Search results
1 – 10 of over 81000Cyrill Julian Kalbermatten and Adrian Ritz
The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between the attitudes of principals, municipality-specific aspects of reform implementation, and principals’ resistance to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between the attitudes of principals, municipality-specific aspects of reform implementation, and principals’ resistance to change.
Design/methodology/approach
The collected data are based on a multi-level structure. The levels of analysis are at the school level (school principal) and at the municipality level. Therefore, the research question posed in this study is examined using a quantitative multi-level analysis.
Findings
The results show that both the personal attitudes of school principals and adjustments made by the school presidency of the municipality affect the school principals’ willingness to change.
Research limitations/implications
The study’s focus on schools limits the ability to generalize the results to apply to other organizations. Nevertheless, schools are an important object of study for change management research because they share crucial organizational characteristics with other organizations in the public sector.
Originality/value
Studies that have looked at the change reactions of leaders in the public school sector have rarely examined individual and collective factors together. We focus on both, since the municipalities in many countries have a certain amount of leeway in implementing reforms, meaning that their involvement is of central importance for a successful change process.
Details
Keywords
Boualem Djehiche and Peter Helgesson
We aim to generalize the continuous-time principal–agent problem to incorporate time-inconsistent utility functions, such as those of mean-variance type, which are prevalent in…
Abstract
Purpose
We aim to generalize the continuous-time principal–agent problem to incorporate time-inconsistent utility functions, such as those of mean-variance type, which are prevalent in risk management and finance.
Design/methodology/approach
We use recent advancements of the Pontryagin maximum principle for forward-backward stochastic differential equations (FBSDEs) to develop a method for characterizing optimal contracts in such models. This approach addresses the challenges posed by the non-applicability of the classical Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation due to time inconsistency.
Findings
We provide a framework for deriving optimal contracts in the principal–agent problem under hidden action, specifically tailored for time-inconsistent utilities. This is illustrated through a fully solved example in the linear-quadratic setting, demonstrating the practical applicability of the method.
Originality/value
The work contributes to the existing literature by presenting a novel mathematical approach to a class of continuous time principal–agent problems, particularly under hidden action with time-inconsistent utilities, a scenario not previously addressed. The results offer potential insights for both theoretical development and practical applications in finance and economics.
Details
Keywords
Zehra Keser Ozmantar and Funda Gök
This study will examine the school principals’ ethical decision-making processes and to explore gender-related differences.
Abstract
Purpose
This study will examine the school principals’ ethical decision-making processes and to explore gender-related differences.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed a mixed-method research design, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with a sample of 10 male and 10 female principals, who were presented with ethical dilemma scenarios. The qualitative component utilized a phenomenological analysis, while additional quantitative analyses were performed on the same dataset to explore gender-related differences.
Findings
Our analysis of principals' ethical evaluations identified three key areas where gender-related differences were evident: decision-making approaches, leadership styles, and philosophy/value orientations. The analysis revealed that women more frequently employed personal approaches, while men favored institutional approaches in their ethical evaluations. Secondly, men tended to adopt a democratic style, while women leaned towards an autocratic style. Finally, men exhibited a relativist orientation, while women displayed an idealist orientation in their ethical decision-making processes.
Originality/value
Gender-based analysis of school principals’ ethical decision-making process has remained an under-researched area. This study contributes to the understanding of gender-related differences in principals’ ethical decision-making processes.
Details
Keywords
Fozia Ahmed Baloch and Nazir Ahmed Jogezai
The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its effects on education in general, has influenced the leadership landscape of school principals, which may have necessitated adaptations and…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its effects on education in general, has influenced the leadership landscape of school principals, which may have necessitated adaptations and transitions in their leadership orientation. To better comprehend any variations in the leadership orientation of school principals in response to the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examines leadership orientation in both the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods.
Design/methodology/approach
In this quantitative research, the authors collected data from 297 school principals in the Balochistan province of Pakistan using the leadership orientation survey (LOS) in a quantitative research approach.
Findings
The results indicated that principals’ leadership orientation underwent an observable transition before and after the pandemic. Principals’ preferred leadership orientation notably changed from solely political before the pandemic to a combination of highly political and symbolic after the pandemic.
