My aim was to investigate the role of principals in supporting teaching and learning in their schools. To determine what principals do to implement instructional leadership practices in their schools.
Instructional leadership
What barriers do principals experience in carrying out their new roles as instructional leaders. How principals navigate the challenges they encounter in fulfilling their roles as instructional leaders.
Transformational leadership
Transformational leadership is discussed in conjunction with transactional leadership, which advocates two-way interaction and commitment between principals and their followers. Furthermore, the ultimate goal of transformational leadership is improved outcomes by fostering an environment conducive to quality teaching and learning.
Distributed leadership
This is imperative if the organization's mission and goals are to be achieved (Steyn & van Niekerk, 2007). A research design is an outline or plan of the type of research to be undertaken.
Sampling
Data generation
According to de Vos, Strydom, Fouche and Delport (2005), qualitative data analysis involves converting data into findings. To add, the process of data analysis serves to organize the information obtained and thus bring a sense of order to it.
Issues of trustworthiness
This can be achieved through data reduction, where information is carefully examined to determine what is useful for the purpose of the research topic. The main purpose of analyzing data is to establish a relationship between the different categories of information collected.
Ethical considerations
Limitations
Organisation of the study
Chapter summary
Introduction
International literature on instructional leadership practices
- The influence of leadership on the quality of education
- The importance of communication among principals in the delivery of quality education
- The role of principals in creating professional learning communities
- School principals as transformational and instructional leaders
- The influence of context on the delivery of quality education
An effective leader keeps “the fundamental purposes of education at the forefront of their management practices” (Bush, Bell & Middlewood, 2010, p. 6). West-Burnham (2009, p. 123) argues that “the approach replaces fault finding with success discovery and positive thinking”.
Instructional leadership in Africa
In the context of Kenya, the government recognizes the importance of teacher training in providing quality education. Many teachers and principals in economically healthy areas of Kenya welcome the idea of staff development programs with open arms. In the context of Egypt, there has been a change in the mindset of the Egyptian government from focusing on quantity in the past to providing quality education in the present.
National literature
- The role of performance appraisal
- Professional development
- The significance of staff motivation
- Relevance of a mission and vision
It is the role and responsibility of the principal as head of the school to ensure compliance with the above principles. It is the duty of the Staff Development Team (SDT) that the school is democratically managed. Vision and mission are seen as critical components in the school's learning climate.
Theoretical frameworks
Instructional leadership theory
According to the instructional leadership model, instructional leaders or principals must demonstrate the ability to inspire and motivate. In addition, as leaders of lessons, principals must foster an atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning. It is argued that principals, as leaders of instruction, must acquire as much knowledge of theory as possible.
Transformational leadership theory
It is in their hands to ensure that teachers and students are comfortable in the classroom so that high quality teaching can be delivered. The transformative approach to leadership requires innovation, creativity, teamwork and stimulating educators to maximize their full potentials” (Pansiri, 2008, p. 474). The instructional leader must also practice participative leadership, which should include teachers, students as well as the community. (Hallinger, 2003). One of the main goals of transformational leadership is to get to the root of educational inequities and come up with creative ways to solve these problems in the hope of correcting them so that quality education can be enjoyed by all students.
Distributed leadership theory
The transformational leadership model pays a lot of attention to the principals rather than the organization itself. Literature by Shields (2011) further adds that transformational leadership goes beyond simply having an awareness of potential problems and inequities that exist in education. The focus of transformational leadership theory is to firstly promote the development of staff so that teacher effectiveness, including the quality of education, is improved.
Chapter summary
It should involve a critical analysis of issues related to inequalities in education and a bold step by the principals so that a positive revelation is achieved. Furthermore, he or she should definitely have a vision that is imperative to the overall success of the school” (Shields, 2011, p.25). It acknowledges aspects of power and privilege, effects deep and just change, balances critique and promise, articulates individual and collective purpose, deconstructs sociocultural knowledge frameworks that generate inequality, works toward emancipation, transformation, democracy, liberation, equality, and academic and professional excellence and demonstrates activism and moral courage” (Shields, 2011, p.5).
Introduction
Research design and methodology .1 Research methodology
Research paradigms
It is argued that the researcher must develop an understanding from the perspective of the participants. When conducting his research investigation, the researcher must always be aware of the fact that behavior is closely related to the meaning that is created. The data obtained then form a tapestry of meanings and experiences of the information source (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2011).
Research design
The researcher aims to establish a rapport with the research participants and decides to understand the concept of focus from their perspective. In other words, the research design must take into account issues related to reliability so that reliable conclusions can be drawn from the study. The researcher must also be aware of the fact that data analysis depends on the research design.
