The Perceptions of Liberian Public School Principals about their Leadership Development Needs in Post-Conflict Liberia.

摘要

In 2003, Liberia emerged from a violent 14-year civil war which caused widespread destruction of the nation's socio-economic and educational infrastructure. Even before the war, Liberia lacked the necessary programs and policies to effectively train public school principals and provide them with sustainable ongoing leadership development opportunities and support throughout their careers. This remains true today. This descriptive qualitative study explores the perceptions of Liberian public school principals regarding their needs for leadership development opportunities and for support that would help them to become more effective school leaders.;Data was collected from two main sources: 1) in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 12 currently active principals in Liberia; and 2) a review of select relevant policy and program documents. Detailed notes were subsequently analyzed to determine common and independent themes from across the interviews. A similar analysis was done with the select policy and program documents, which came from the Liberian government and other organizations working in the public education domain in Liberia. Data from the two sources was analyzed in relationship to one another to enhance the analysis.;The findings of the study indicate a real need for professional development for public school principals, as well as for programs and policies that address their leadership development needs in post-conflict Liberia.;Key Words: professional development, principal leadership, leadership effectiveness, principal education, in-service training, school leadership.