Education, Development, Leadership and Management

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Attracting and retaining highly skilled academic staff: a case of a technical, vocational education and training college in Johannesburg.
(2024) Mokgathi, Matome Peter.; Myenda, Phumlani Erasmus.
Technical Vocational Education and Training colleges like any other institution of higher learning rely on the knowledge, abilities and skills of their academic staff to keep abreast with the changing nature of higher education in the country and globally. These institutions of higher learning must be competitive and strive to achieve their strategic goals for them to remain relevant in the sector. Studies have shown that highly skilled academics are leaving the higher education sector specifically the TVET colleges for the private sector for numerous reasons, including better salaries and personal growth. Therefore, attracting and retaining highly skilled academic staff is very crucial for the success of any institution of higher learning as this calibre of employees ensure that the institution provides quality education to students. Therefore, it is important for the Technical Vocational Education and Training college to develop attraction and retention strategies to keep highly skilled academic staff in the college. Given the importance of attraction and retention of skilled academics, I used a qualitative approach and case study design to explore how a selected Technical Vocational Education and Training college in Johannesburg attracted and retained skilled academic staff members. The study focussed on three research questions namely (i) What does the Technical Vocational Education and Training college management understand to be the factors causing the high rate of academic staff attrition? (ii) How does the Technical Vocational Education and Training college management attract and retain skilled academic staff? and (iii) Why does the Technical Vocational Education and Training attract and retain skilled academic staff the way they do? To understand attraction and retention of skilled academic staff, I drew from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and important theory developed by Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), and Human capital theory, propounded by Schultz in 1961 and later developed extensively by Becker (1964). These theories were very useful to the study as they helped me to understand how the Technical Vocational Education and Training college attract and retain skilled academic staff including the factors causing high rates of academic staff attrition and the challenges that the college faces. To collect the relevant data, I used the interview method. The participants were purposively and conveniently selected. They consisted of three campus managers and four divisional managers. In analysing data, I used thematic analysis. The findings suggest that there are various factors leading to high rate of attrition in the college. These factors include the lack of promotional opportunity and poor remuneration. Furthermore, the findings suggest that in addition to the above stated factors, there are challenges that the college faces such as the shortage of academic staff, and the lack of a seamless and effective recruitment process. In addition, the findings also suggest that other than the above factors and challenges, an unsupportive work environment, poor motivation and the provision of inadequate training and career growth also reduces the attraction and retention of skilled academic staff. Based on the findings, I concluded that it is very important for the Technical Vocational Education and Training college to understand the factors that compel academic staff to either stay or leave the college. This will enable the Technical Vocational Education and Training college to develop strategies to retain skilled academic staff and to ensure the provision of quality education to students. From the conclusions, I recommend that college management must revisit the recruitment process and review it to reduce the time that the college takes to approve the appointment of academic staff and that the contracts of academic staff who are employed temporarily must be converted to permanent ones to minimise attrition as they always leave for permanent positions elsewhere.
Exploring the practices of educators in managing learner discipline within the classroom and in school: perspectives from teachers in three primary schools in the Umzinyathi district.
(2022) Mlondo, Precious Nondumiso.; Bhengu, Thamsanqua Thulani.
Abstract available in PDF.
Leadership learning: a case study of departmental heads from two primary schools.
(2024) Mavundla, Petunia Nokwanda.; Naicker, Inbanathan.
Departmental heads (DHs) in primary schools in the South African schooling system play vital roles in leading and managing teaching and learning schooling phases. Research indicates that the Department of Education does not offer them formal training aimed at equipping them for their complex roles, nor does it require them to have formal leadership qualifications prior to assumption of duty as DHs. This study sought to explore how these leaders learn to lead. Specifically, it asked the following research questions; what are the departmental heads' perspectives on leadership learning in the case study schools? How do the departmental heads in the case study schools learn leadership? What do the departmental heads in the case study schools view as effective mechanisms for leadership learning? Two theories underpinned this study, namely, the Adult Learning Theory by Knowles and the Leadership Development Conceptual Framework by Lyham. This study is framed in the philosophical dimensions of the interpretivist paradigm within the qualitative approach. The methodology applied to understand how departmental heads learn was a case study. Two schools of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education’s Pinetown District were conveniently sampled, and four departmental heads were purposively chosen and interviewed. Document analysis was applied to supplement the data generated from the semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study revealed that departmental heads think it is very important for leaders to learn to lead and they understand that performing their core duties requires specialised guidance. Furthermore, leaders learn differently as driven by their goals. Their lengthy leadership experiences enabled them to recommend context understanding as a vital aspect of the leadership learning process accompanied by support largely from the principal of the school. This study concluded that departmental heads do not receive sufficient support from their school principals upon appointment and recommended that a collaboration between the departmental heads, leaders of Professional Learning Communities and the learned others be formed and a programme for newly appointed departmental heads be designed and shared with other schools in similar contexts.
