Teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schools
Background: This study was designed to explore teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences regarding their principals’ instructional leadership practices aimed at improving curriculum delivery in schools. Literature on instructional leadership indicates how failing schools can be turned around to bec...
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doaj-60c1509a85b54ac68146eb4038ea6ea42021-06-04T07:11:22ZengAOSISSouth African Journal of Childhood Education2223-76742223-76822021-05-01111e1e1010.4102/sajce.v11i1.910433Teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schoolsGrace Chabalala0Parvathy Naidoo1Gauteng Department of Education, Moses Maren Mission Technical School, JohannesburgDepartment of Education and Leadership, Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg, JohannesburgBackground: This study was designed to explore teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences regarding their principals’ instructional leadership practices aimed at improving curriculum delivery in schools. Literature on instructional leadership indicates how failing schools can be turned around to become successful if principals consider instructional leadership to be their primary role within schools. The authors, therefore, argue that it is the responsibility of principals to ensure that learners’ results are improved through intervention and support provided by the principals to capacitate teachers and middle managers in delivering the curriculum effectively. Globally, literature promotes the significance of the continued professional development of teachers, and many scholars allude to the pivotal role principals or school heads play in teachers’ skills advancement. Aim: The aim of this article was to identify principals’ instructional practices that improve curriculum delivery in schools, which are examined through the experiences of teachers and middle managers. Setting: The study was conducted in two schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Method: The researchers employed a qualitative approach, utilising three domains of instructional leadership as its framework, and these are defining the school mission statement, managing the instructional programme and promoting a positive school learning climate. Four teachers and four middle managers were purposefully selected at two schools for data collection conducted through semi-structured individual interviews, which were analysed using thematic content analysis. Results: Three themes emerged, namely, understanding good instructional leadership practices, teacher development as an instructional practice and instructional resource provisioning. Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of teachers and middle managers in understanding that principals are merely not school managers or administrators, but rather instructional leaders whose primary role is to direct teaching and learning processes in schools. Principals need to create time within their constricted schedules to become instructional leaders, which is their main purpose in schools. If the roles and responsibilities of middle managers are not explicit, their ability to simultaneously perform the dual task of being teachers and middle managers will be compromised.https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/910teacherprincipalcurriculumleadership practicemiddle managersinstructional leadership |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Grace Chabalala Parvathy Naidoo |
spellingShingle |
Grace Chabalala Parvathy Naidoo Teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schools South African Journal of Childhood Education teacher principal curriculum leadership practice middle managers instructional leadership |
author_facet |
Grace Chabalala Parvathy Naidoo |
author_sort |
Grace Chabalala |
title |
Teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schools |
title_short |
Teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schools |
title_full |
Teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schools |
title_fullStr |
Teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schools |
title_full_unstemmed |
Teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schools |
title_sort |
teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schools |
publisher |
AOSIS |
series |
South African Journal of Childhood Education |
issn |
2223-7674 2223-7682 |
publishDate |
2021-05-01 |
description |
Background: This study was designed to explore teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences regarding their principals’ instructional leadership practices aimed at improving curriculum delivery in schools. Literature on instructional leadership indicates how failing schools can be turned around to become successful if principals consider instructional leadership to be their primary role within schools. The authors, therefore, argue that it is the responsibility of principals to ensure that learners’ results are improved through intervention and support provided by the principals to capacitate teachers and middle managers in delivering the curriculum effectively. Globally, literature promotes the significance of the continued professional development of teachers, and many scholars allude to the pivotal role principals or school heads play in teachers’ skills advancement.
Aim: The aim of this article was to identify principals’ instructional practices that improve curriculum delivery in schools, which are examined through the experiences of teachers and middle managers.
Setting: The study was conducted in two schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa.
Method: The researchers employed a qualitative approach, utilising three domains of instructional leadership as its framework, and these are defining the school mission statement, managing the instructional programme and promoting a positive school learning climate. Four teachers and four middle managers were purposefully selected at two schools for data collection conducted through semi-structured individual interviews, which were analysed using thematic content analysis.
Results: Three themes emerged, namely, understanding good instructional leadership practices, teacher development as an instructional practice and instructional resource provisioning.
Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of teachers and middle managers in understanding that principals are merely not school managers or administrators, but rather instructional leaders whose primary role is to direct teaching and learning processes in schools. Principals need to create time within their constricted schedules to become instructional leaders, which is their main purpose in schools. If the roles and responsibilities of middle managers are not explicit, their ability to simultaneously perform the dual task of being teachers and middle managers will be compromised. |
topic |
teacher principal curriculum leadership practice middle managers instructional leadership |
url |
https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/910 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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