The study discussed the responses of the SMTs regarding the contextual demands in the UCCZ mission schools and identified the factors that enhance or hinder leadership practices in the teaching and learning process. Finally, it identifies factors that promote or hinder leadership practices in the UCCZ mission schools.
Challenges and Focus of the Study
This ideology was received as misleading, but the missionaries had no choice but to join the colonial government of the time due to the political situation prevailing in the country. This study focuses on Chipinge District in Manicaland Province, where most of the UCCZ mission schools and institutions are located and located.
Statement of the Problem
6 political barriers operating in the schools that make distributed forms of leadership difficult to implement. Therefore, these challenges may require a different approach to the leadership practices in the UCCZ mission schools and Zimbabwean schools in general.
Research Aims and Key Questions
Finally, it identifies the factors that promote or hinder leadership practices in the UCCZ mission schools. What are the factors that promote or hinder leadership practices in United Church of Christ mission schools in Zimbabwe?
Significance of the Study
What were the management practices adopted by school management teams in United Church of Christ mission schools in Zimbabwe during 1995 to 2010. For this reason, this case study by exploring management practices in the UCCZ mission school could make a unique contribution to the knowledge of educational leadership, management and policy.
Clarification of Key Concepts
Conceptualising the Concept of Leadership
The main interest was to investigate how school leadership responded to the realities and contextual demands of UCCZ mission schools and what factors promoted or hindered leadership practices in supporting UCCZ mission schools. The study focuses on the impact of external brain drain of teaching staff in UCCZ mission schools in Zimbabwe.
Delimitation of the Study
15 affected the capacity of all economic sectors in Zimbabwe to deliver their mandate. Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011) it as a form of educational research where the researcher relies on the views of the participants.
Limitations of the Study
Human behavior is strongly influenced by the context in which it occurs and methods were relevant to this study of real-life situations, focusing on the lived experience of leadership practices in schools. The selection was based on the influence these schools had in terms of management practices from 1995 to 2010.
An Outline of all the Chapters
The limitations and reasons for considering each are discussed, followed by a summary of the chapter. It describes their profiles and presents data obtained from interviews, journal entries, personal observation and documentary reviews of the ten participants.
Summary of Chapter One
This chapter is a concluding chapter that summarizes the research findings and identifies lessons learned between 1995 and 2010, and proposes a way forward for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in Zimbabwe, the principals of the UCCZ Mission School, SMTs and the responsible authority leaders.
Introduction
Leadership and Management Practices by the School Management Teams (SMTs) in Schools
On the other hand, Thurlow (2003) believes that there is no single generally accepted function of leadership and management. One of the crucial aspects of school improvement is the development of leadership at all levels.
Different Types of Leadership Practices Enacted in School Context
A preferred conceptualization of leadership practice should be understood in terms of shared activities and multiple interactions. In democratic sharing of the decision-making process in schools, the 'participatory leadership practice' (Coleman & Early, 2005), leadership roles are shared among all teachers within the school and a cooperative atmosphere is created.
Current Leadership Practices and Challenges in Zimbabwean Schools
The limited supply of material resources in schools has created a challenging environment for teachers and administrators. The search for better opportunities emerged as the main reason for the diaspora, which was 64.4%.
Factors Enhancing the Practices of Leadership in Schools
Similarly, Gehrke (1991) argues that the concept of decentralization of power and decision-making in schools improves leadership and is essential if educators are to emerge as strong leaders and benefit their learning organizations. I agree with the above authors because when middle school educators are involved in decision-making, they continually improve their teaching skills through professional development.
Factors Hindering the Practices of Leadership in Schools
Colleagues can be the greatest barrier to leadership practice because they can block discussions, hinder enthusiasm, discourage problem solving, and resist new ideas (Barth, 2008). This chapter reviewed literature on the concept of leadership and management, both local and international.
Introduction
The Theoretical Orientation of the study
Spillane, et al., (2004) argue that distributed cognition and socio-cultural contexts are an element of leadership practice, while Rizvi (2008) views distributed leadership theory as distributed throughout an organization, with leaders' roles overlapping and shifting as different development needs exist. to arise. Harris (2007) views distributed leadership as a practice in which activities are shared widely within and between members in the organizational or school context.
Limitations of Distributed Leadership
I agree with the above authors, because distributed leadership implies a redistribution of power with different power relations within the school, with openly divided tasks, thus creating potential opportunities for leadership practice. There are issues of ethical considerations surrounding the use of distributed leadership to inadvertently or explicitly ensure teacher commitment and commitment to government improvement interventions and reforms (Hatcher, 2005).
Reasons for Considering Distributed Leadership
In addition, Gronn (2002) classifies distributed leadership as numerical or multiple actions, suggesting that all individuals in an organization can be leaders at some point. I agree with Gronn because distributed leadership creates a space for leadership that is dispersed among all stakeholders and there is a possibility that all members can be leaders at some level.
The Transformational Leadership Perspective
In order to make school institutions perform better, the practice of transformational leadership becomes more important. There are likely to be major changes in the level of follower commitment to the school's mission and strategies as a result of transformational leadership.
The Context-Responsive Leadership Perspective
Ylimaki and Jacobson (2011) claim that leadership practices must respond to the context of the school. Research on school leadership suggests that to be effective, it must respond to the changing conditions of the school over time.
Limitations of Context-Response Leadership
Third, context-sensitive leaders take action to shape their practice contexts and respond appropriately. While recent research (Bredeson, et al., 2011) provides a useful construct in relation to context-responsive leadership, many questions remain unanswered, such as the manner in which context-responsive leadership manifests.
