Mthanti & Msiza, Cogent Education (2023), 10: 2267934
https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2267934
Received: 20 July 2023
Accepted: 03 October 2023
*Corresponding author: Bawinile
J. Mthanti, Faculty of Education, Open
Distance and E-Learning (ODeL),
Olivier Tambo Street, Bloemfontein
9301, South Africa
E-mail: winniewfa@gmail.com
Reviewing editor:
Lawrence Jun Zhang, Curriculum
and Pedagogy, University of
Auckland Faculty of Education and
Social Work, New Zealand
Additional information is available at
the end of the article
INFORMATION & COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION |
RESEARCH ARTICLE
The roles of the school principals in the
professional development of teachers for 21st
century Education
Bawinile J. Mthanti1* and Prudence Msiza2
Abstract: In this empirical paper, we explore the school principals’ roles in devel­
oping teachers for 21st century education, particularly in integrating information
and communication technology (ICT) for the enhancement of teaching and learning
in schools. The Department of Education entrusted school principals with the vital
role of defining the direction and growth of the schools. As a result, teachers rely
extensively on school principals to give guidance and influence their professional
development, particularly the development of 21st century education. The interpre­
tive paradigm underpinned this article while semi-structured interviews were used
to collect data. Theories of Professional Development for Teachers are applied in
this study. Professional development as continuous learning focused upon the sum
total of formal and informal learning pursued and experienced by the teacher in
a compelling learning environment under conditions of complexity and dynamic
change. Teacher training and in-service professional development are key to effec­
tive teaching. The study sample consisted of two schools. Two participants were
purposefully chosen from each school. The findings suggest that although school
principals do not have an active role in developing teachers, their passive role
through support, interaction, and financial support impacts how teachers respond
to partaking in professional development programs.
Subjects: Teachers & Teacher Education; Secondary Education; Continuing Professional
Development
Keywords: 21st century education; teacher professional development; teacher
professional development program; blended learning; the role of the school principals
JEL Classification: 100; 121; 128
1. Introduction
What does it mean to be a teacher in the 21st century? First, according to Cox (2019), 21st century
teachers must be adaptive; they should be able to evolve their teaching style with the ever-
changing world, adapt to the internet changes brought about by technology, and incorporate
them into their teaching. Secondly, they should be able to collaborate and work in a team with
other teachers to grow professionally. Thirdly, 21st-century teachers should be able to think
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribu­
tion, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on
which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in
a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
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critically and be forward thinkers that prepare learners for future opportunities. Lastly, Cox (2019)
continues to state that 21st century teachers should be advocates for their profession and the
education of learners. This study argues that teachers of the 21st century are required to possess
different skills and competencies different from the teachers of the 20th century concerning their
role in teaching and learning. Likewise, school principals, need to be aware and equip themselves
with the relevant 21st century skills in order to guide teachers towards relevant 21st century
teacher professional development education towards the improvement of student learning and
teaching approaches for 21st century education.

Teachers rely on the guidance of the school principals to pave the way for them in curriculum
development and intergrading technology in teaching and learning; as a result, well-developed
principals with 21st-century skills are needed to equip the teachers with the necessary skills.
Moreover, with the outbreak of covid 19, public schools struggled with introducing online learning
in schools; therefore, what role do the school principals play in assisting teachers in preparing for
the relevant 21st-century skills to enable their teaching during the covid pandemic through
blended learning? However, the majority of school principals feel that they are not professionally
advancing with the knowledge of technology or digital skills (Fisher & Waller, 2013). Therefore, this
might be one of the reasons why there is less published literature on the role of the school
principal in the professional development of teachers because the principals are also not profes­
sionally developed with 21stcentury digital skills. As suggested by Raman et al. (2019).
Furtherresearch on the professional development of principals in the 21st century is recommended.
Despite the studies that have shown the quality of principals and their role in the 21st century,
research on technology leadership is underrepresented in the existing literature (Fisher & Waller,
2013). As a result, the research seeks to determine the role of school principals in aiding teachers
with the most recent technological advances, as well as how school principals contribute to the
process of teacher professional development in the 21st century.

The body of this manuscript is divided into five sections which include literature, theoretical
framework, research design and methodology, data analysis, presentation of findings, conclusion
and recommendations.

