EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND SCHOOL SUCCESS

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INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN ENHANCING LEARNING

An instructional leader is a person and a notion, the notion that learning should be given top priority while everything else revolves around the enhancement of learning. Principals need to work closely with students, developing teaching techniques and methods as a means for understanding teacher perspectives and for establishing a base on which to make curricular decisions. Hence, to have credibility as an instructional leader, the principal should also be a practicing teacher. Instructional leaders need to know what is going on in the classroom.

DATA GATHERING PROCESS

The researcher used a number of methods to collect data, namely: semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analyses. The data gathering process took a period of eight weeks. This was done for triangulation purposes because triangulation techniques in the social sciences attempt to map out or explain more fully the richness and complexity of human behavior by studying it from more than one standpoint. In this study data that was triangulated came from the principals, education officials and from report documents. The data collection methods are explained in detail in the following sub-sections.

Semi-structured interviews

A semi-structured interview involves “a set of pre-set questions which initiate the discussion, followed by further questions which arise from the discussion” (Rule and John, 2011:65). In this study semi-structure interviews were used to provide access to what is ‘inside the person’s head,’ and as such it makes it possible to determine what a person knows, likes or dislikes and thinks. In this study, the researcher used interviewing as a data collecting instrument because the data required had to be based on experiences and feelings for the sake of a deep understanding. For that reason the researcher valued the contact with key players in the research field who could provide privileged information.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

In the previous chapter the research method and research technique used in the collection of data were discussed. Data was collected by means of interviews with secondary school principals, education experts and district supervisors; observation; and analysis of documents sourced from the selected schools. An important factor to be 119 borne in mind is that the qualitative method indicates the practical perception and feelings of the target groups on the concept of instructional leadership as a role to be played by school principals. The information gathered during principals’ interviews was recorded and transcribed for analysis.

What are the roles of secondary school principals in delivering effective

instructional practices?  Principal A’s response to the second question is that principals must be knowledgeable about curriculum development, teacher and instructional effectiveness, clinical supervision, staff development and teacher evaluation in order to deliver effective instructional practices. He also added that during meetings every teacher is given a platform to explain the weaknesses and strengths regarding the performance of their subjects. The establishment of the school boards in Southern region and the governing bodies in Ethiopia opened up doors for parental involvement in the running 127 of schools where they are today taking their rightful place, despite the numerous challenges they are facing.

How do secondary school principals acknowledge individual capacity and background difference in their instructional leadership?

 Principal A’s response to the third question is that they have the opportunity to build rapport with teachers, students, parents, and local community stakeholders by working through collaborative processes to build their individual capacities. The principal spend more time on instructional leadership tasks than on management tasks. More time on instructional leadership leads to more opportunity for building rapport, which has potential for increased sense of job satisfaction among principals.

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

• CONTENTS PAGE
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• DEDICATION
• APPRECIATION
• DECLARATION
• DECLARATION
• ABSTRACT
• ABBREVIATIONS / ACRONYMS
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• CHAPTER ONE
  • 1.1. INTRODUCTION
  • 1.2. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
  • 1.3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
  • 1.4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
    • 1.4.1. Main-Question
    • 1.4.2. The subsidiary research questions
  • 1.5. AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
  • 1.6. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
  • 1.8. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
  • 1.9. SCOPE OF THE STUDY
  • 1.10. CHAPTER OUTLINE
• CHAPTER TWO LITRATURE REVIEW
  • 2. AN EXPOSITION OF THE THEORIES AND PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING THE CONCEPT OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN THE SCHOOL SITUATION INTRODUCTION
  • 2.1. THE CONCEPT OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP
  • 2.2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP
    • 2.2.1. Building and Sustaining a School Vision
    • 2.2.2. Sharing Leadership
    • 2.2.3. Leading a Learning Community
    • 2.2.4. Using Data to Make Instructional Decisions
    • 2.2.5. Monitoring Curriculum and Instruction
  • 2.3. HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND THE ORIGIN OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP
  • 2.4. MODELS OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADRERSHIP
  • 2.5. THE ROLE OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS
  • 2.6. EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND SCHOOL SUCCESS
• CHAPTER THREE
  • 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN
  • 3.1. Research methodolgy
  • 3.2. Research design
  • 3.3. The study area
  • 3.4. Sampling technoque
  • 3.5. Data gathering process
    • 3.5.1. Semi-structured interviews
    • 3.5.2. Observation
    • 3.5.3. Document analysis
    • 3.5.4. Data analysis techniques
  • 3.6. ETHICAL ASPECTS OF THE RESEARCH
• CHAPTER FOUR
  • 4. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTREPRETATION
  • 4.1. INTRODUCTION
  • 4.2. CODING PROFILES OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS AND SCHOOLS
  • 4.3. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
  • 4.4 A SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
    • 4.4.1 INTERVIEW RESULT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS
      • 4.4.1.1. Research question
      • 4.4.1.2. Research question
      • 4.4.1.3. Research question
      • 4.4.1.4. Research question
      • 4.4.1.5. Research question
    • 4.4.2. INTERVIEW RESULTS OF EDUCATION OFFICERS
      • 4.4.2.1. Response of district supervisors
      • 4.4.2.2. Responses of the Ministry of Education
      • 4.2.2.3. Responses from experts of the regional education bureau
• 4.4.3. DOCUMENT ANALYSIS RESULT
• CHAPTER FIVE
  • 5. FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • 5.1. INTRODUCTION
  • 5.2. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS
    • 5.2.1. Capacity building for effective instructional support
    • 5.2.2. Roles of secondary school principals for effective instructional practices
    • 5.2.3. Individual capacity and background understanding
    • 5.2.4. Training as a source of confidence
    • 5.2.5. Hindering factors for instructional leadership effectiveness
  • 5.3. CONCLUSIONS
  • 5.4. RECOMMENDATIONS
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
  • APPENDIX A
  • APPENDIX B
  • APPENDIX C
  • APPENDIX D
  • APPENDIX E

GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE PRINCIPAL’S INSTRUCTIONAL ROLE: A CASE OF FOUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTHERN NATIONS, NATIONALITIES AND PEOPLE’S REGION, ETHIOPIA