Strengthening inclusive leadership: insights from a professional development programme for school and childcare leaders

Abstract

This study aims to answer the following research question: What were the participants’ perceptions of how their engagement in a professional development programme contributed to their advancement in inclusive leadership behaviour? To this end, we followed 17 school and childcare leaders collaborating in Dutch child centres for education and childcare, who participated in a dedicated professional development programme on inclusive leadership. The programme which consisted of four sessions, spread over five months, was tailored to develop inclusive leadership, and built upon six design criteria derived from literature. Data analysis was conducted by triangulating qualitative and quantitative data from interviews and pre- and post-programme self-evaluations. The main finding suggests that participants’ involvement in the professional development programme resulted in an augmented awareness of their role in creating an organisational climate through inclusive leadership, which was manifested through an increased application of inclusive leadership behaviours. Organising collective learning was considered a crucial element, recognising that the role of a school leader is sometimes perceived as isolated. Self-regulated learning via learning logs and reflective interviews provided opportunities for learning through reflection and showed that participants follow their own unique learning paths, tailored to their individual needs and contextual factors that they deem important.