2. Literature review
This section will review the literature related to this article.

2.1. Teacher professional development programs

The term 21st century education is defined as the education that sets learners up to succeed in
a world where more than half of the jobs they’ll have over their careers don’t even exist yet
(Joynes et al., 2019). In this study, 21st century education should be understood as the education
that responds to the economic, technological, and societal shifts that are happening at an ever-
increasing pace. 21st century learning is typically used to describe the types of competencies
needed to thrive in today’s complex and interconnected global landscape. Examples of these skills
include digital literacy, cultural competence, inventiveness, emotional awareness, entrepreneur­
ship, critical thinking, and problem-solving (Metiri, 2013), Partnership for 21st Century Learning,
(2013), If one wonders how and when did 21st century started and end, the 21st century is the
present century according to the Gregorian calendar. It began on 1 January 2001 and will last until
31 December 2100, though common usage mistakenly believes 1 January 2000 to
31 December 2099 to hold this distinction. Technologically 21st century is different from the 20th
century mostly by changes brought about by the Digital Revolution of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s
(Joynes, Rossignoli, & Amonoo-Kuofi, 2019).

Finally, the term 21st century education can be defined well under four categories: Firstly, 21st-
century education is the mode of education that use ICT to support, enhance, and optimise the
delivery of information. Secondly, 21st-century education describes unique personal skills, includ­
ing critical and problem-solving skills, creativity, and self-development. Thirdly, it is social skills

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which involve cultural and global awareness, being well-spoken, and possessing leadership skills.
Lastly, information and knowledge meaning as being a lifelong learner (Joynes, Rossignoli, &
Amonoo-Kuofi (2019).

Kim et al. (2019) argue that the developing competencies known as 21st century education are
gaining popularity as a strategy for boosting classroom teaching quality. According to Fisher and
Waller (2013), integrating technology in the classroom can nurture 21st century abilities and
provide practical tools for learning; nevertheless, the effectiveness of technology in the classroom
relies on how successfully the teacher uses it to enhance education, thus, the study argues that
teachers must receive professional development training on 21st century education. Unfortunately,
Fisher and Waller (2013) continue to say teachers cannot effectively integrate technology due to
multiple barriers that inhibit technology integration; one of the mentioned barriers is the lack of
professional development support from school districts and principals. This is why the study
contends that the school principals’ roles in developing teachers for 21st century education
must be explored, particularly in integrating ICT for the enhancement of teaching and learning
in schools.

According to Dlamini and Mbatha (2018), TPD strategies are established, developed, and exe­
cuted to provide teachers with the vision to prepare themselves to teach in internet-blended
learning settings properly. These professional development programs need to cater to the needs
of the teachers, precisely their individual classroom needs, on the use of technology in the class­
room. Although Philipsen et al. (2018) argue that there are few published pieces of literature on
the professional development of teachers for online, blended learning and classroom changes
encountered by teachers since the evolution to incorporate technology in their teaching. Therefore,
there is a need for the latest published literature on 21st-century education and the development
of teachers. Furthermore, according to Philipsen et al. (2018), the skills required to teach in a face-
to-face classroom differ from those required for teaching in an online or blended environment. As
a result, being a good

teacher in a face-to-face environment does not mean that you will perform successfully in an
inclusive technology classroom because of the skills and competencies required in these different
teaching and learning environments.

Additionally, Dlamini and Mbatha (2018) argued that professional development programs are
not a one-day event but a process and a continuous system that unfolds throughout the teacher’s
career. Therefore, when teachers embark on these, they should understand that it is a life-long
journey that requires patience and has no end. Philipsen et al. (2018) emphasize that these
programs should be an ongoing process that continuously gives teachers another chance in the
future to access them to see their progress and additional questions, discussions, and work from
colleagues, even though they have completed that program. Philipsen et al. (2018) further add
that the systematic approach will also help the participants to go through the Professional
Development step by step, which will help them to focus more on their learning and be lifelong
learners. As a result, they can continuously improve their skills and strategies over time.

There are various characteristics of a successful professional development program as proposed

by (Bayar, 2014). Firstly, professional development programs to be effective have to be designed to
confer to the current needs of the teachers and what they encounter in their daily teaching
practice. Secondly, professional development programs have to be conducted based on the
specific individual classroom needs because every school is different; teachers have to relate to
the content delivered and link it with their individual experiences in their classroom. In addition,
teachers in higher- or lower-achieving schools have different professional development needs
because teachers from public and lower-quintile schools have different needs from those of private
and well-developed schools. Thirdly, another significant component of a successful professional
development program is a designed structure that enables the teachers to participate actively in

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the activities. Fourthly, in most cases, professional development programs are offered in short
courses; as a result, they lack the depth necessary to have a long-lasting influence on teaching
skills. Lastly, trainers that deliver the content are not well equipped; as a result, they limit the
general efficacy of the program.

