Browsing by Author "Grant, Carolyn."

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Challenges and constraints : a case study of three teacher leaders in a township high school.
(2009) Nene, Goodness Sibongile.; Grant, Carolyn.
Many changes have occurred in the South African education field since 1994. New education policies came into existence that were aimed at shifting from the management practices, which have been traditionally top–down and authoritarian, to more democratic and participative styles of leadership and management. However, despite all the policies that have been put in place, relationships in the majority of schools remain hierarchical with very little shared decision–making. Many South African schools in reality are still organised as hierarchies. Despite the introduction of democratic decision making structures such as the School Management Team and the School Governing Bodies, in practice in many schools principals still make all the decisions and hand them down to the rest of the staff. Many principals find it difficult to change from a highly authoritarian, hierarchical way of thinking to one that requires sharing of control with teachers, parents and students. Therefore, the aim of this study was to find out how teacher leadership was enacted by Level one teachers in one township high school and to investigate the factors that either enhanced or hindered this enactment. The whole study was conducted within an interpretive paradigm. I used this paradigm because as a researcher I believe that people define their actions by providing different interpretations of the situations they find themselves in. I also agree with Guba and Lincoln (1989) who state that the “evaluation outcomes are not descriptions of the ways things really are or really work” instead they “represent meaningful constructions that individual actors or groups of actors form to make sense of the situations they find themselves in” (p.8). Case study methodology was used to frame the investigation of the research questions. Quantitative data were collected through a survey questionnaire from all staff members who were my secondary participants. Qualitative data was collected from my three primary participants, through the use of focus and individual group interviews, self reflective journals and observations.
Decision making as an activity of school leadership : a case study.
(2012) Moodley, Ronnie Velayathum.; Grant, Carolyn.; Muzvidziwa, Irene.
The purpose of this enquiry is to explore how leadership and decision-making was practiced across various school structures. The research focuses on the practice of decision making as an element of distributed leadership, its degree of distribution, as well as its development and enhancement. In focusing on decision-making, the challenges experienced by both the school management as well level one educators in the advancement of distributed decision making is documented. The study was conducted within a qualitative interpretive paradigm and took the form of a case study of the enactment of decision making in a suburban primary school in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Data collection techniques employed included openended questionnaires, observations, semi -structured individual interviews and a focus group interview. Data was analysed using thematic content analysis. Significant themes that emerged from the data were the availability of structures and its enhancing or inhibiting properties for shared decision, the principal as an enabler or disabler of distributed leadership, the SMT’s support for shared decision making, further strategies to enhance shared decision making and the challenges to decision making. Gunter’s (2005) characterisation of distributed leadership served as analytical tools in this study. My findings revealed that there were a number of decision making structures within the school and the school milieu encouraged the enactment of shared decision making. The transformational leadership approach of the SMT and more especially the principal acted as a catalyst for shared decision making. Despite ample evidence that decision making was shared, the situation sometimes resulted in the authoritarian approach being the default position. Further to this, the data sets indicated that decision making and leadership was widely dispersed; however, the emergent characteristic of dispersed leadership, while present, was not optimally operational. The involvement of the majority of teachers in shared decision making was in the form of authorised distributed leadership. The SMT transformational agenda of inclusion of all educators and the deliberate orchestration of opportunities to empower educators encapsulated the democratic distributed leadership characteristic. Teachers’ expansive or restricted level of participation in decision making was situational. This outcome was used to conceptualise a framework for the level of participation in decision making. Despite, an enabling environment, there were some challenges to shared decision making. These challenges, in the main, were a lack of peer support, self-imposed barriers such as lack of confidence, a lack of support structures from the DoE and time constraints. Finally the study presented propositions for the further enhancement and strengthening of the decision making process in the case school as well as recommendations for further research. No doubt, the case school has embraced the tenets of our democracy and has made substantial inroads into creating a shared vision, through shared participation.
Distributed teacher leadership in South African schools : troubling the terrain.
(2010) Grant, Carolyn.
