Journal Article

Teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schools

Chabalala, Grace, Naidoo, Parvathy

2021

Overview

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.

• Publisher: African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd t/a AOSIS,AOSIS (Pty) Ltd,AOSIS
• Subject: 21st century / Administrator Attitudes / Administrator Effectiveness / Administrator Role / Administrators / Analysis / Content analysis / Curricula / curriculum / Curriculum development / Curriculum Implementation / Data collection / Delivery Systems / Education / Educational leadership / Elementary School Teachers / Foreign Countries / Head teachers / Instructional Leadership / Leadership / Leadership Effectiveness / leadership practice / Learning / Learning processes / Literary criticism / Managers / Middle Management / Middle managers / Mission statements / Outcomes of Education / principal / Principals / Professional Development / Professional training / Responsibilities / School environment / School principals / Schools / Secondary School Teachers / South Africa / teacher / Teacher Attitudes / Teacher education / Teachers / Teaching / Teaching methods