Arguably, this study suggests that because school principals hire teachers, they have the
responsibility of mentoring them and aiding them with the necessary 21st century education skills
to improve learning and teaching in schools.

However, most notably, in the entire process, it should be remembered that the teacher should
also be willing to partake in professional development (Bozkus & Tastan, 2016). Therefore, this is
where the influence of the school principal becomes vital because, through their conversations
during staff meetings and one-on-one meetings, the school principals can share their knowledge in
this and encourage teachers to attend. Paul (2020) agrees that principals’ unique organizational
position gives them numerous opportunities to communicate with teachers about the goal,
structure, and effects of teacher professional development. The below section discusses the
interaction between the school principal and teachers for their professional development.

2.2. Principal-teacher interaction for the professional development of teachers

According to Bilge and Aslanargun (2017), school principals are responsible for enforcing progres­
sive and advanced school activities by prioritising learner achievement and teacher effectiveness.
They are also responsible for implementing and ensuring structures that lead teachers to set
professional development goals for themselves. In summary, it means that school principals have
to create a positive and conducive teaching and learning environment for teachers to thrive.
Therefore, among the principal’s responsibilities is encouraging and supporting teachers’ profes­
sional development (Bilgen, 2013).

Interpersonal relationships between the schools’ principals and teachers can positively impact
the professional development of teachers (Szeto & Cheng, 2018). Additionally, school principals are
the critical support and guidance structures for teachers. Gülbahar (2020) argues that commu­
nication between the school principal and the teachers is a fundamental contributing factor to the
positive and effective working relationship between the stakeholders and the schools’ progress
and the value of education. Hughes et al. (2017) concurred that the principal’s effective strategy
for enhancing support and maintaining a positive school culture is communication because that is
the only way barriers can be conquered and achieved. For this reason, it will create a tight bond of
trust, resulting in teacher leadership with the same vision for the school. Moreover, Hughes et al.
(2017) note that a collaborative principal—teacher relationship is vital and must include open
forums, discussions, meetings, and reviews to evaluate the needs of the school, teachers, and
students. Consistent classroom feedback and support from the school principal could accelerate
teachers’ professional development and educational goals.

The school principals and teachers must possess the same vision and mission because they carry
a big responsibility that depends on each other to transform schools into safe environments that
allow students’ growth for the 21st century (Gulbahar & Sivaci, 2018). As a result, a positive
relationship between the school principals and the teachers positively impacts the schools’ suc­
cessful running because they can all sit together and plan the development of the schools. Hence
the study aimed to explore principals’ roles in the Professional Development of Teachers for 21st
Century Education to maximise school performance.

3. Theoretical framework
This study is underpinned by the Theories of Professional Development for Teachers of Business Bliss
Consultants FZE (2018). Business Bliss Consultants FZE is a group of researchers based in United
States of Arabs. Fullan’s (1995) collection of professional teacher development concepts were
employed. Through various professional teacher development theories, Fullan (1995) developed

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a theory known as Theories of Professional Development for Teachers (TPDT). It is important to note in
this study that the TPDT originated from the work of various theorists which include: (Fullan, 1995;
Gilbert, 2007; Hattie & Clinton, 2008; Healy & Welchert, 1990; Ingersoll, 2003; Rhodes et al., 2004;
Schön, 1983, 1987; Smyth, 1989; Wilson et al., 2017; Yeomans & Sampson, 1994).

According to Business Bliss Consultants FZE (2018), the aspects of TPDT includes six (6) key areas
of professional teacher development: continuous learning, the use of tools and technology as
learning instruments, mentoring, personal practices, active reflection, and reflective thoughts. The
essence of TPDT is that professional development is continuous learning focused upon the sum
total of formal and informal learning pursued and experienced by the teachers in a compelling
environment under conditions of complexity and dynamic change (Fullan, 1995).

TPDT involves learning through active reflection which involves combining theory and practice,
thought and action through this communication and dialogue of thinking teachers become more
skilled (Schön, 1983). Furthermore, (Schön, 1987) stated that another aspect of TPDT is reflective
thought, which is a chain of thought that comprises more than just a succession of thoughts.
Teachers should be able to improve and begin better ways of working if they critically reflect on our
practice by changing/incorporating new tactics into our teaching practice. Being actively reflective
requires working together to identify concerns and adopting skills to handle problems through
experiences, bringing in change or adapting to it.