This publication-based study aims to ‘trouble’ the terrain of teacher leadership – at the level of both theory and praxis, in the South African schooling context. The motivation for this study came from my increasing research interest in shared forms of school leadership, particularly the leadership practices of teachers in terms of their potential as ‘agents of change’. The thesis is organised according to my ‘logic of connectivity’ which operated at a range of levels. Eight academic, peer-reviewed, independent articles constitute the ‘core’ of the study and are connected through the following emergent research questions: 1) How is teacher leadership understood and practiced by educators in mainstream South African schools?; 2) What are the characteristics of contexts that either support or hinder the take-up of teacher leadership; and 3) How we can theorise teacher leadership within a distributed leadership framing? For its connectivity at a theoretical level, this study privileges distributed leadership theory (after Spillane et al, 2004, Spillane, 2006), and specifically, a view of distributed leadership which foregrounds a ‘leader-plus’ and social practice perspective. In attempting to connect the independent pieces of work at a methodological level, I have organised them in inter-connected clusters within a three phase contingent design, and thus locate the study within the mixed methods research tradition. My study does not seek convergence in the classic sense of triangulation but rather an ‘expansion of inquiry’ which involves a secondary analysis of the findings – a meta-inference - guided by the research questions. The study thus offers an example of a PhD by publication; it reflects on the associated methodological challenges and it problematises the retrospective use of publications. The key output of the overall research which emerged from and connects the publications, is a model depicting the zones and roles of teacher leadership. The main findings of the study which emerge from the connectivity of the publications as well as from the extended literature review, suggest that while teacher leadership is regularly espoused (especially by management), in practice it is often restricted to either mundane tasks and/or the classroom and/or situations where teachers work together on curriculum issues. The data highlights the ease with which the School Management Team can operate as a barrier to teacher leadership even when national policy is underpinned by an ideological position that endorses shared forms of leadership. Despite the restrictions on take-up, however, the study argues that teacher leadership within the South African context, characterised as it is by such diversity, is nevertheless a dynamic possibility. If conceptualised within a distributed leadership framework which, in its ideal form, is democratic and which calls teachers (and management) to new forms of ‘action’, the transformation of schools and communities can become a reality.
Emergent teacher leadership : a case study of three teacher leaders in a semi-urban primary school.
(2010) Molefe, Mausley Barbara Sikhumbuzo.; Grant, Carolyn.
In the past apartheid era, the South African education system was dominated by hierarchical structures. Top-down leadership in schools reflected a singular view of leadership. The principal’s position of power and authority had to be maintained. When democracy prevailed post 1994, the task team report on Education Management and Development (1996) called for a move towards a more participatory and democratic management style in school. The purpose of this study was to describe how teacher leadership was enacted by three post-level one educators in a semi-urban primary school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and to investigate factors that enhanced and hindered this enactment. The research was located within the interpretive paradigm and was qualitative in nature. I adopted a case study approach and tracked three teacher leaders in a school in which I taught. This study was conducted within a theoretical framework of distributed leadership. Data were collected over two semesters, from October 2008 to March 2009. Data collection methods included school observation, questionnaires, a focus group interview, participant self reflective journaling, participant observation and individual interviews. Data analysis was mainly qualitative using thematic content analysis but data were also analyzed quantitatively where questionnaires were entered into the programme called the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
The enactment of teacher leadership : a case study in the Eenhana School circuit, Namibia.
(2011) Hashikutuva, Saima Ndesheetelwa.; Grant, Carolyn.
Since independence in Namibia in 1990, schools have been required to transform themselves from hierarchical organisations with autocratic leadership to more democratic forms of leadership which allow greater participation in leadership by teachers. This shift assumes that effective leadership and management of schools can secure and sustain school improvement. Against this backdrop, the purpose of my study was to explore the enactment of teacher leadership in three public schools in the Eenhana circuit of the Ohangwena region in Namibia and to examine the factors that enhance or inhibit this enactment. My study, located in the Namibian schooling system, was a replication of a multi-case study project conducted in South Africa during 2008-2009 by 11 Master of Education students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. My study was conducted within a qualitative interpretive paradigm and I adopted a case study of three Namibian schools with three teacher leaders per school as the unit of analysis. As in the original study, the instruments that I used to collect the data included a survey questionnaire, focus group interviews, individual interviews, selfreflective journals, observations and document analysis. All the educators, including the three teacher leaders at each of the three schools completed questionnaires following which the three teacher leaders at each school were interviewed using a semi-structured focus group interview method. The teacher leaders also provided information through journal writing. In addition, these teacher leaders were observed and I examined the school documents, such as minutes of meetings, to find out how they engaged in leadership roles in their institutions. Semi-structured individual interviews were also conducted with the principal and the secretary of each of the three selected schools to acquire contextual information about the schools. The Statistical Package of Social Sciences was used to analyse the quantitative data while qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis and, in particular, a model of teacher leadership (Grant, 2008). The findings of my study indicated that, although teacher leadership was a new concept to the majority of educators who took part in my study, teacher leadership was enacted at all the three schools. Teacher leadership was enacted differently at each of the three schools depending on the culture and structure of each school. At School A, teacher leadership was enacted successfully across the first three zones of the model within a dispersed distributed framing. At School B, teacher leadership was restricted to the first two zones, in the classroom and with other teachers and learners with little leadership distribution. At Schools C, teacher leadership was evident across all four zones of the model and classified as emergent with a dispersed distributed leadership framing. Barriers that prevented the development of teacher leadership in these schools were experienced as time, hierarchical structure, an autocratic principal and the exclusion of teachers in chairing of meetings. Factors that enhanced teacher leadership included collaborative and collegial cultures, teamwork, good communication, shared vision, collaborative decision-making, teachers-led initiatives and the involvement of learners in leadership roles. The dissertation concludes with recommendations for further research and practice in relation to the concepts of teacher leadership and distributed leadership in Namibia.
