Identifying the Professional Competencies of the Educational Principals of Secondary Schools

The aim of this study was to identify the professional competencies of the educational administrators of secondary schools in Bushehr province. The research method is a combination of exploratory type. The statistical population of the research in the qualitative part included 24 school principals who were selected by purposive sampling method and theoretical saturation technique. In the quantitative section, the statistical population consisted of 213 principals and teachers, of whom 136 were selected based on the Morgan-Krejcie table and cluster sampling. The data collection tool in the qualitative part was a semi-structured interview and in the quantitative part was a researcher-made questionnaire. Validation of qualitative findings was performed using participant feedback method and researcher validation technique. The reliability of the questionnaire was obtained using Cronbach's alpha coefficient equal to 0.87 for the whole questionnaire and its content validity was evaluated using experts' opinion and its construct validity was evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis approach. Data analysis in qualitative part was based on content analysis and in quantitative part was performed with statistical software and factor analysis. In the qualitative section, finally 109 basic themes, 16 comprehensive themes and 5 organizing themes including managerial competencies, behavioral competencies, skill competencies, cognitive competencies and emotional competencies were obtained. The findings of the quantitative part of the research also showed that based on the obtained fit indices, the pattern of relationships between components and their related factors has a suitable fit.