Gilbert (2007) talks about the new and different ways of thinking that are now important in the
21st century. Prestige (2010) found the use of tools and technology as learning instruments such as
online forums and networks, blogs could lead to learning and gaining knowledge in a community.
Also engaging in online study and distance learning for teachers is a great way to develop their
skills and knowledge.

Mentoring held legitimacy as a professional learning strategy and at the same time appeared to
offer a cost “solution” in training and development for teachers which is evitable in today’s world
(Healy & Welchert, 1990; Yeomans & Sampson, 1994). Therefore, TPDT is significant in this study
because it focuses on numerous components of professional development that school principals
may utilise to steer teachers toward professional teacher development programs that integrate
21st century education for the enhancement of teaching and learning in schools.

Finally, school principals should continuously consider new methods to enhance teacher profes­
sional development in order to guide and assist teachers as they adapt to the ever-changing
environment of the 21st century digital age. This research contends that the job of the principals is
to continuously reflect through a reflective cycle, thinking about new methods to enhance learning
and teaching through 21st century education to improve classroom teaching and learning.
Diagram 1 of the reflective cycle below model was modified from Wink’s (2000) work and used
in this study to assist school principals with a reflective model to guide teachers towards 21st
century education teacher development cycle (Figure 1).

In summary, effective TPDT is defined as intensive, creating learning opportunities, identifying

one’s own and others’ learning needs, evaluating one’s own, observational, and peer-review skills,
accessing mentoring, engaging in reflection, professional dialogue, and feedback, and fostering
strong working relationships among teachers.

4. Research design
This study aims to investigate the role of school principals in aiding teachers with the most recent
technological advances, as well as how school principals contribute to the process of teacher
professional development in the 21st century. To achieve this goal, we opted to use a qualitative
data analysis generation process. The study is located within the interpretive paradigm.
Interpretive research is fundamentally concerned with meaning and it seeks to understand social

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Figure 1. Reflective Cycle

Diagram.

members’ descriptions and understanding of the situations (Denscombe, 2010; Hammarberg,

Kirkman & De Lacey, 2016). Within this paradigm, a qualitative method was used which is semi-
structured interviews.

Research design offers the overall formation for the procedures the researcher will follow to collect
the data and the structure to analyze the data and write a report on the researched phenomenon
(Shanti & Shashi, 2017). This study considered a number of ethical considerations. To gather data, an
ethical clearance was granted. Participants’ confidentiality, anonymity, and privacy were all safe­
guarded. Both schools gave permission. In this study, the following criteria for determining data
quality were used: authenticity, trustworthiness, and believability. Validity is concerned with the
correctness of the questions asked when collecting data and the explanations provided. (Mertens,
2015). This article used a semi-structured interview method with various teacher participants to
maximize the validity and reliability of the research findings from various participants.

4.1. Research instruments

Using a qualitative methodology provides the researcher with the tools that allow for a deeper
understanding of the phenomenon being studied through verbal data collected (Creswell et al.,
2015). The chosen research instrument for this study is semi-structured interviews. Data received
from Head of Departments (HoDs) was used to triangulate data received from school principals.

4.2. Sampling plan and its descriptions

According to Sharma (2017), sampling is a procedure employed by a researcher to systematically
select a relatively minor number of representative items or individuals from a pre-defined popula­
tion to serve as subjects (data sources) for observation or study. This study explores the school
principals’ roles in teachers’ professional development for 21st-century education. As a result of
the judgment to get that data to answer the questions, the school principals and the HoDs are the
most suitable population.

The study employed convenience sampling to select the participating schools. Convenience
sampling is a type of nonprobability sampling where members of the target population that

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meet specific practical criteria, such as easy accessibility, geographical proximity, availability at
a given time, or the willingness to participate, are included in the study (Etikan et al., 2016).
Therefore, the chosen participants were from the two schools in the surrounding area of
Bloemfontein for easy accessibility.

As a result, the total number of participants in this study was four (04). Both schools were given
fictitious names, with one school from a private school called City of Roses High and the other from
a public school called Naval Mountain High.

4.3. Data analysis

According to Creswell et al. (2019), analysing data includes understanding the data gathered
through texts, recordings, and images. This procedure involves looking deeper into the data to
create meaning and answer the phenomenon under study.