The enactment of teacher leadership in an urban primary school : a case study of three teacher leaders.
(2010) Hlatywayo, Jairos D.; Grant, Carolyn.
The traditional view in education leadership separates school leaders from teachers. However, traditional views has been challenged by recent research which calls for distributed forms of leadership where all teachers are viewed as having the capacity to lead and where power is distributed across the organization. Therefore, leadership must be understood as a shared process which involves working with all stakeholders in a collegial and creative way to seek out the untapped leadership potential of people and develop this potential in a supportive environment for the betterment of the school. In other words, it is within these professional learning communities that power in the school is redistributed and where teachers can operate as leaders as they strive towards a more equitable society.
The enactment of teacher leadership in an urban primary school : a negative case.
(2010) Lawrence, Gael.; Grant, Carolyn.
The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the enactment of teacher leadership within an urban primary school. My focus was to look at the factors that enhanced or hindered this enactment. The research took the form of a case study which was conducted within the qualitative research paradigm. The study took place in an urban primary school in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The participants included three post level one educators. Data were collected by means of a multi method approach with techniques that included an observation schedule, semi- structured interviews, a focus group interview and self reflective journaling. Data were continuously analyzed throughout the research process using thematic content analysis and Grant’s (2008) model of teacher leadership. Findings from the research proved that the enactment of teacher leadership is still in its infancy at the case study school. Due to the fact that the school is still hierarchically controlled by an autocratic principal, the School Management Team (SMT) does not see the need to create the space for teachers to enact leadership. Teacher leadership is therefore restricted to the classroom and to teachers working with other teachers in curriculum and extra curriculum activities. Very little teacher leadership was evident in the area of whole school development neither in the case study school nor from the school leading into the community. Barriers to teacher leadership included the autocratic leadership style of the principal, work overload, time constraints, lack of leadership opportunities created by the SMT and a culture of favoritism by the principal. Despite these many barriers, the aspiring teacher leaders showed high motivational levels to participate in leadership roles provided that the leadership at the school created the space for teachers to become leaders.
An exploration of the induction and mentoring of educators : a case study.
(2012) Kajee, Farhana Amod.; Grant, Carolyn.
The disillusionment experienced by new entrants to the teaching profession is definitely a cause for concern. A beginner teacher who commences work is faced with the same responsibilities as veteran educators. However, to add to these responsibilities lies the difficulty of adjustment into an organisation with its set rules and policies. With the anxiety and numerous challenges in the lives of new entrants, a call for support from all levels in the organisation is required. Against this backdrop the new democratic dispensation in South Africa calls for a more collaborative approach to leadership and a strong focus on selfmanaging schools (Department of Education, 1996, p.27). Theorizing teacher leadership within a distributed leadership framework, this study aimed to focus on the mentoring relationships between teacher leaders and the novice educators. As Howey (1988) argues, “teachers must assume leadership positions that will enable them to model methods of teaching, coach and mentor colleagues” (p.28). Therefore, my aim was to research induction and mentoring in a High school in KwaZulu-Natal. Key Research Questions: • How do educators understand the role of induction and mentoring? • To what extent is induction and mentoring occurring in the case-study school? • What is the nature of relationships between the teacher leaders and novice educators in the induction and mentoring processes?
Exploring teacher leadership and the challenges faced by post level one teachers as they operate as leaders : a case study of two primary schools.
(2011) Gumede, Knightingale Siphelele.; Grant, Carolyn.