“Navigating unchartered waters”: lived experiences of novice principals leading in deprived school contexts.
(2023) Ndlovu, Nokukhanya.; Myende, Phumlani Erasmus.
Moving into a leadership position can be daunting. In modern-day schools, the leadership role comes with multiple responsibilities and is attached to high levels of accountability. Arguably so, today’s principals are called CEOs as they have to lead and manage complex organisations and perform managerial, instructional, and political roles. Such an undertaking is challenging, especially for novice principals who assume this position with limited leadership experience and lack formal leadership training. Additionally, schools are located in different contexts, and the context influences leadership. Some schools are located in contexts that are conducive for those who are principals to lead and navigate leadership challenges successfully. Others are situated in contexts that are deprived. Deprived contexts are post-Apartheid geographies where numerous factors conspire to diminish the quality of life, making leading and working in these contexts more challenging compared to other contexts. Most schools in South Africa are located in deprived contexts. This means several novice principals get appointed to lead in such contexts amidst the limited training and sometimes experience in principalship. This study explored novice principals’ lived experiences of leading schools in deprived contexts through a theoretical lens that integrates sense-making, adaptive leadership, and context-responsive theories. It intended to understand the identities of novice principals (who are the principals leading schools located in the context of deprivation), how they enacted leadership, and why they lead in the ways they do. Four novice principals leading schools in deprived contexts from the province of KwaZulu-Natal were selected. Guided by the narrative methodology, which relies on storytelling and narrating to understand the complexity of human experience, life history interviews were used to generate data. From the dual analysis, namely narrative analysis and analysis of narratives, the study found that interestingly, the leadership practices of the novice principals in this study are not that different from those of other seasoned and successful principals. The practices that emerged were working collaboratively through building relationships, strengthening the instructional core, leading by example, wearing many hats by using and drawing on their multiple personal and professional identities, being active policy enactors and leading with the context in mind through a leadership of care. This suggests that novice principals do not assume their role as blank slates, whether formally trained or not. Childhood, educational, and professional experiences emerged as powerful socialising agents that cultivated leadership identities even before novice principals were appointed and were highly significant in shaping the leadership of principals. Additionally, the novice principals led in the ways they do as a response to the contextual constraints posed by the context in which they lead, demonstrating contextual awareness. This study further found that this contextual awareness arose from being socialised in a similar environment to that in which these novice principals lead. While current scholarship asserts that principals shape and are shaped by the contexts they lead, this study extends knowledge by illustrating that the novice principals have contextual literacy, which cultivates contextual awareness, guiding leadership practices. From this, we learn that novice principals are not deterred by the challenges of being new; instead, they proactively seek creative ways to empower themselves and navigate the complexities of both their new role and the deprived context. Moreover, we discover that the context of being a novice principal in a deprived setting holds distinct meanings for those who are insiders (the novice principals leading in the deprived context) compared to outsiders (such as the researcher exploring the phenomenon). The novice principals perceive themselves as transformative agents, strategically positioned to challenge systemic constraints and find innovative solutions to navigate, transform, and thrive in this challenging and prejudiced context. Their experiences and these findings challenge conventional assumptions about novice principals and provide valuable insights into their resilience and capacity to lead effectively in demanding circumstances. Iqoqa Ukuthatha isikhundla sobuholi emkhakheni wezemfundo kuletha izinselelo eziningi, ikakhulu kothishabakhulu abasengamavukana abangase bentule ukuqeqeshwa kwezobuholi namava. Ezikoleni zamanje, iqhaza likathishomkhulu selikhule ledlula imisebenzi yokulawula lafaka namagunya okulawula nawezombusazwe. Kuqakulwa ukuthi kufanele othishabakhulu babizwe ngama-CEO ngoba kufanele bahole baphathe izinhlangano eziyinkimbinkimbi. Lobu bunkimbinkimbi bungaphinda buqhutshelwe phambili yisimo salapho isikole esakhiwe khona. Ezinye izimo, njengezinobuhlwempu eSouth Africa yasemva kobandlululo, zinemithelela eminingi enomthelela wokwehlisa izingabunjalo lempilo, yenze ukuhola nokusebenza kulezi zimo kube lukhuni kakhulu uma kuqhathaniswa nezinye izimo. Iningi lezikole zaseSouth Africa zakhiwe ezimeni ezinobuhlwempu. Ukwanda kwalezi zimo nokuqokwa kothishabakhulu abangamavukana ukuthi bahole kulezi zindawo kugqamisa isidingo sokuqonda ngokujulile amava nokwenza kwabo ekuholeni. Ucwaningo luhlose ukuhlola ngosekwedlulwe kukho ngothisha