In this study, data acquired from participants was transcribed and classified in themes based on
meaning through encoding; hence, the data were analysed based on the themes that emerged
from replies and how the researcher perceived the responses. The researcher employed inductive
reasoning, thinking, and theorising, which differs from organized, mechanical, and technical
techniques, to draw conclusions from actual evidence on social life. (Maluleke, 2019). The tran­
scribing and data processing were carried out in accordance with the phenomenological phases
specified by Maluleke (2019).

5. Data presentation, analysis and Discussion

In this section, we presented and discussed data collected from two participating schools with an
aim to explore the school principals’ role in teachers’ professional development for 21st century
education. The data was collected from one public school and one private school, which will also
help us understand how school principals from these different schools play their role in teachers’
development. Two themes were used to discuss the data collected using pseudonyms for the
school principals and the HoDs.

Therefore, the main research question (What is the role of the school principal in the profes­
sional development of teachers for 21st century education?) is answered using the following
questions:

(a) What is the role of the school principal in supporting teachers’ development for 21st-century
education?
(b) Which are the existing Teacher Professional Development Programs that are made available
to teachers?

5.1. Theme 1: the role of the school principals in the development of teachers
According to Fatih (2020), school principals oversee the work requirements of teachers and other
staff members. Additionally, to completing financial drafts and administrative duties, principals
serve as liaisons amongst teachers, educational policy, and other school members. As a result, the
principal’s attitude and commitment toward professional development can boost teachers’ atti­
tudes towards professional development and increase their chances of attending. Furthermore,
the school principal is a leader and the employer of the teachers who foresees everyone’s duty,
and a mentor teacher’s lookup impacts the teachers’ development at his/her school. During
a semi-structured interview, principals were asked, “How would you describe your role as the
school principal for the professional development of teachers, especially for 21st century
education?”

The first principal from City of Roses High responded:

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P1-Private: “Firstly, I believe that as the school principal, my role is to determine which training
courses I will do with my staff. What can I do in-house, internally? What will I need to get
outside from external facilitators to come in and assist with training the teachers? After I have
determined that, before I can even get there, I need to assess my school to see what I want
and need to develop with the teachers. Prioritize what I can do internally before seeking
outside assistance. All this is done through the teachers’ meetings with their HoD for specific
subjects, and then they report back to me. After knowing which gaps to fill with training, my
biggest role is making the funds available, sourcing the money, and making money available
to teachers to pay for their development”.

The second principal from the public school (Naval Mountain High) responded by saying:

P2-Public: “As a school principal, I have a duty, I must perform when it comes to the development
of teachers because as a school principal, I am an accounting officer on the roles and the duties
and the performance of teachers. I have to ensure that teachers implement the curriculum. We
are leaning towards the era that requires teachers to be lifelong learners, and this is also the
principal’s responsibility to ensure that there is constant professional development on the side of
the teachers. Now internally as a school principal I need to have a Professional Development
Growth Plan which will address the issues that the teachers at my school have and how myself
and the SMT can come in and offer professional development and if we do not have the resources
internally, it is then my responsibility to source out external bodies and introduce teachers to
different programs, I have to go out and seek that information and come back and present it to
the teachers, also I need to ensure that teachers do attend these programs by empowering them
and motivating them, if ever as the school I see that internally as a team we can’t or do not have
the resources and the skills to assist that particular teacher and maybe the district office as well
has a shortage of staff from the experts they can send to us, it is then my responsibility to inform
the SGB and the parents that there the school will be needing a certain amount of funds to
outsource and seek external Bodies to come in and develop the teachers, train them with the
technology skills they lack. Therefore, the SGB and I will make the funds available, which, as
a whole, summarises my responsibility for developing teachers.”

The principal participants displayed a great awareness about their roles to support teachers in
general but the support for teacher professional development for 21st century education was
lacking. The principal from Naval Mountain High argued that he supports teachers with devel­
opment by making funds available to teachers. According to P1-Private from the City of Roses
High, before assuming the role in the professional development of teachers, it is vital to know
the needs and gaps of the teachers and learners before determining what needs to be done for
teachers at the school. From the statement, the first role of the principal requires knowing the
teachers’ needs and how they align with the needs of the learners. Hence, he needs to assess
the school and then decide on the professional development workshop the teachers will require
later. Paul (2020) argues that principals support their teachers by ensuring that the profes­
sional development resources they provide match the needs of both teachers and learners.

