The relationship between leadership preparation and the level of teachers’ interest in assuming a principalship in Chile

There is a vast body of knowledge supporting the critical role of principal for school improvement and improved students’ learning outcomes. While, there is increasing evidence addressing the lack of interest in the principalship, training and preparation has been identified as a potential enhancer for principalship interest. The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the relation between teacher’s interest in assuming a principalship and leadership preparation using a quantitative approach. A sample of 220 school teachers with no formal leadership responsibilities responded an online survey and their answers were analysed with descriptive, Pearson correlation and analysis of variance statistics. The findings indicated that age, professional training and opportunities to exercise leadership were relevant variables in understanding the level of interest of teachers. Implications for research and practice are discussed.