Distributive leadership in public schools : experiences and perceptions of teachers in the Soweto region
- Naicker, Suraiya Rathankoomar
- Authors: Naicker, Suraiya Rathankoomar
- Date: 2012-06-07
- Subjects: Educational leadership , Distributed leadership , Teachers' attitudes , School management and organization , Primary schools (Soweto, South Africa)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8651 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5007
- Description: M.Ed. , In current times, the increasing demands of principalship and the complex challenges facing schools have led to the emergence of distributive forms of leadership in schools. The dissatisfaction with traditional models of leadership has resulted in a paradigm shift where leadership focus on the position of individuals in the hierarchy has been rejected in favour of collective leadership practices. In an era of democracy, distributive leadership continues to attract attention as a relevant model for the twenty-first century school. This study investigated teacher experiences and perceptions of the practice of distributive leadership in South African public primary schools in the Soweto region. The study was framed within a pragmatic paradigm using a mixed methods research design. An exploratory sequential strategy was used where the qualitative phase of data collection and analysis preceded the quantitative phase. The sample comprised teachers who were not formally appointed as leaders and did not belong to the school management teams. In the qualitative phase focus group interviews were conducted in three schools. Document analysis was conducted to support the interview findings. The quantitative phase tested the findings from the qualitative phase using a standardised questionnaire. Various themes and sub-themes emerged from the qualitative study. The first theme, leadership styles, revealed that principals practiced autocratic rather than participative styles of leadership. The autocratic style restricted principals from redistributing power to teachers and excluded teachers from decision-making processes. The second theme, school climate, indicated that the present leadership style led to a negative school climate which in turn had an adverse impact on staff relationships, teacher morale and motivation, job satisfaction as well as teaching and learning. The third theme that emerged was communication with teachers expressing the need for openness and transparency in decision-making. The fourth theme identified was barriers to teacher leadership. This was supported by sub-themes which pointed to the lack of opportunities for teacher leadership, teacher isolation in lesson planning, a heavy teacher workload, the need for power sharing and the need for the professional development of teacher leaders. Finally, the benefits of distributive leadership were identified as the fifth theme and teachers perceived that distributive leadership would have a positive impact on job satisfaction, encourage delegation and give them a voice in decision-making.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Naicker, Suraiya Rathankoomar
- Date: 2012-06-07
- Subjects: Educational leadership , Distributed leadership , Teachers' attitudes , School management and organization , Primary schools (Soweto, South Africa)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8651 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5007
- Description: M.Ed. , In current times, the increasing demands of principalship and the complex challenges facing schools have led to the emergence of distributive forms of leadership in schools. The dissatisfaction with traditional models of leadership has resulted in a paradigm shift where leadership focus on the position of individuals in the hierarchy has been rejected in favour of collective leadership practices. In an era of democracy, distributive leadership continues to attract attention as a relevant model for the twenty-first century school. This study investigated teacher experiences and perceptions of the practice of distributive leadership in South African public primary schools in the Soweto region. The study was framed within a pragmatic paradigm using a mixed methods research design. An exploratory sequential strategy was used where the qualitative phase of data collection and analysis preceded the quantitative phase. The sample comprised teachers who were not formally appointed as leaders and did not belong to the school management teams. In the qualitative phase focus group interviews were conducted in three schools. Document analysis was conducted to support the interview findings. The quantitative phase tested the findings from the qualitative phase using a standardised questionnaire. Various themes and sub-themes emerged from the qualitative study. The first theme, leadership styles, revealed that principals practiced autocratic rather than participative styles of leadership. The autocratic style restricted principals from redistributing power to teachers and excluded teachers from decision-making processes. The second theme, school climate, indicated that the present leadership style led to a negative school climate which in turn had an adverse impact on staff relationships, teacher morale and motivation, job satisfaction as well as teaching and learning. The third theme that emerged was communication with teachers expressing the need for openness and transparency in decision-making. The fourth theme identified was barriers to teacher leadership. This was supported by sub-themes which pointed to the lack of opportunities for teacher leadership, teacher isolation in lesson planning, a heavy teacher workload, the need for power sharing and the need for the professional development of teacher leaders. Finally, the benefits of distributive leadership were identified as the fifth theme and teachers perceived that distributive leadership would have a positive impact on job satisfaction, encourage delegation and give them a voice in decision-making.
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A case study of an educational leadership development intervention programme for public school principals and district officials in a school district in Gauteng
- Naicker, Suraiya Rathankoomar
- Authors: Naicker, Suraiya Rathankoomar
- Date: 2015-07-15
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:13789 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/14054
- Description: Ph.D. (Educational Leadership and Management) , In the twenty-first century there is a global trend in educational systems towards system-wide change approaches at the district, provincial or national levels. The existing model, that reinforces the school as the main unit of change, is inadequate to raise learner academic achievement on a large scale. The concept of system-wide change is relevant to South African education, where there is an urgent need to develop leaders in improving instruction. This study investigated a system-wide change strategy at the level of the school district which sought to build the leadership capacity of principals and district officials towards the improvement of instruction. This three year venture was called the Leadership for Learning Programme (LLP). A feature of the LLP is that it was based on a partnership between two universities, one that understood the local context of the school district, and another that brought international expertise, experience and appeal. The research design employed is a case study. Qualitative research methods included participant observation and interviews, while the quantitative method was accomplished by means of a questionnaire. The population included all the actors involved in the LLP, which comprised of principals, district officials, facilitators, academic staff and an administrator. A literature review was undertaken to develop a conceptual framework based on systems theory. Systems theory gives primacy to the interconnectedness and interdependence of the elements in a system. The quantitative findings indicate that of the five contact sessions of the LLP, the aspect that requires the most attention in the school district is effective communication, leadership values and collaboration. This finding was supported by the qualitative findings which showed that top-down structures in overly bureaucratic systems promote authoritarian rather than collegial management styles. The poor interpersonal relationships between principals and district officials hindered learning at the LLP. In addition, tensions that existed among district officials flared up. These issues were confronted and worked through during the LLP ...
- Full Text:
- Authors: Naicker, Suraiya Rathankoomar
- Date: 2015-07-15
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:13789 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/14054
- Description: Ph.D. (Educational Leadership and Management) , In the twenty-first century there is a global trend in educational systems towards system-wide change approaches at the district, provincial or national levels. The existing model, that reinforces the school as the main unit of change, is inadequate to raise learner academic achievement on a large scale. The concept of system-wide change is relevant to South African education, where there is an urgent need to develop leaders in improving instruction. This study investigated a system-wide change strategy at the level of the school district which sought to build the leadership capacity of principals and district officials towards the improvement of instruction. This three year venture was called the Leadership for Learning Programme (LLP). A feature of the LLP is that it was based on a partnership between two universities, one that understood the local context of the school district, and another that brought international expertise, experience and appeal. The research design employed is a case study. Qualitative research methods included participant observation and interviews, while the quantitative method was accomplished by means of a questionnaire. The population included all the actors involved in the LLP, which comprised of principals, district officials, facilitators, academic staff and an administrator. A literature review was undertaken to develop a conceptual framework based on systems theory. Systems theory gives primacy to the interconnectedness and interdependence of the elements in a system. The quantitative findings indicate that of the five contact sessions of the LLP, the aspect that requires the most attention in the school district is effective communication, leadership values and collaboration. This finding was supported by the qualitative findings which showed that top-down structures in overly bureaucratic systems promote authoritarian rather than collegial management styles. The poor interpersonal relationships between principals and district officials hindered learning at the LLP. In addition, tensions that existed among district officials flared up. These issues were confronted and worked through during the LLP ...
- Full Text:
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