Additionally, the Head of Departments from both schools were asked the same question to
triangulate the information from school principals, “According to your experience and information
from working with the teachers and the school principal, what is the role of the school principal in
the professional development of teachers in your school?”

The HoD from the private school (City of Roses High) responded by saying:

H1-Private: “obviously, what our principal do is try and empower the departmental heads as well,
and when you look at the structure of our school, we have departmental heads responsible for
various grades of teachers, and they would gradually move along within different grades, so the
main thing here is obviously is to communicate and encourage teachers to be life-long learners and
develop themselves, unlike many others, fortunately, our school has the budget allocated separately
to pay out different external facilitators to come in and develop the teachers, so if we receive

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anything from the teachers that they would like to attend, our school principal will have to grant
permission to the teachers, so if there are subject-specific courses that are presented and the
teachers express the desire to attend these courses, then we will have to make an allowance for
them, the school principal will have to communicate with the SMT. We make payments for the
teachers to go and attend those workshops; the school principal will have to release the funds and
pay the respective departments that will train our teachers.”

The HoD from the public school responded by saying:

H2-Public: ” as the principal of the school, his role is to encourage and motivate the teacher, make
them see the light for benefits of professional development, at times you find a teacher that says,
instead of going externally for professional development, they prefer that the LFs or the subject
specialist come into the school. Therefore, the HoD of that particular subject and the subject
specialist will assist with the development. As a result, the school principal has to contact the district
and request assistance. We have had a situation where we could not send all the teachers for
training because of a lack of enough funds. However, the principal and the SMT decided to send at
least two teachers to train at this conference on the latest technology trends. Come back to the
school, and we can have an internal workshop where those two teachers train the rest; the principal
had to make the funds available.”

5.1.1. Discussion
According to the school principals, their role in the development of teachers is passive and not
active. After all, they offer support through conversations and finances because they do not have
a role in developing the teachers alone.

However, they participate in planning for the teacher’s development programs, the primary
role of the school principal, mentioned by all the participants, is the financial support role.
The school principal is responsible for making the financial decisions for teacher develop­
ment programs. One principal said, “As a school principal, I have a duty, I must perform when
it comes to the development of teachers because as a school principal, I am an accounting
officer on the roles and the duties and the performance of teachers”. “My biggest role is
making the funds available, sourcing the money, and making money available to teachers to
pay for their development”.

This decision includes talking to the school governing body and notifying parents regarding the
need for fees to pay these programs. If the school does not have enough funds, the principal is
responsible for outsourcing these funds through donations, sale day at school, market day, and
casual day. Although the availability of the funds is the responsibility of the school principal, these
funds do not just pay for the program. This was revealed when the principal lamented, “It is then
my responsibility to inform the SGB and the parents that the school will be needing a certain amount
of funds to outsource and seek external Bodies to come in and develop the teachers, train them with
the technology skills they lack. Therefore, the SGB and I will make the funds available, which, as
a whole, summarises my responsibility for developing teachers.” Nevertheless, they addressed
additional individual requirements for teachers to participate in conferences.

According to Paul (2020), among the different types of financial support for teachers are
stipends for consultants and funding for conferences, travel, substitute teachers, materials, grad­
uate school tuition, and program budgets.

Secondly, the school principal had the duty of evaluating the school to identify discrepancies
between teachers and learners. These discoveries aided the school principal in determining the
necessary resources for professional development initiatives that would provide the teachers with
suitable support, information, and training. Paul (2020) confirms that ensuring that opportunities

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and resources for professional development align with the needs of teachers and learners is one
way that principals can support their teachers.

Lastly, teachers regarded principals as foundations of professional information and expertise.

Teachers need to know that the principal will be available to offer professional, psychological, and
emotional support as they stretch their pedagogical abilities (İ̇ lğan, 2013). Hence, in alignment
with the statements made by the Heads of Departments (HoDs) and the Principals, the duty of the
school principal entails inspiring, empowering, and motivating teachers to participate in these
professional workshops. The HoD added, “As the principal of the school, his role is to encourage and
motivate the teacher, make them see the light for benefits of professional development”. For
example, in the past, when the school principal showed positive energy and provided information
that made the teachers understand and see the need for them to grow professionally, they
attended with no hesitation. This was because their leader and employer also valued these
programs for their professional development and offered support to them. The above HoD state­
ment was in line with TPDT, which purported that mentoring held legitimacy as a professional
learning strategy and, at the same time, appeared to offer a cost-effective solution in training and
development for teachers, which is inevitable in today’s world.

