Perceptions of the Supports and Professional Development for and needed by Novice School Administrators in Southwestern Virginia

Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe the perceptions of the support and professional development activities for and needed by novice school administrators (NSAs) in southwestern Virginia. A qualitative methods research design was used to collect and examine data. The researcher interviewed 22 NSAs from 11 different public school divisions in the Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE's) Regions 6 and 7 in southwestern Virginia. An interview protocol consisting of 15 questions was used to collect data on the perceptions of the NSAs. From the research collected, a list detailing the support and professional development (PD) activities for NSAs in southwestern Virginia was created. The support and PD activities were grouped into the categories of (a) support and PD activities provided for NSAs, (b) effective support and PD activities provided for NSAs, (c) support and PD areas of need for NSAs, (d) support and PD activities that the NSAs provided for themselves, (e) factors limiting the support and PD of NSAs. The data collected from this study were strategically placed into a design of seven NSA support and PD areas that school divisions could utilize to create a program, or further develop a program for NSAs. Those areas correlated with the study's primary research question and the five primary sub-questions of the study.