Situation-Specific Skills: Examining the Developmental Foundations of Administrative Decision-Making for Professional Learning

This qualitative study investigates how an administrator’s stage of adult development influences the situation-specific skills of perception, interpretation, and critical self-reflection within the context of designing teacher professional learning. Using a two-step interview methodology, administrators first completed a Subject-Object Interview to determine their developmental stage, followed by semi-structured interviews to identify patterns in their foundational skills that support decision-making. Findings indicate that an administrator’s developmental stage shapes what they notice in their schools and how they make sense of professional learning needs, with focuses shifting between social and structural influences based on their developmental complexity. Consequently, the study recommends that school divisions strengthen administrative capacity by embedding reflection, perspective-taking, and systemwide supports into leadership development to foster more adaptive and self-aware decision-making in complex educational environments.