Sampling
Data generation methods and instruments are also important elements of a research design (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010). In addition, it is absolutely imperative that one uses a research design that will result in the generation of data that is as close to the truth as possible. The type of research design the researcher chooses to use depends on his or her inquiry question.
Research methods
Qualitative research assumes that since knowledge is situated within its context, it is the responsibility of the researcher to select samples from diverse backgrounds” (Mason, 2002, p.62). It is much easier for someone to articulate their ideas or beliefs verbally than they would in writing. This can be quite a challenging task unless the researcher has a good understanding of how they are going to analyze the textual data (Cohen, Manion & . Morrison, 2011).
Ethical considerations
Mason (2002, p.64) proposes that "interviews make it easy to ask questions, listen to respondents, gain access to their accounts and analyze their body language". Participants were informed that they are free to withdraw from the research at any time if they wish to do so without causing any harm.
Issues of trustworthiness
The quality of the type of data that had to be generated relied on the research participants' ability to articulate, understand what was required of them and recall information (Mason, 2002). I prepared a set of questions in advance and handed them to participants long before the interview process so that they had a thorough understanding of the concept and the type of information I was interested in obtaining (Mason, 2002). A qualitative interviewer must be ready to make on-the-spot decisions about the content and sequence of the interview as it progresses”.
Chapter summary
To mitigate the above limitation, it was imperative to consider a strategy that would help the conversation flow smoothly.
Introduction
Discussion of findings
The principals’ understandings of their role in supporting teaching and learning
Mr. Amethyst firmly asserted that the success of any organization is largely the responsibility of its director. The director of Petunia Primary claimed that she understands the role of the director as follows: Every effort must be made to ensure that the company does not make a loss.
How principals support teaching and learning at schools
Furthermore, transformational leadership theory asserts that instructional leaders should adopt participative leadership, which includes members of the community (Hallinger, 2003). This writer further postulates that according to the distributive management theory, "teachers' working conditions are also students' working conditions". The above text is a presentation of principals' different views regarding the second theme, namely support and management of teaching and learning.
The challenges experienced by principals that affect their enactment of teaching and learning
Furthermore, by examining the results, we are able to clearly see that "the work of principals is very different in different contexts" (Christie, 2010, p. 694). The results further suggest that it is the duty of principals to hire appropriately qualified staff and to deal with issues of resource constraints (Bellamy, Fulmer, Murphy & Muth, 2007, p. 3). Steyn and van Niekerk (2002, p. 191) advocate that "the lack of facilities, inadequate teaching materials and overcrowded classrooms" have serious consequences for teacher stress.
Strategies employed by school principals to overcome the challenges they experienced in managing teaching and learning at schools
Interestingly, the literature stated nothing describing the need to prepare parents for their role as members of the School Governing Body. Transformational leadership theory advocates team collaboration and participatory management that is inclusive of the community (Hallinger, 2003). Shields (2011, p. 26) argues that according to distributive leadership theory, "teachers' working conditions are also students' working conditions".
Chapter summary
Pansiri (2008) further argues that there is a need to provide leadership skills development for both principals and maintenance substitution treatment. According to Steyn and van Niekerk (2007), principals are encouraged to frequently revisit the vision and mission. Hallinger (2003) argues that all theorists of instructional leadership are to achieve the vision and mission of the organization.
Introduction
Summary of the study
- The principals’ understandings of their role in supporting teaching and learning
- How principals support teaching and learning at schools
- The challenges experienced by principals that affect their enactment of teaching and learning
- Strategies employed by school principals to overcome the challenges they experienced in managing teaching and learning at schools
We can conclude that the delegation of tasks results in the organization generally functioning smoothly. We can thus conclude that school leaders understand the need for personal growth and their staff, so that the standard of education can be improved. From the above, we can conclude that school principals generally do their best to ensure the delivery of quality education in their schools, despite the challenges that come their way.
Recommendations
- Professional growth of principals
- Staff development
- Communication
- Motivation
School leaders must enforce discipline among teachers and students and must not turn a blind eye to violations. Directors must take the initiative to grow personally and as a professional by interacting with PLCs and attending workshops and seminars. I strongly believe that school leaders must understand the need to continually motivate themselves and encourage their teachers so that they can perform at their best.
Implications for future research
Furthermore, the education department should make a concerted effort to prevent the disruption of classes, especially matriculation exams, by teachers' unions. In light of the above discussion, future research can be conducted in these areas to find out what the department is currently doing or what it plans to do to address these issues or needs.
Chapter summary
All responses will be treated confidentially in accordance with the code of ethics governing the research. Participants will be contacted in advance for interviews and they have been purposively selected to participate in this study. For more information on this research project, please feel free to contact me or email me at the following address: [email protected] Your positive response will be greatly appreciated.
