Evaluating the Impact of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) on Leadership Competencies of School Heads

Abstract

This study examines the role of leadership competencies in supporting school change management (SCM) within elementary education institutions and explores whether CPD moderates these relationships. Data were gathered from 190 elementary principals using a structured questionnaire. The analysis involved descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression (MLR) using IBM SPSS 26. Pearson correlation showed significant positive links between SCM and all independent variables: IPS (r = .537, p < .01), SeM (r = .408, p < .01), SuC (r = .392, p < .01), and CPD (r = .214, p = .003). MLR identified IPS as the strongest predictor (β = .521, p = .027), followed by SeM (β = .068, p = .019), SuC (β = .068, p = .038), and CPD (β = .166, p = .001). The model was statistically significant (F = 34.287, p < .001), accounting for 53.8% of the variance in SCM (R² = .538). Furthermore, CPD significantly moderated the connection between leadership skills and SCM, highlighting its role as a catalyst for effective leadership. It is recommended that educational leaders incorporate CPD into their leadership strategies to boost IPS, SeM, and SuC, as these significantly predict effective SCM.