Abstract
There is a rising interest amongst scholars in Namibia to endorse transformative leadership styles in enhancing the worrying poor reading ability among Namibian primary school learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate how Namibian primary school principals embrace a transformative leadership role to improve grade 6 English Second Language (ESL) learners’ reading ability. Employing a qualitative interpretive design, the study utilized a case study where two Namibian primary schools were purposefully selected. Utilizing semi-structured interviews as a research tool, data was generated from the target population which comprised of two primary school principals and four ESL teachers. The key findings of this study revealed that poor reading ability among grade 6 ESL learners is influenced by inadequate reading materials, a lack of parental involvement, a deficiency of phonemic awareness, and an absence of self-confidence and motivation. The study also showed that there is a transformative leadership skill deficiency among Namibian primary school principals. The study recommends that all stakeholders must address factors influencing grade 6 ESL reading. There is a call for educational high authority to implement Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs relevant to transformative leadership to acquaint principals with the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience regarding this leadership style. Principals are advised to consider the transformative leadership guidelines as proposed in this study.
M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management)