Post 1994, the vision of the South African education policy terrain is to transform schools into more effective places of teaching and learning. To achieve this vision, policy suggests a shift in management practices from traditional autocratic headship to more participatory leadership practices, including the leadership of teachers. Theorizing from a distributed leadership perspective, the aim of this study was to explore the concept of teacher leadership and the challenges that are faced by post level one teachers as they operate as leaders in their schools in the South African context. The study sought to investigate how the concept of teacher leadership was understood, how post level one teachers lead in their schools and what challenges to teacher leadership are in schools. The study was conducted in one rural and one semi-urban primary school and it was qualitative in nature. A case study methodology was suitable for this study since it was aimed at gaining teachers understanding and perceptions of teacher leadership. Different methods of collecting data were used and these included interviews, questionnaires, and document analysis. Data were analyzed thematically using Grant’s (2008) model of teacher leadership. The findings indicated that teacher leadership as a concept was still new to certain teachers, even though research on the topic in the South African context is increasing. Some teachers did not think of the roles they played in a school as teacher leadership. The findings further indicated that teacher leadership was experienced differently across the two schools with teacher leadership in the rural school being more restricted than the teacher leadership in the semi-urban school, where it was more emergent. In the rural school, leadership could, at best, be described as authorized distributed leadership while in the semi-urban school, leadership could be described as dispersed distributed leadership. In addition, the findings showed that the major barrier to teacher leadership in the rural school was resistance from the School Management Team while in the semi-urban school the major barrier to teacher leadership was a lack of time. A further barrier to teacher leadership in both schools was teachers themselves who were lazy and did not want to take on additional leadership tasks. The study also found that the major enhancing factor to teacher leadership, particularly in the semi-urban school, was a collaborative school culture where teachers trusted each other and worked together in professional learning communities.
The exposure of in-service teachers to the notion of themselves as curriculum developers : an action research approach to the Promat Educational Studies (curriculum) course.
(1998) Grant, Carolyn.; Harley, Keneth Lee.
This study was based on the Promat Educational Studies (Curriculum) course which introduced curriculum concepts to a group of forty-two rural KwaZulu in-service teachers, studying for the final year of their Primary Teachers' .Diploma in 1996. The study was primarily interested in the responses of these teachers as they explored -curriculum concepts and developed their own understandings of curriculum. Research questions focused on the teachers' personal views of the notion of curriculum and the suitability of various curriculum models that could be used in their classrooms. Action research was proposed as a valuable tool for teachers to reflect on their classroom practice in a systematic and participatory manner, with a view to improvement in the process of teaching and learning. Action research was also used as a teaching methodology in presenting the Educational Studies programme, thus providing the teachers with an opportunity to experience action research. The questions also focused on the views of teachers concerning their possible role in the process of curriculum development, change and decision-making in schools. Prior to the programme, data on teachers' notions of curriculum were obtained by means of a questionnaire. Journal writing, lecturer diaries and classroom discussions were used as a means of collecting data during the course of the programme. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as a summative form of data collection and triangulation. Findings suggested that teachers, prior to the Educational Studies programme, had a limited notion of the concept of curriculum. They had a restricted view of teacher professionality and understood their role as implementers of a received curriculum. The programme broadened teachers' views on curriculum concepts and accompanying theories and models. The exposure to curriculum theory increased teachers' confidence in their ability to bring about change in their classrooms and schools. They expressed feelings of empowerment and recognised the important role they could play in the curriculum process. What was significant, however, was that despite the fact that the teachers were able to articulate these views within an "educationist context" (Keddie, 1971), they did not realise these within the Educational Studies classroom. While they recognised and embraced the potential of action research, their own actions as learners did not support a fully-developed form of action research because of the power differentials and situational constraints which they experienced. They were acutely aware of the imperative to pass, which appeared to take precedence over democratic participation. Findings suggested that INSET programmes which expose teachers to curriculum theory and the fundamental notion of themselves as curriculum developers, are useful for changing mindsets and are essential preconditions if teachers are to begin to take ownership of change in classrooms. Whether they are able to do so successfully, is a question for further research.
Going beyond perception : a case study of three teacher leaders in a rural secondary school.
(2010) Xulu, Armstrong Mbuso.; Grant, Carolyn.