Research limitations/implications
Using a survey, the study investigated the transition in school principals’ leadership orientation before and after the pandemic. However, the results do not explain what caused the transition in principals’ leadership orientation, which is the key limitation of this study. Future research within a qualitative approach can study the factors associated with changes in principles’ leadership frames.
Practical implications
The overall findings of the study have implications for scholars, policymakers and educational leaders to reexamine and gain a deeper understanding of the leadership roles of principals in the post-pandemic age. This is because principals now operate in a distinct context characterized by new difficulties and opportunities compared to the pre-pandemic period.
Originality/value
This is an original study that examined the transition of school principals’ leadership orientation before and after the pandemic. The body of literature related to the transition between pre- and post-pandemic is limited both in Pakistan and the rest of the world. This study illuminates the literature in this regard.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to investigate the influence of school principals’ effective communication and teachers’ trust in principals on schools’ organisational mindfulness from the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the influence of school principals’ effective communication and teachers’ trust in principals on schools’ organisational mindfulness from the perspective of public school teachers in Kuwait.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a cross-sectional research design. A quantitative survey questionnaire was electronically sent to public school teachers in Kuwait. The final sample size consisted of 641 teachers.
Findings
The teachers exhibited a moderate level of school principal effective communication and organisational mindfulness, in addition to higher levels of school principal trust. Multiple regression analysis results revealed that schools’ organisational mindfulness was significantly related to the teacher’s trust in school principals’ and their effective communication.
Research limitations/implications
This study used quantitative data from a survey of public school teachers in Kuwait in a given period.
Practical implications
The findings indicate that the school principal’s communication and teachers’ trust in the principal are critical for creating a mindful and high-quality school culture. Thus, policymakers should empower principals to prioritise mindfulness in creating a positive and supportive school environment.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the understanding of the influence of leadership aspects on organisational mindfulness in schools. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the impact of school principals’ practices on the quality of school organisations in Kuwait’s centralised educational system. This will pave the way for further research in the field.
Details
Keywords
Gökhan Arastaman, Tuncer Fidan, Pınar Ayyıldız and Türker Kurt
This study aimed to examine the relationship between leadership self-efficacy and the decision to be a school principal and the mediating effects of motivation-to-lead and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to examine the relationship between leadership self-efficacy and the decision to be a school principal and the mediating effects of motivation-to-lead and worries-about-leadership in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 375 teachers working in public high schools in Ankara, Türkiye participated in this cross-sectional predictive study. Descriptive statistics, structural equation modeling and bootstrapping were used in the analysis of the data.
Findings
Leadership self-efficacy was found to increase both motivation-to-lead and worries-about-leadership. Motivation-to-lead positively influenced the decision to be a school principal, whereas worries-about-leadership did so negatively. Furthermore, leadership self-efficacy had an indirect positive effect on the decision to be a school principal through motivation-to-lead and worries-about-leadership.
Practical implications
Based on the findings, it is recommended to offer teachers training programs on school administration and leadership. Furthermore, we suggested providing teachers with administrative internship and mentorship opportunities to help them gain field experience and benefit from the experiences of incumbent school principals in school leadership.
Originality/value
This study confirmed that theoretical assumptions about self-efficacy are also relevant in the decision-making process regarding the school principalship: leadership self-efficacy can be the source of both motivation and worry. This study also implied that teachers make their choices about the school principalship by considering the potential advantages and disadvantages of the position.
Details
Keywords
The current study seeks first to examine the prediction of school functioning in crises during the COVID-19 pandemic by school principals’ self-efficacy; second, to explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
The current study seeks first to examine the prediction of school functioning in crises during the COVID-19 pandemic by school principals’ self-efficacy; second, to explore the differences in all dimensions of self-efficacy and school functioning during crises in Arab and Jewish schools in Israel and third, to determine which of school principals’ self-efficacy dimensions best predicted school functioning during the COVID-19 crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were aggregated at the school level for structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis using AMOS analysis of 103 middle schools across Israel, 53 from Jewish and 50 from Arab society. Participants included 103 school principals (who answered the school principals’ self-efficacy questionnaire) and 1,031 teachers who answered the school functioning during crises questionnaire (477 Jewish teachers and 554 Arab teachers).
