PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING ASPIRANT SCHOOL DIRECTORS: A QUALITATIVE APPROACH

Abstract

Objectives. This study aimed to explore the psychological factors that influence the aspirations and readiness of aspiring principals attending a leadership training school in Albania. Given how important the role of a principal is in a school, understanding such factors is key to improving school principal training programs. Material and Methods. A qualitative design was employed to explore the in-depth experiences, feelings, and perceptions of aspiring principals. Participants were selected through purposive sampling from various regions of Albania, including both urban and rural educational contexts, ensuring diversity in teaching experience and gender balance. In this study, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers who had never held a leadership role. The interviews were conducted face-to-face. Thematic analysis was applied based on Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework. Results. During the thematic analysis, four main themes emerged: (i) Motivation and aspirations for leadership. (ii) Self-efficacy and confidence in leadership skills. (iii) Coping mechanisms and resilience. (iv) Building leadership identity. Many participants reported that they were motivated by the desire to impact education by better supporting students alongside teachers. Moreover, self-efficacy was defined as a determining factor affecting preparedness to take up leadership. On the one hand, some of the aspiring principals seemed to possess adequate levels of confidence regarding their leadership skills. On the other hand, some of them reported feeling a great deal of apprehension and turmoil about the sheer number of intricately woven challenges associated with leadership. From the perspective of the participants, coping with difficulties to build resilience was essential. Finally, participants discussed the process of building a leadership identity as a gradual and ongoing journey rather than a single transformative event, emphasizing the dynamic and experiential nature of leadership development. Conclusions. The results of the study showed the importance of increasing self-efficacy among aspiring school principals through professional development programs. It is recommended that leadership training curricula should be enriched with modules that help build the personal and emotional skills of the aspirants. Relying only on one source of data, on the perceptions of aspiring school principals, is one limitation of this study, as there is potential for more subjectivity in the declaration of their experiences. Also, the use of a qualitative approach to the study does not allow for the generalization of the results to a wider population. Despite the limitations, this study has value and paves the way for further research where, through the use of a mixed methods design, a deeper understanding of leadership development in the Albanian context can be achieved. Keywords: aspirant school director; teacher; Albania; psychological factors; qualitative study.