Sustainable <scp>STEM</scp> teacher learning: The role of college principals in Ghana

Abstract This study explores how principals in Ghanaian Colleges of Education (CoEs) perceive their roles in promoting STEM education and the strategies they employ to sustain STEM initiatives. It aims to understand how leadership practices contribute to sustainable teacher learning within resource‐constrained educational environments. A qualitative multiple‐case study design was adopted, drawing insights from four principals, five STEM teacher educators, and five student‐teachers through semi‐structured interviews and focus group discussions. Data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke's six‐phase framework, with transformational leadership theory serving as the analytical lens to interpret how principals inspire vision, motivate staff, and build institutional capacity. Principals demonstrated a strong commitment to articulating vision, supporting professional development, and fostering innovation within their colleges. However, sustaining STEM initiatives was hindered by coordination challenges, limited resources, and insufficient mechanisms for feedback and follow‐up. The study reveals that while transformational leadership behaviours such as idealised influence and intellectual stimulation promote teacher motivation and collaboration, long‐term sustainability requires stronger systemic alignment and participatory structures. By examining leadership practices within a reform‐driven teacher education system in the Global South, this study extends understanding of how STEM leadership is enacted under conditions of institutional change, resource constraints, and evolving policy demands. The Ghanaian context reveals how principals align professional learning, organisational routines, and STEM priorities to sustain innovation, offering broader insights into the systemic and relational nature of STEM leadership across diverse educational contexts.