Teacher leadership is a relatively new concept in the South African educational research context. It is in line with the expectation of the Department of Education which envisage that schools be managed effectively, professionally and democratically. The issues of democracy and the empowerment of ordinary teachers with leadership skills are postulated in the South African Schools’ Act of (1996) and the Task Team Report on Education Management and Development, 1996. The purpose of the study is to explore how teacher leadership is enacted in a rural secondary school in the deep rural area of Msinga in the Umzinyathi District in KwaZulu-Natal and to find out the enhancing factors and the barriers to this enactment. The research design followed a qualitative approach. A case study methodology was adopted with the case being a school and three teacher leaders as the units of analysis. Data were collected through questionnaires, focus group interviews, school and participant observation as well as a self-reflective journaling process. The research was informed by distributed leadership theory. The findings revealed that in the case study school even though there are challenges like the lack of parental support, the school is conducive to the enactment of teacher leadership. All teacher leaders were found to be free to pursue their respective leadership initiatives. They were involved in leadership in the classroom and beyond (Grant, 2008) which involve zone 1, zone 2, zone 3 and zone 4. TL 1’s activities were centered around organizing academic and non-academic events in the school, which indicated the teacher operating in the zone of the school (z 3). TL 2’s leadership roles were found to be mainly within the classroom as well as in the zone of a teacher’s activities involving continuing to teach and improve one’s own teaching (z 1). TL 3’s main area of operation was found to be in extra-mural activities, wherein his activities were found to be involving the children in the zone of the teacher’s dealing with the children (z 2). The enactment of teacher leadership in a case study school was helped mainly by the School Management Team’s willingness to offer a space for each and every individual teacher to exhibit his / her capabilities. Moreover, there was a sufficient space for all teachers to be part of a decision-making process.
Investigating middle management roles in implementing the new curriculum at Grade 10-12 level : a case of two schools in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
(2008) Nxumalo, Velile Nicholas.; Hugo, Wayne.; Grant, Carolyn.
This research sought to investigate middle management‟s roles in implementing the new curriculum at grade 10 -12 levels; it involved a small qualitative study of two schools in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. At a policy level, the role of middle managers at school level in South Africa has changed. The transformation of the curriculum in South Africa placed a need in all spheres of the education system to be flexible and innovative in accepting change. In fact this need for change is mostly required by the middle management of the schools who bear the brunt of working with teachers and learners in implementing the new curriculum. Hence this qualitative study was undertaken to investigate their roles. In investigating the topic the following three questions were considered as of critical importance in understanding middle managers roles in the new curriculum. The first question explored middle managers‟ main roles in implementing the new curriculum. Secondly it explored how middle managers responded to the current reform process at the FET level, and lastly it investigated how middle managers intertwined assessment in implementing the new curriculum. The review of the literature focused on curriculum implementation internationally and locally and also explored the role of the middle managers as leaders and managers in the curriculum implementation process. The study took place in two rural schools and participants included four middle managers (three heads of department and one principal). Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. A selection of documents (planning and teaching documents) was also collected for analysis. In a nutshell analysis revealed that endeavours were made towards the planning process. There was a presence of the subject framework, work schedule and the lesson plan. This indicated that the initial process of designing the learning programmes was being done. However, data revealed that middle managers fulfilled a management rather than leadership function. Their roles consisted largely of curriculum implementation processes at the expense of curriculum innovation and change. Barriers included a lack of time for proper planning and innovation due to a full teaching load as well as a lack of training by the Department of Education in the area of curriculum development and innovation.
An investigation into the factors that help or hinder teacher leadership : case studies of three urban primary schools in the Pietermaritzburg region.
(2007) Rajagopaul, Shavitha Mathuri.; Grant, Carolyn.
This study was done in order to determine whether teachers are taking on leadership roles in their schools. The following questions were posed: What factors exist in schools that help or hinder teacher leadership? What structures need to be in place for teachers to be leaders? How does the culture of the school support or creates barriers to teacher leadership? And, finally , what personal factors enhance or inhibit teacher leadership? This dissertation takes the form of case studies of three urban primary schools in the Pietermaritzburg region. The study is qualitative in nature and examines the leadership roles that teachers are undertaking, with the intention of identifying and exploring the factors that help or hinder teacher leadership. To ascertain the responses of teachers, a questionnaire, as well as semi-structured interviews were used. The principals who participated in the study were also interviewed to ascertain their views on teacher leadership. South Africa is a relatively new democracy with a host of new policies. The one that is of relevance to this study is the Norms and Standards for Educators (2000). This policy prescribes that teachers are required to undertake seven roles . Of these seven roles , the one that is of particular relevance to this study, is the role of leader, administrator and manager. This role, as prescribed by policy, implies that teachers are expected to undertake leadership roles , both in and out of the classroom. What is of interest, however, is whether and to what extent, this policy prescription is implemented in the school. The findings revealed that schools in the study were characterized by structures that were 'top-down' , and that leadership roles in these schools were delegated, rather than distributed. Findings also pointed to a number of barriers to teachers taking on leadership roles . These included time constraints, rigid attitudes of principals and school management team members as well as the impact of taking on additional roles and responsibilities, on the personal lives of teachers. Some recommendations in order for leadership to succeed in South Africa would be, firstly , that steps should to be taken to implement and encourage teacher leadership. This would entail a change in mindset on the part of principals in particular, many of whom would have to radically revise their views of what constitutes leadership and who should lead. Secondly, there should be a movement away from delegated leadership towards a more distributed form of leadership. Thirdly, it is also the recommendation of this study that the creation of a collaborative culture in schools will create an enabling environment for teacher leadership to flourish.