5.1.2. Theme 2: existing Teacher professional development programs

The four participants are asked, “According to your knowledge and experience so far, what are the
available Teacher Professional Development Programs that are made available for teachers to
partake in?”. In addition, these participants were asked to elaborate more on what these programs
offer and to understand if their professional development activities cover 21st-century skills,
particularly technology integration in schools.

The first principal from the private school (City of Roses High) responded:

P1-Private: “One association that I know for sure offers the development of teachers and does
cover workshops and activities on the 21st-century skills of teachers is SACE (South African
Councill for Educators). Of course, these depend on the requirements of the teacher; if the
teacher needs assistance on the use of a certain program or wants assistance on which
subject topics to cover with Blended learning and incorporate technology, and how a particular
chapter or topic can be best taught using which teaching media, so then the teacher will be in
consultation with the relevant facilitator from SACE, some of these programs are what we do
as a school, sending out teachers around to different school in and outside South Africa to the
best schools just so learn different trends of technology, come back and report, then as
a school we decide what we can do that information.”

The second principal from the public school (Naval Mountain High) responded by saying:

P2-Public: ” we have the professional body called SACE, which requires teachers to consistently
develop and accumulate points for their development. These points are important to the
principal to know how teachers are doing. In addition, we get assistance from the district by
sending subject specialists to train our teachers internally as a principal. I also have one called
Professional Development Growth Plan that happens every quarter for mathematics teachers.”

The HoD from the private school (City of Roses High) responded by saying:

H1-Private: “SACE does offer professional development workshops for teachers, but, since COVID
came, Teams has become a major player, teachers can attend webinars online, and the
Departmental Subject Advisors, for instance, also has the mandate to develop teachers continuously,
sometimes we partner with Private companies, send teachers for two days conferences, sometimes
varsities as well does offer these conferences, and we can register our teachers, give them funds to
go and attend.”

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The HoD from the public school (Naval Mountain High) responded by saying:

H2-Public: “We have specific workshop programs with SACE because SACE offers teacher training,
and another is called Content training. Thereby the document, when you look at it, is written Content
training, which will depend on what specifically the teacher needs development with.”

5.1.3. Discussion
According to Van Driel et al. (2012), teacher professional development programs include
various activities in which teachers partake, for instance, meetings, workshops and confer­
ences, classroom observations, engagement, boot camps, and research projects, to mention
a few. Therefore, according to the participants, the most dominant, consistent, and reliant body
for teachers’ professional development programs is SACE. Another participant from a Private
school went on to say that SACE covered individual teacher requirements by focusing solely on
the needs of the teachers. One HoD stated, “We have specific workshop programs with SACE
because SACE offers teacher training, and another is called Content training”. Additionally, the
HoD from the Private school added that he was confident with the professional development
programs offered by SACE, especially for the 21st century blended skills and training teachers
on the latest technology trends in the classroom. The school principal, P2-Public, and the HoD
also mentioned SACE as one of the leading bodies for developing teachers, the principal added
on having a quarterly internal professional development program with his school. Furthermore,
the principal also mentioned that currently there is a body for mathematics teachers to get
professional development for 21st century education skills in teaching Mathematics in the
classroom through technology. This was confirmed by the principal when he stated, “In addi­
tion, we get assistance from the district by sending subject specialists to train our teachers
internally as a principal. I also have one called Professional Development Growth Plan that
happens every quarter for mathematics teachers”.

In addition, the HoD also mentioned that the district office does send experts to schools to offer
training to the teachers, and one of the programs that teachers partake in is called Content
Training, offered by the district office on request for teachers’ professional development.

As mentioned by the participants, the Department of Education does assist the school with
professional development programs using Subject Specialists and learning Facilitators, and also
funding SACE to offer professional development for teachers.

However, the overall summary of the roles of the school principal was that they were passive
rather than active because they were not equipped to offer professional development themselves
directly. According to (RSA DoE Republic of South Africa Department of Education, 2015), the DBE,
district officials, school principals, HoDs, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), subject-based pro­
fessional teacher associations, and teacher unions are responsible for teacher professional devel­
opment in schools. The major obligation ultimately rests with the teachers. However, according to
this study, school principals should also guide and mentor teachers on appropriate teacher
professional development programs to provide teachers with 21st century education and improve
learning and teaching in schools.

