Abstract
Ph.D.
The post-1994 democratic government of South Africa consciously decided to
empower women by passing various laws and implementing policies designed to
promote and ensure gender equity. Legislative policies resulted in a perceptible
number of female principals being appointed to lead and manage the learning
institutions. Nevertheless, evidence of the relationship between the policies and the
actual practice does not exist. As a woman who managed to break the glass ceiling, I
still experience the challenges of gender stereotyping and persistent patriarchy. This
study focuses on female principals leading in disadvantaged contexts, and who despite
various challenges achieve high learner outcomes. The study investigates the
strategies female principals employ to manage effective and successful schools. For
this study, the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) standards and preferred
indicators define an effective and successful school. The DBE regards schools that
achieve above 80% in Grade twelve results as effective and functional. The different
types of leadership style employed are explored to understand how these female
principals use their institutional power to influence learner achievement. The dearth of
literature documenting the success of black female principals leading in disadvantaged
contexts motivated this research, which seeks to contribute meaningfully to our lack of
knowledge in this instance. This study is also relevant to local discussions about the
quality of education offered to students who come from disadvantaged communities.
This study can be replicated in settings where a similar set of characteristics defined a
school and its leadership structures.
I adopted a qualitative research approach and used a multiple case study method. Four
female principals were purposively sampled. The schools led by these participants
were the reason for selecting particular participants. Academic achievement for the
past three consecutive years and the social-economic status of the surrounding
community guided my selection of these schools. I used semi-structured interviews with
the principals, who are the unit of analysis, to gather relevant data. In addition, for the...