'It's about normal teachers like me' : a case study of three teacher leaders in an urban primary school.
(2010) Jasson, Alphonso Eric Ordwall.; Grant, Carolyn.
Traditionally South African Schools are characterised by the hierarchical nature of their management structures. The principal is the head of the school and is accountable to the Department of Education. Post 1994 school management teams are in place in schools and membership includes the principal, deputy principal and HOD‟s who hold the formal management positions. Teachers who are not formally appointed to leadership positions are categorized as level-one teachers. Hence, this dissertation works from the premise that these teachers play an important role as leaders, albeit in an informal capacity. These teachers play an important role as leaders, albeit in an informal capacity. Teacher leadership enactment is prevalent in South African Schools, but to varying degrees. Every teacher is a potential teacher leader and therefore every school has an immense wealth of expertise in terms of teacher leadership. However, within the context of their environments, human resources are utilized to varying degrees in the different schools. The research questions which guided this study included: “How is teacher leadership enacted in an urban primary school?” and “What factors promote or hinder this enactment?” The study was designed as a case study which was conducted within the interpretive paradigm and was mainly qualitative in nature. Data were gathered by means of survey questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, a focus group interview, journal entries and observation schedules. The case study was of an urban primary school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data were predominantly qualitative and were analysed using thematic content analysis. Findings of the study were that teacher leadership enactment occurred across all four zones, mostly in zone one (in the classroom) and zone two (working with other teachers and learners outside the classroom in curricular and extra-curricular activities). Teacher leadership enactment was very restricted in zone three (outside the classroom in whole school development). Enhancing factors included that there was shared decision-making, a collaborative learning environment and delegation of duties from an informal position. 4 The main barriers were a lack of dialogic space, an overemphasis on control by the SMT and lack of time to enact teacher leadership.
Leadership and professionalism - an act of faith : a case study of leaders as professionals in South Africa.
(2012) Manuel, Basil L.; Grant, Carolyn.; Avery, Neil Eric.
Our South African schools are seventeen years after the advent of democracy still under the grip of predominantly hierarchical management with limited devolution of leadership functions to teachers. Principals and SMT’s are caught between the demands of a policy driven Department of Education, the unions who ‘control’ the teachers and a desire to transform their schools into 21st century centres of learning and teaching excellence. Somewhere into this maelstrom ones needs to factor in the expectation of teachers, parents and even the pupils who are living in a 21st century environment with all the technological trappings and a democratic dispensation which has promised to deliver a better life for all. Given the current negative view of schooling with the poor matric and grade three and six performance levels and the negative view of teachers especially after the teacher strikes of 2007 and 2010 there is an urgent need for intervention to save our education system and children. I am however not advocating a narrow view of policy intervention, which has already proven to be a failure. Such interventions fail to penetrate to the depth of the problem. I am advocating for a much more sustainable longer term intervention that must change our teachers’ views to their job, their commitment to the task and the child. I am advocating for a return to professional values and commitment coupled with a new age distribution of leadership that recognises the contribution and worth of all teachers. This recognises that all teachers have skills and insights to contribute that can change the face of schools. Given this background I attempted using a case study of five teacher leaders in an urban primary school to understand their views on professionalism, their involvement in leadership and whether the link between the two does impact positively on the culture of teaching and learning. I employed a multiple data collection method and used a questionnaire, semistructured individual interviews, a focus group interview and observations. The findings of the study indicated that there was genuine commitment to professionalism. The teacher leaders viewed themselves as professionals. They were further deeply committed to teacher leadership which they demonstrated in various ways. Their professionalism combined with their involvement in leadership spilled over into a culture of learning and teaching. Teacher leadership was present in various spheres but was limited by hierarchical school structures, time constraints and scepticism from other teachers. This relationship between teaching, professionalism and learning and teaching needs to be further researched especially in the context of South African schools in their current change environment, overshadowed by the legacies of the past. Our schools need to succeed now. Our children need it now. If the route to sustainable teacher and learner performance lies in professional leadership development, then we must explore it further without delay.