When comparing the school principal at Naval Mountain High Public School and the school
principal at City of Roses Private High School professional development of teachers. Although,
according to the findings, there was no significant difference in their roles, the City of Roses
High had more funds to seek out external bodies to develop the teachers. The school could
afford to send out teachers worldwide for a tour while visiting the best schools to gather
information on the latest technology trends in the classroom. As a result, the school principal

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from City of Roses High did not have much to do besides leasing, sourcing the funds, and
encouraging and empowering the teachers during the staff meetings.

The school principal at Naval Mountain High had extra responsibilities because the school did not
have enough funds to constantly outsource external facilitators. This was because it was
a government school and it relied on the funds provided by the government to run the school.
Consequently, the school principal maintained regular communication with the district office
whenever teacher development programs were required. The school principal also had additional
roles as an accounting officer in ensuring that the teachers were registered with SACE for their
professional development journey and was responsible for internally and continuously assessing
the teachers and offering them training on their classroom requirements. The school principals and
HoDs from both schools have affirmed the importance of effective communication, interaction,
and trust between principals and teachers. One principal argued, “So the main thing here is
obviously to communicate and encourage teachers to be life-long learners and develop themselves,
unlike many others, fortunately, our school has the budget allocated separately to pay out different
external facilitators to come in and develop the teachers”. As a result, they could share their
knowledge and information on how important the teacher professional development program
was for the benefit of the learners’ education. Principals create conditions that enable staff to
develop so that the school can achieve its goals more effectively (Paul, 2020). In addition, TPDT
theory attests to the study findings because TPDT involves learning through active reflection which
involves combining theory and practice, thought and action through communication and dialogue
of thinking teachers become more skilled (Schön, 1983). Furthermore, (Schön, 1987) stated that
another aspect of TPDT is reflective thought, which is a chain of thought that comprises more than
just a succession of thoughts. Being actively reflective requires working together to identify
concerns and adopting skills to handle problems through experiences, bringing in change or
adapting to it. Most important TPDT links well with the findings of Gilbert (2007) who talks about
the new and different ways of thinking that are now important in the 21st century. Prestige (2010)
found the use of tools and technology as learning instruments such as online forums and net­
works, blogs could lead to learning and gaining knowledge in a community. Also engaging in online
study and distance learning for teachers is a great way to develop their skills and knowledge.

The role of the school principal according to the DoE, the principals are responsible for motivat­
ing teachers to engage in professional development programs and create an environment that
promotes learning in school. Secondly, school principals are to guide the teachers by informing
them about professional development programs and support teachers by allocating resources,
logistics, and timetabling.

Lastly, the RSA DoE (2015), has entrusted SACE with organizing and initiating Type 1, 2, and 3
Professional Development Activities within the SACE system. Teachers must attend at least eight
relevant sessions annually to claim 10 points.

5.2. Conclusion
This study delved into the responsibilities of school principals in fostering the development of
teachers for the 21st century, particularly in integrating technology to enhance teaching and
learning in educational institutions. The research aims to provide valuable insights for policy­
makers by highlighting the gaps in teacher professional development programs. It also indir­
ectly addresses the importance of equipping school principals with the necessary leadership
skills to effectively fulfil their role in advancing 21st century education. It is essential for school
principals to possess the relevant knowledge and abilities related to teacher professional
development to excel in this capacity. Further research on the professional development of
principals in the 21st century is recommended to respond to teacher professional development
needs expeditiously.

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Acknowledgments
Authors have read and agreed to the published version of
the manuscript.
Author details
Bawinile J. Mthanti1
E-mail: winniewfa@gmail.com
ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1253-0300
Prudence Msiza2
ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0009-0004-1858-3061
1
Faculty of Education, Open Distance and E-Learning
(ODeL), Bloemfontein, South Africa.
2
Department of Education Management and Leadership,
Faculty of Education, University of Free State,
Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the
author(s).
Data availability statement
The data presented in this study are available on request
from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly
available due to restrictions.
Author contributions
Conceptualization, B.J.M. and P.M., methodology, B.J.
M. and P.M. validation, B.J.M. and P.M. formal analysis, B.J.
M. and PM. Investigation, PM.; resources, B.J.M. and
P.M. writing—original draft preparation, B.J.M. and P.M.;
writing—review and editing, B.J.M.
Informed consent statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved
in the study.
Citation information
Cite this article as: The roles of the school principals in the
professional development of teachers for 21st century
Education, Bawinile J. Mthanti & Prudence Msiza, Cogent
Education (2023), 10: 2267934.
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