Factors influencing practicing teachers in pursuing educational leadership programmes in Ghanaian higher education institutions

Abstract

While there is a plethora of research devoted to the study of formal university-based school leadership development programmes in Africa, no study to date has examined the motivational factors that influence practising teachers’ decision to enrol in such programmes. Utilizing concurrent mixed methods design, this study sought to explore the key factors that influence teachers’ decision to enrol in postgraduate degree programmes in educational leadership in Ghanaian higher education institutions. Findings from the study showed that practising teachers were principally influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic motives in pursuing the educational leadership programmes. Nonetheless, the most emphasised theme as a motivation factor was for professional growth and development. The study concludes that to really create an enabling learning environment to stimulate practicing teachers’ learning outcomes, higher education operators need to be conscious of the underlying motives influencing their decision to enrol in their programmes.