Leadership and professionalism : a case study of five teacher leaders in an urban primary school in Pietermaritzburg.
(2012) Alexander, Bronwyn Kim.; Grant, Carolyn.; Muzvidziwa, Irene.
The main aim of educational institutions is to ensure that effective teaching and learning is achieved. My personal ontological disposition is that in order to reach this ideal, teacher leadership and professionalism needs to be a reality in all schools. It is for this reason that I embarked on this study to gain a meaningful understanding of how teachers felt they could lead schools better to ensure that they are professional places of teaching and learning. In developing this study I focused on two key areas, which were to examine teachers understanding of professionalism and I attempted to identify what factors enhanced or inhibited teacher leadership and professionalism in schools. The research methodology that I employed was a case study which was conducted in a secondary school. I employed five data collection tools to obtain the information I required. The first was a survey which was conducted among the entire staff of the school. The second tool was individual interviews that focused on five teacher leaders of the school who were the unit of analysis. The next data collection method involved all five teacher leaders in a focus group interview. The fourth tool was observations that were carried out throughout the research process. The final data collection tool was document analysis, which included a range of documents varying from staff meeting minutes to department policies. In addition, I kept a reflexive field note journal as a tool to enhance the validity of my study. This study revealed several key findings which I feel are vital for educational success to become a reality. At first this study revealed that teacher leadership was a reality in the case study school and was occurring in four zones: in the classroom, collaboration, whole school and with surrounding schools. Next this study revealed that teaching is a profession that is underpinned by key characteristics, namely: you have to study, uplift the name of the profession and behave and dress in a professional manner. Furthermore, this study revealed that there were several factors that promoted teacher leadership and professionalism, like incentives, school culture and relationships. Finally, this study revealed that there were various barriers to teacher leadership and professionalism, like, unions, formal leadership and teachers’ dispositions.
Leadership, professionalism and unionism : a case study of six teacher leaders.
(2011) David, Kalaivani.; Grant, Carolyn.
The arrival of democracy in 1994 saw the departure of certain policies and an education system that was congruent with an autocratic, apartheid South Africa. One of the many policy changes was the introduction of the Norms and Standards for Educators (2000) which suggests that teachers fulfil the seven roles as laid down in this policy, amongst them being the role of leader and manager. Prior to this, these roles remained exclusively for those holding formal management positions. Since this study adopted the stance that teachers are leaders, it was worked from the premise that all teachers have the potential to enact self-initiated, voluntary roles, and to lead from different levels within the organisation. Thus an organisation needs both leadership and management, with teachers conducting themselves as professionals. Against the backdrop of the National teacher strike of 2010, I became interested in understanding the leadership roles teachers, either post level one teachers or SMT members enact, especially in relation to their professionalism. As a consequence, I designed my research as a case study of six teacher leaders. The core question aimed to investigate how teachers can lead schools better to ensure that they are professional places of teaching and learning. The first subsidiary question involved an inquiry into how professionalism was understood by teachers. The second subsidiary question was about identifying the factors which enhanced and inhibited professionalism in schools. The duration of the study was approximately two months, and data were collected using semi-structured individual interviews, a focus group interview and a questionnaire. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The main findings of the study revealed that although the primary participants faced many challenges, they worked collaboratively as members of teams. This was made possible as a result of the support and encouragement from the principal and SMT members, together with there being a collegial school culture. Their innate goodness, love for their learners, and passion for teaching saw them lead in various social justice projects. This uplifted the plight of many learners who experienced financial, academic and emotional challenges. These teacher leaders were aware of the code of ethics as espoused by SACE, and conducted themselves accordingly. Some of the primary participants argued that, at times, the call of the union clashed with their role as professionals. This was evident when teachers were called out during the school day to attend union meetings. Since leadership and management roles did not lie exclusively with the principal and SMT, level one teachers also led in activities.
Leading successfully against the odds in highly functional disadvantaged schools.
(2015) Pillay, Sivanandani (Sivie); Grant, Carolyn.; Naicker, Inbanathan.
