as school policies, conditions and culture. The study shows that culture, in particular, is considered to be a major obstacle that restricts the improvement of female headteachers’ professional and leadership skills. The research gives an insight into the current status of headteachers, in addition to providing international examples of professional development programmes and the implications of adopting these in the Saudi context. Therefore, this study can be considered as a basis for establishing a programme aimed at improving female headteachers’ skills, in order to achieve positive school outcomes in Saudi Arabia.