THE NEXUS OF TEACHER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND EDUCATIONAL QUALITY: EVIDENCE FROM SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF SIDAMA NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study investigates the intricate relationships between School Leadership Support, Teacher Development Program Implementation, and Educational Quality in secondary schools within the Sidama National Regional State, Ethiopia. Recognizing the critical role of teacher professional development in national progress, this research addresses a significant gap in localized, comprehensive assessments of Teacher Development Program  impact. Employing a pragmatic, explanatory sequential mixed-methods design (QUAN→qual), quantitative data were collected from 317 teachers and 282 school-level leaders using structured questionnaires, followed by qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with 12 high-level educational leaders. Structural Equation Modeling was utilized for quantitative analysis, while thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data. The study finding demonstrates a strong model fit, indicating that school leadership support positively influences teacher development programme implementation, which in turn significantly enhances educational quality. The direct positive impact of school leadership support on educational quality shows partial mediation by teacher development programme implementation, explaining 88.2% of the variance in educational quality. Key themes highlight the importance of proactive leadership and teacher development programmes in instructional improvement, alongside ongoing challenges with resource allocation and policy implementation. This research validates the connection among transformational leadership theory, social cognitive theory, and human capital theory in a developing context, suggesting the need for policy interventions to improve school leadership capacity, resource allocation for teacher development programmes, and the effective application of policies in classrooms for sustained educational improvement.