In this thesis the poor performance of learners in the vast majority of public schools in South Africa provided the impetus to study leadership practices in previously disadvantaged, highly successful schools. This research was to find out what these schools were doing in terms of how they led that contributed to them becoming highly successful. Three previously disadvantaged, highly successful schools were purposively selected with the aim of understanding their leadership practices in greater depth. While data was collected, analysed and interpreted for all three schools, due to the limitations of space, only two of the cases are presented in this thesis. A critical realist ontology, coupled with a qualitative approach and a multiple-case study research design with a variety of data generation methods were utilised as a means to examine questions regarding leadership practices. The data generation methods comprised journal writing by the principals, individual open-ended interviews, focus group interviews, observations (both formal and informal), transect walks around the schools, document analysis as well as a self-reflective journaling process. Four teacher leaders at each school from across the post levels were purposively chosen as participants at each of the schools. This was to provide a clearer understanding of how leadership was practised. To rise above the adversities experienced at their schools it was found that participants from across the post levels were resilient and collectively contributed to the leadership practice and this impacted on the overall success of their schools becoming highly functional. They made every endeavour to adopt and adapt legislated mandates and all aspects of leadership and management to engage in what best suited the contexts of their individual schools. Structural boundaries were broken to accommodate and engage with the expertise of all teachers. They therefore shattered the myth of the traditional ‘heroic leader’ paradigm and consequently achieved school-wide success. Once the structural boundaries were broken there emerged a more collaborative culture and the agents arose from being primary agents to that of being corporate agents. The principals from each of the schools emerged as powerful Social Actors who were instrumental in ensuring active participation in the leadership practice by all teachers. At the heart of all decisions that participants took were the learners. In this regard they were found to be embodied beings and every opportunity was grasped at to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Their roles as educators extended far beyond that of teaching and learning. They also forged various networks in order to improve their schools infrastructure and to meet the needs of their impoverished learners. What is recommended therefore, for previously disadvantaged schools to become highly functional is an engagement with the collective expertise of all teachers so as to achieve school wide success. At a theoretical level the study contributes by extending Grants Model of Teacher Leadership (2008a) which indicates that one of the prerequisites for teacher leadership is that of a collaborative culture. This study adds collaborative structures and agency to the notion of collaborative culture and has demonstrated that for leadership to be distributed the structural, cultural and agential emergent properties play a crucial role. From a critical and social realist perspective a Three Tier Model is offered to make meaning of leadership practices in previously disadvantaged, highly functional schools.
Lecturers as leaders? : a case study of a further education and training college.
(2010) Mpangase, Beatrice Nelisiwe.; Grant, Carolyn.
The political, social and economic history of the Further Education and Training College Sector and that of the communities it serves influences the operation of these institutions. The history of „state aided‟ and the „state‟ technical colleges has resulted in some Rectors and some Campus Managers having different ideas regarding leadership and management. Campus managers who bring with them the style of a state technical college‟s past tends to follow a very rigid and autocratic management, while those who come from the state aided technical college‟s past tends to emphasize teamwork, delegation but autocracy as well. Getting these campus managers to devolve power to other lecturers in the FET College is somewhat a challenging task. With this in mind, the purpose of this dissertation is to determine the enactment of „lecturer leadership‟ by the classroom lecturers at one FET College, and to investigate what hinders lecturers‟ enactment of leadership in this context. Where leadership is enacted, I intend establishing factors that promote the successful enactment. From a theoretical perspective, distributed leadership theory underpins this study. As I have had little choice but to use the literature on teacher leadership within a schooling context, because there is no literature around the concept of lecturer leadership in the context of the FET College both locally and internationally that I came across. I have taken the liberty of adopting a term „lecturer leadership‟ which is most suited for the FET context. My study is situated within an interpretive paradigm because I worked from the premise that there are multiple truths and I wanted to understand the different interpretations of the world through the lecturer leaders‟ lenses. I aligned myself with Cohen, Manion and Morrison who write “the central endeavour in the context of the interpretive paradigm is to understand the subjective world of human experiences” (2007, p.21). Using a descriptive case study methodology allowed me to track the three lecturer leaders for six month period in the FET College where I worked to get a nuanced description of how lecturer leadership was enacted. The lecturers‟ responses were collected both as numerical data, through survey questionnaires, and textual data, through a focus group and individual interviews, journaling process, and observations.
Principals' views and experiences of school governing bodies in the Sweetwaters circuit, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
(2004) Ndlovu, Thandanani Moses.; Grant, Carolyn.
Abstract not available.