Abstract
There has been a great influx of immigrant teachers into South African schools, bringing a diverse workforce into the country. Culturally diverse employees bring rich cultural perspectives into organisations, thereby strengthening their performance dynamism. However, for immigrant teachers, their differences tend to bring problems as they try to adjust to education systems that are centred on a particular culture. Consequently, within a culturally diverse workspace, schools need effective leaders keen to share power, eliminate inequality, provide appropriate support, and positively acculturate immigrant teachers. Nevertheless, literature points to acculturation challenges, which question school leadership’s capacity to ensure positive acculturation of immigrant teachers. Thus, this qualitative case study aimed to critically explore the acculturation of immigrant teachers into a South African independent school and implications for leadership. To achieve the study’s aim, a critical leadership framework of dialectical leadership and Berry’s acculturation model were utilised to ground the study. Data was collected through interviews and focus groups from a purposive sample of 16 immigrant teachers. The following themes emerged from the study: autocratic leadership, discrimination and marginalisation, lack of respect and recognition, possibilities of integration, and accommodativeness. The prevailing authoritarian leadership is enforcing an assimilation mode of acculturation, which undermines immigrant teachers’ identities, capabilities and equal status within the school context. Immigrant teachers face widespread ridicule in their quest to be recognised, respected, and partake in decision-making. The problem of authoritarian leadership demonstrates an absence of critical approaches to leadership. Thus to foster a positive acculturation of immigrant teachers, the dimensions of dialectical leadership of consciousness, deliberation and resistance would be a crucial consideration in working towards cultural pluralism. Such an approach would assist educational leadership to develop an understanding of immigrant teachers’ cultural marginalisation and resist discriminatory dominant cultural practices. Therefore, the focus of leadership would be to open spaces for immigrant teachers to share meaningful cultural perspectives and integrate these with the school’s culture for a dynamic school performance.
M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management)