Findings
The findings showed that the principals’ self-efficacy positively predicted school functioning during the crisis. Among the five self-efficacy dimensions (general management efficacy, leadership efficacy, human relations efficacy, efficacy in managing external relations and pedagogical management efficacy), significant differences were found only in “external relations efficacy,” which was higher for “Arab” school principals; the only dimension that predicted school functioning during crises in both societies was “human relations efficacy.”
Originality/value
The current results emphasize the importance of principals’ self-efficacy in general and specifically caring leadership practices “human relations efficacy” in their relations with the school staff, the students and the parents for effective school coping and functioning during crises in two societies in Israel: Arab and Jewish. Further, no previous studies have explored this correlation.
Details
Keywords
Gökhan Özaslan, Sümeyranur Meryem Karakuzu Ölemez, Sultan Polat, İlker Berat Balıkcı and Mustafa Uyanık
The purpose of this study is to reveal the different ways in which a group of teachers understand the anger they feel toward the school principals with whom they interact.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to reveal the different ways in which a group of teachers understand the anger they feel toward the school principals with whom they interact.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study was designed and conducted as a phenomenography. In phenomenographic research, the number of different ways in which participants understand a particular phenomenon is revealed. The data from semi-structured interviews with 15 teachers who differed in terms of school level, gender and age were analyzed according to the phenomenographic tradition.
Findings
The analysis revealed that although the participants had eight different understandings of the anger in question, all participants had an understanding that was described as “An emotion arising from not being treated with the respect we deserve.”
Practical implications
The source of anger for the participating teachers was the behavior of their principals, which made them feel that they were not considered respectable and valuable. Incorporating this insight into the training of school leaders may lead to useful outcomes in improving the quality of interactions between principals and teachers.
Originality/value
As one of the few examples of phenomenographic research in educational management, the present study contributes to providing a solid foundation for exploring the anger that teachers feel toward their principals by showing how and in what ways participating teachers may understand this feeling.
Details
Keywords
Linda J. Searby and Denise Armstrong
The purpose of this paper is to introduce readers to the special issue on “middle space” education leaders (those individuals who are second-in-command in schools). The special…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce readers to the special issue on “middle space” education leaders (those individuals who are second-in-command in schools). The special issue contains papers pertaining to mentoring those preparing for and aspiring to the assistant school leader role, as well as papers on programs that support new assistant principals/vice-principals through mentoring and coaching. The authors provide background on middle space leadership and mentoring from existing research literature, introduce the international papers selected for the issue, and identify unifying themes across the papers.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors provide highlights of relevant research literature on the importance of mentoring for school leaders in general, but also specifically address the need for mentoring for middle space leaders from the scant literature that exists on the topic. After reviewing the relevant literature, the authors provide an overview of the seven papers that were chosen for the issue through a rigorous peer-review process.
Findings
The co-editors of this special issue identify common themes that emerged from the papers chosen for the issue. In general, authors note that middle space leaders have unique mentoring and coaching needs, and there are few formal programs that address their needs. However, there is a growing awareness of the need to support assistant principals through structured mentoring programs, as well as preparing and mentoring those who aspire to the position.
Research limitations/implications
The seven papers chosen for the special issue represent a variety of research methodologies. A limitation is that the majority of the studies are qualitative, with small sample populations. However, even with small sample sizes, commonalities can be seen across the studies and across international contexts.
Practical implications
This review summarizes the issues facing middle space leaders in education and how they can be effectively addressed. The global audience that can benefit from engaging with the papers in this special issue includes educational leadership faculty, educational governing bodies, policymakers, school district central office personnel, senior principals, and assistant principals themselves.
Originality/value
This paper and the seven that follow extend the scant research literature in the realm of middle space leaders in education. They provide unique insights – from different international contexts including the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, and New Zealand – into the need for and potential benefits of mentoring and coaching aspiring and new middle space leaders.
Details
Keywords
Reports on a research project which investigated the preparation ofbeginning principals in Queensland primary and secondary governmentschools. Thirty‐six principals completed a…
Abstract
Reports on a research project which investigated the preparation of beginning principals in Queensland primary and secondary government schools. Thirty‐six principals completed a questionnaire, a return rate of about 80 per cent. Of these principals, 13 were surveyed early in the second year of their principalship, and 23 in August of their first year. Six of the first‐year principals were interviewed in the following month. Presents an overview of the findings, along with some general observations on their practical implications and recommendations for action.
Details