Reasons for Considering Context-Responsive Leadership
For example, contextually responsive leaders are known to be contextually literate and sensitive and aware of critical elements of intent, action, and context. The described model calls for the re-appropriation and re-purposing of space as part of the operationalization of an understanding of schooling and community, which requires context-responsive leadership in UCCZ mission schools.
Summary of Chapter Three
Responsive school leaders are eager and gifted to use their position to amplify power rather than exert power over historically marginalized people. School leaders who accommodate knowledge from locals in their area practice a new level of thinking based on wisdom.
Introduction
Observing participants in their natural environments allows the researcher to see and understand their worldview, thus providing an informed interpretation. It is seen as a flexible tool that allows the researcher to move from the beginning to the end of the study.
Research Aim and Key Questions
This study used a qualitative research design, which according to Cohen et al. (2007) is useful in educational research when the researcher relies on the views of the participants. Critical to qualitative research design is flexibility, which allows the direction of the research to be adjusted based on ongoing experiences while generating and reflecting on the data (Gomm, 2004; Henning, 2005).
A Historical Case Study
This research is designed as a historical case study of UCCZ mission schools, focusing on a specific period over time and tracing its development in leadership practices. The selection of schools was based on their impact on leadership practices during the turbulent years, 1995-2010.
Sampling
I developed an interest because I am a member of the clergy in the UCCZ and they were warm and welcoming. I explained the objectives of the study to the participants before they committed to it.
Selected Case Study Schools in the UCCZ mission
The entire parent body was supportive of the school and the education of their children. However, the parent body (SDC) was supportive of their children's school and education.
Data Generation Methods
Lacy, cited in Bell (1987), defines the observation schedule as “the transference of the whole person into imaginative and emotional experience whereby the researcher learns to understand the person's world” (Bell, p. 157). The main purpose of the observation was to identify leadership practices among the participants in different situations (Spillane, 2006).
Data Analysis
Therefore, the participants are the only people who can legitimately determine the reliability of the data. I also used site triangulation, which I achieved with the participation of four UCCZ mission schools in the research.
Ethical Considerations
The names of schools and participants have been protected and pseudonyms have been used during the report of findings. The participants had no financial costs for their participation, as the researcher visited them in their home.
Summary of Chapter Four
Introduction
Profile of the Participants in the Four Case Study Schools
- Head-Teacher School B: (H-School B)
- Head of Department School B: (HOD-School B)
- Chaplain Schools C and D: (Chpn-Schools C and D)
- Head of Department School C: (HOD-School C)
- Headmaster School C: (H-School C)
- Head of Department School D: (HOD-School D)
- Head-Teacher School D: (H-School D)
During the data generation period for the study, School H-A had over 15 years of school teaching experience. The school's culture was Christian-based, under the responsible authority of the UCCZ.
The Voices of the School Management Teams from the Case Study Schools
Factors that enhance the Practices of Leadership in the UCCZ Mission Schools When Chpn-Schools A and B was asked to describe the factors that promote the practices
I remember this activity very well, where I was fully involved in the school's program. 133 HOD-School C further revealed that the principal had a plan to repair and maintain the school.
Summary of Chapter Five
During the interview with the HOD-School D on the issue of barriers to leadership practices in the last 15 years, it was revealed that the head of the school had over-delegated all tasks to the SMTs and this was seen as a barrier to leadership. practice. The data revealed that different circumstances within the UCCZ mission schools affected the day-to-day functioning of the schools in relation to leadership practices, skill development and the competence of the leadership team.
Introduction
Conversations with the Participants: Their Meanings of Leadership
Both leadership and management are therefore essential and should work hand in hand for the effective functioning of the school. Moreover, the utilization of both leadership and management processes should be the domain of all stakeholders, such as the principals, HODs and chaplains.
Learning from the Profiles: The Nature of Leadership in the UCCZ Mission Schools
The journal entries show that the leadership in School A was focused on valuing the community and looking after the students' welfare. Reflecting on his journal, H-School C revealed that the culture of the school was varied but predominantly Christian.
The Practices of Leadership by the SMTs in the UCCZ Mission Schools
It was clear that the SBS in the UCCZ mission schools were setting directions and discipline in order to transform their schools into places of teaching and learning. The SMTs in the study schools revealed that both leadership and management played an important role.
The SMTs Leadership Response to Contextual Demands in the UCCZ Mission Schools
When the SMTs in the UCCZ mission schools combine the practice of transformational leadership with the four I's, they can become effective leaders. The study concluded that the SMTs in the UCCZ mission schools responded positively to the contextual demands in their schools.
The Positive Leadership Practices in the UCCZ Mission Schools
Adopting an Inclusive Leadership Practice
One of the main steps taken by the SMTs in the UCCZ mission schools was to adopt a leadership practice that was inclusive in a way that involved people. It is worth noting that the school heads of all UCCZ mission schools delegated most of the tasks and responsibilities to the SMT and staff.
The Negative Leadership Practices in the UCCZ Mission Schools
Teacher Brain Drain as Barrier to Leadership Practice
From the above discourse, teacher brain drain posed a major obstacle to leadership practices in the UCCZ mission schools. Therefore, the SMTs in the UCCZ mission schools played an important role in preventing leadership practices.
Summary of Chapter Six
In summarizing the above discussion, Fullan (2008a) developed six secrets of change that can help leaders manage change: loving employees; connecting peer to purpose; build capacity; learning on the job;. The next chapter is a reflection on what has been learned from the leadership practices in the UCCZ mission schools.
Introduction
Summary of the Research Findings
The study discussed SMT responses to contextual demands in UCCZ mission schools during the period 1995–2010. Teacher development and empowerment has helped alleviate resource mobilization problems in UCCZ mission schools.
