Changing perceptions of teachers regarding the importance and competence of their principals as leaders
- Authors: Grobler, Bernardus , Bisschoff, Thomas , Beeka, Amrat
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Educational change , Leadership , School principals
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5764 , ISSN 2076-3433 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7771
- Description: We examined the perceptions of teachers on the importance and competence of principals as leaders before and after an intervention programme on holistic leadership. The research was quantitative and contextualized in the Secunda region of Mpumalanga province in South Africa. The methodology followed a literature study and an empirical investigation in the form of a pre- and post-test experimental-type design. A structured questionnaire was administered to 400 teachers in 40 randomly selected schools divided into two groups. One group of 20 principals was provided with an intervention programme regarding the dimensions of holistic leadership. The other group of 20 principals was not exposed to the intervention programme. The perceptions of teachers from their schools were probed using a pre-post-test design. The intervention programme and biographic variables served as independent variables whilst the seven factors of holistic leadership formed the dependent variables. Principals who were exposed to the intervention programme were perceived by their teachers to be more competent than their counterparts who were not exposed to the programme.
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The development and application of the Explanatory Model of School Dysfunctions
- Authors: Bergman, M. N. , Bergman, Z. , Gravett, S.
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Organizational behaviour , School principals , Underperforming schools , Explanatory Model of School Dysfunctions
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5735 , ISSN 2076-3433 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/6532
- Description: This article develops the Explanatory Model of School Dysfunctions based on 80 essays of school principals and their representatives in Gauteng. It reveals the degree and kinds of school dysfunctions, as well as their interconnectedness with actors, networks, and domains. The model provides a basis for theory-based analyses of specific dysfunctions, and for context and culture-sensitive interventions. The main dysfunctions relate to rules (dysfunctional rules, rule bending, and rule breaking), competences (management, finances, and conflict resolution), and roles (role confusion and conflict, abuse of power). The model was developed to invite researchers to explore these and other dysfunctions in relation to their antecedents, motivations, and consequences, as well as to formulate evidence-based interventions and policies.
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