LEAD - An Example of Good Practice for Developing Educational Leadership Competencies Through Transformative Learning

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-599-7_19How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Transformative Learning; Educational Leadership; School Leaders

Abstract

This paper explores the role of transformative learning in the development and consolidation of educational leadership competencies, within the specific context of training school principals and members of school administrative boards involved in the national LEAD project in Romania.

Continuous professional development for school leaders, when designed around participants’ specific needs and grounded in collegial collaboration—such as mentoring, shared experiences, and reflective practice—is widely recognized as an effective approach with positive effects on both individual growth and organizational culture.

The study is theoretically grounded in Transformative Learning Theory (Jack Mezirow), as well as in perspectives on collaborative professional development and contemporary leadership theories (e.g., Peter Senge). It is situated within the broader context of Romania’s dynamic and sustainability-oriented society.

The research aims to analyze the impact of a training program tailored to adult learners in leadership roles, emphasizing experience-based learning in line with transformative learning principles. An action research design was employed over a six-month period (October 2025–March 2026), guided by the question: How can school principals be prepared for the school of the future? Data were collected through observation, interviews, and questionnaires.

Findings suggest that training approaches based on case study analysis and structured debates, which encourage the exchange of ideas and experiences, enhance participants’ satisfaction and contribute to the development of leadership competencies. The study highlights the value of transformative, collaborative learning environments in fostering effective educational leadership.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this license to share adapted material derived from this chapter or parts of it.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Mihaela Voinea
AU  - Vakulovski Carmina-Daniela
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/31
TI  - LEAD - An Example of Good Practice for Developing Educational Leadership Competencies Through Transformative Learning
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Management and Entrepreneurial Leadership for K-12 Education Excellence (LEADK12 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 311
EP  - 323
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-599-7_19
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-599-7_19
ID  - Voinea2026
ER  -