Online Archive of University of Virginia Scholarship
Situation-Specific Skills: Examining the Developmental Foundations of Administrative Decision-Making for Professional Learning2 views
Author
Coffman, Elizabeth, Administration and Supervision - School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia
Advisors
Beavers, Michelle, ED-EDLF, University of Virginia
Dexter, Sara, ED-EDLF, University of Virginia
Jones, Christopher, Virginia Association for Teaching, Learning, and Leading
Abstract
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.
Degree
EDD (Doctor of Education)
Keywords
adult developmental theory; professional learning; perception; interpretation; critical self-reflection
Language
English
Rights
All rights reserved by the author (no additional license for public reuse)
Coffman, Elizabeth. Situation-Specific Skills: Examining the Developmental Foundations of Administrative Decision-Making for Professional Learning. University of Virginia, Administration and Supervision - School of Education and Human Development, EDD (Doctor of Education), 2026-03-07, https://doi.org/10.18130/shnw-sm94.