Abstract
The attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge of primary and secondary school principals in Spain regarding active learning methodologies were investigated. To this purpose, a questionnaire, which may be used by an international audience, was designed to measure these factors. Validation and reliability assessments and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were carried out. Study participants included 24 experts from European universities and 408 principals from Spain. Results were analyzed according to the principals' years of experience, sex, region, school ownership (public vs. private), and school educational stage (primary vs. secondary). Study findings indicate that principals in Spain possess significant knowledge and positive attitudes and beliefs regarding active learning methodologies. Primary school principals, as well as principals with between four and eight years of experience, showed stronger beliefs and greater knowledge than their peers. The educational stage of the school and years of experience of the principal combined acted as moderators for beliefs and knowledge. A strong correlation was found between attitudes about and knowledge of active learning methodologies. It can be concluded that, although attitudes are strongly related to knowledge, beliefs are independent of both, and, as in other areas of the managerial function, they are rarely influenced by other factors. These factors do not depend on the sex of the principal who exercises the managerial function or on the region in which he/she works. However, the educational stage of students in the institution, the ownership of the school, and the years of experience may significantly influence principals' knowledge and attitudes.
Highlights
Principals’ influence on the methodologies and practices carried out by teachers in the classroom has been widely documented
Following the procedure as explained, an initial version of the questionnaire was prepared and submitted for expert judgment. This initial version, which consisted of 27 items distributed among the three factors of attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge, was subject to validation by experts
Studies by Bolívar and Moreno [70], Bolívar-Botía and Bolívar-Ruano [71], and Ritacco and Bolivar [72] previously demonstrated that principals in Spain usually have significant knowledge and positive attitudes and beliefs regarding innovation in teaching
Summary
Principals’ influence on the methodologies and practices carried out by teachers in the classroom has been widely documented Authors such as Sebastian, Camburn, and Spillane [1] and Firestone and Donaldson [2] indicated that principals can have a great influence on the work of their colleagues. Active learning has been described by Universal Journal of Educational Research 8(11): 5322-5334, 2020 various authors as one of the major foundations on which the education of the future should be built, given its strong inclusive character and its focus on giving students a lead role in their own learning [6] Studies in this field, as indicated by Grummel [7], are scarce. The importance of principals regarding the implementation of this type of methodology in the classroom and the lack of studies and resources in the field justify this research, both nationally, in terms of the findings, and internationally, for the provision of an evaluation tool
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