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This study explored department heads’ professional agency as perceived by heads of departments (HoDs) themselves as well as their Deans following a vignette-based inquiry approach. Data were collected through interviews with one dean and two to three HoDs in six colleges of one university in Beirut, Lebanon. Data was analyzed using theme-based analysis. The findings suggest a dichotomy between the perceptions of HoDs and Deans regarding professional agency within the higher education context. However, a deep analysis of findings suggest a justification for this divide. In fact, while HoDs expressed a bleak perspective pertaining to their autonomy, describing their professional agency to be restricted by Deans’ micro-management, chaos, passiveness, barrier-creation, and decision-dancing; Deans thought they were engaging and supporting HoDs, provided that they remained compliant with university rules and regulations imposed on them. In conclusion, the capacity for HoDs to exercise agency appeared to be impeded by the policies and regulations of the university, with Deans acting as intermediaries and enforcers of these institutional limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study delves into the transformative impact of a professional development model (PDM) across three affiliated private schools in Beirut, Lebanon, spanning three years, with a primary focus on nurturing teacher leadership. At the heart of this PDM, teachers assumed the role of trainers, guiding their colleagues during dedicated professional development days. Employing a grounded theory approach, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 teacher trainers and engaged with three school principals. The research reveals five central categories. Two categories revolve around the evidence highlighting the progression of teacher leadership: (1) accessing and utilising research to enhance teaching and student learning, and (2) promoting professional learning for continuous improvement. Additionally, three categories elucidate the elements instrumental in facilitating the PDM's role in cultivating teacher leadership: reciprocal empowerment, conceptual awareness, and collaborative metacognition. This model redefines traditional top-down leadership structures, allowing teachers to actively mold their professional development journey, creating a more collaborative and intentional approach to teacher leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accreditation has witnessed a surge in popularity within K-12 settings, being perceived as a pathway to excellence and a testament to the pursuit of quality education. This study explored the perceptions of 423 educators (teachers, subject coordinators, and school leaders) from 10 Arab Sates focusing on the value of accreditation and its impact on school improvement, through their lenses. A survey with an open-ended question, was used to collect data. Quantitative data underwent statistical analysis using SPSS 25.0, while qualitative data from the open-ended question were analyzed using theme-based analysis. Findings reveal that participants expressed positive views toward accreditation, recognizing its role in ensuring compliance with standards related to safety, resource allocation, and infrastructure provisions. However, participants, particularly teachers, displayed more reserved perspectives on accreditation's potential to enhance school improvement, expressing concerns that it may lead to cloned schools and diminish teachers' creativity and autonomy. This study highlights the complexities and divergent perceptions surrounding accreditation's impact on K-12 education, urging further reflection and dialogue to better align accreditation practices with the genuine pursuit of school improvement and educational excellence. Plain language summary: Perception of K-12 School Communities on Accreditation as Tool for School Improvement Over the last decade, accreditation has gained traction in K-12 schools as a marker of excellence and dedication to quality education. This study investigated how teachers, subject coordinators, and school principals perceive accreditation. Findings indicate that while school principals viewed accreditation as linked to school improvement, teachers generally did not make this connection. Subject coordinators fell somewhere in between these perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored teacher leadership functions during and post-school disruption, due to COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited from three primary government schools in Qatar, and included 12 teachers, three vice-principals (assistant principals) and three principals. A phenomenological research design was employed using semi-structured interviews for data collection. Findings suggest nine teacher leadership functions during school closure, two of which only were sustained post-school reopening. The study argues that the regression in teacher leadership functions relates to the failure in the internalization of teacher leadership cultural norms and values. The study offers recommendations for policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars persistently explore the enormous effects of the COVID-19 epidemic on schooling, striving to comprehend its intricacies and derive significant perspectives for forthcoming endeavors. The research-based conclusions and suggestions are deemed potentially effective in closing the gap between theory and practice in literature. This is one of the few studies that connects problems with remedies as proposed by teachers. This national teacher-centric study uses a mixed-method methodology with a random sample of teachers from public and private schools in the State of Qatar to look extensively into the problems faced during the pandemic. In the sample, there were 45 instructors who participated in semi-structured online interviews and 1,553 teachers who answered an online questionnaire. The study points out a number of issues, such as teachers' deficiency in pedagogical competencies, sophisticated technological proficiency in the classroom, curriculum density, inadequate teaching strategies, challenges with determining students' needs and obtaining an honest and realistic assessment that accurately represents the students' level of learning, and the lack of extracurricular activities. According to the findings, the challenges were influenced by a number of factors, including year of experience, gender, age, specialization, education level, and extracurricular activities. We need to leverage the lessons learned to shape the future course that distance education takes to move forward, guided by our observations and insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the significance of webinars as tools for supporting teachers’ professional development and growth beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, as perceived by the teachers themselves. The study employs a mixed methods approach, involving 394 teachers registered on a popular virtual community of practice (vCoP) who completed a survey, with twenty of them participating in focus group interviews. Quantitative data from the survey were statistically analysed using SPSS 25.0, while qualitative data from the focus group interviews underwent theme-based analysis. The findings suggest that teachers highly regard webinars as effective tools for professional development and believe that webinars should be an integral part of future teacher development programmes within the framework of blended learning models. The key strengths and weaknesses of webinars as tools for supporting teacher professional development are thoroughly addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]