School principals’ actions to promote informal learning among teaching staff

ABSTRACT The development of informal learning (IL) by the teaching staff relates to the generation of contextualized learning at the school which is integrated into daily working life. This study analyses the roles and actions of school principals in the generation and promotion of teaching staff’s informal learning and is based on the application of online questionnaires to a sample of 686 participants, 415 principals and 271 teachers from schools in Catalonia (Spain). The study begins with a descriptive-comparative analysis between the two groups that make up the sample spread and ends with the development of four multiple regression models that allow for the verification of the independent effects among the variable criteria used and the four roles of the school principals considered for informal learning. The results show that principals perform the majority of the actions presented; however, they show differences of opinions with teachers in the frequency of performing several actions.