Abstract
This quantitative research study looked into the effectiveness of school management teams (SMTs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey questionnaire instrument with closed-ended questions was given to 15 SMTs to explore their responses. The positivist approach, which is a philosophy that says
people find specific knowledge of natural occurrences and their qualities and relationships, was used to approach the study. The literature related thereof suggests that SMTs relied on understanding and implementing leadership theories such as chaos, Situational and Transformational, including management styles thereof in leading and managing teachers, staff, and learners in schools. The data gathered was transcribed, examined, categorised, and compared and thereafter analysed using statistical tools. The analysis suggested that SMTs’ effectiveness was probable to motivate teachers, support staff and learners in dealing with the challenges of COVID-19 in schools and this brought significant changes in safety and learning output outcomes for teachers, support staff and learners. The finding suggested that SMTs were effective in leading and managing schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: Covid-19 pandemic, School management teams, Positivism, Chaos theory, Situational theory, Transformational theory