abangamavukana okuholela ezimeni zobuhlwempu ngokweso lenjulalwazi edidiyela okwenza umqondo, ubuholi obuhambisanayo, nezinjulalwazi zokuhambisana nesimo. Ucwaningo lwaluhlose ukuqonda ubunjalo bothishabakhulu abangamavukana, ukuthi benza kanjani kwezobuholi, nemithelela eyakha indlela yabo yokuhola, ikakhulu umthelela wezimo zombili zobuhlwempu nesimo sobuvukana ebuholini babo. Ngokuholwa yindlela yengxoxo, ephakamisa ukuxoxwa kwezindaba ukuzuza injula yobunkimbinkimbi bamava esintu, kwaqokwa othishabakhulu abane basezikoleni zesifundazwe iKwaZulu-Natal, abaphonswa imibuzo kusetshenziswa indlelakwenza yomlando wempilo ukwakha imininingo. Imininingo yabe isihlaziywa ngokusebenzisa indlela ekabili yohlaziyongxoxo, nokuhlaziywa kwezingxoxo, okwaba nomthelela wokwakhiwa kwezindaba nezindikimba. Ucwaningo lwathola ukuthi othishabakhulu abangamavukana banobunjalo obuningi obunomthelela ebuholini babo. Lokhu kwenza akwehlukile kakhulu kulokho kothishabakhulu abanamava futhi abaphumelelayo, okukhomba ukuthi othishabakhulu abangamavukana baletha amava nemibono kwaphambilini emsebenzini yabo kunokuyiqala elwazini oluncikinciki. Amava asukela ebunganeni, kwezemfundo, nawobungcweti kwatholakala kubamba iqhaza eliqavile ekwakheni amakhono obuholi ngisho naphambi kokuqokwa kothishabakhulu abangamavukana. Nokho-ke, lolu cwaningo lunikeza injula ngokugqamisa umqondo wokufunda ngokwesimo nokuqonda nobumqoka bokwejwayezwa umsebenzi esimeni esifanayo. Kulolu cwaningo othishabakhulu abangamavukana bakhombisa izinga lokusiqonda isimo, okuyikho okwalekelela kwaphinda kwakha ubuholi babo. Bazibona beyizimbangela zenguquko, ezikwazi ukubhekana nezinselelo ezinokuhleleka zezimo zabo nokuthola izindlela ezintsha zokuguduza nokusimama kuzo.
Principals’ meaning of and practices for supporting teachers in promoting inclusive classrooms.
(2024) Zuma, Thulile Sarah.; Myende, Phumlani Erasmus.
The purpose of the study was to explore principals’ meanings of and practices for supporting teachers in promoting inclusive classroom in primary schools of the uMgungundlovu District. The duty of the principal is to provide every learner in the school with access to education and to develop the learners’ leadership potential. It is therefore vital to find out how principals understand the inclusive classroom in supporting teachers to promote the inclusive classroom in the selected primary schools, to find out the roles that principals play in the child’s life and in the teachers’ life in terms of support and also the difficulties they (principals) experience in the process of promoting an inclusive environment in the classroom. The study was theoretically underpinned in transformational leadership and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theories, in order to explore the leadership practices of the principals. The study used a qualitative case study design within the interpretive paradigm. Qualitative research seeks to explain and understand social phenomena in its natural settings. It concentrates on the meaning people have built concerning their world and the researcher is viewed as the primary tool for data generation and analysis. Face to face semi-structured interviews were employed to generate data. A sample of four participants from the four selected primary schools was purposefully chosen, which constituted the research participants. Ethical considerations, including confidentiality and anonymity, were maintained throughout the research study. The study reviewed related literature from national and international perspectives on leadership practices, in order to understand how principals, support teachers in promoting inclusive classroom. The research findings have revealed that principals play an important role in transforming their respective schools into learning environments that are conducive for teaching and learning through their leadership. The principals considered leadership as a collective effort and practiced collaborative decision- making. Furthermore, the principals’ understanding, and experience enabled them to build good interpersonal relationships with teachers, learners, and other stakeholders. The study has also identified several challenges pertaining to leadership in the inclusive classroom, lack of resources and limited official visits. This study presented the recommendations for practice and for further research.
School principals’ experiences of ethical leadership during times of accountability : complexities, dilemmas and dynamics.
(2024) Hlongwane, Celumusa Bethuel.; Bhengu, Thamsanqa Thulani.
Several studies have highlighted the importance of ethical leadership during this era of accountability. Scholarship suggests that ethical leadership is at the heart of school life as decisions are underpinned by ethics. This study explored school principals’ experiences of ethical leadership. The study further examined why school principals enacted ethical leadership the way they do. Underpinned by the interpretive paradigm, a qualitative design and a case study methodology, six school principals were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Documents reviews were used to augment data generated through interviews. Multiple Ethical Paradigm Theory, Chaos Theory, Accountability Theory, and Stakeholder Theory were used as theoretical lenses to frame the analysis of data. Data was subjected to thematic cross-case analysis. To this effect, a meta matrix analysis tool and Document Review Schedule were used to thoroughly analyse data generated from interviews and documents respectively. The study found that school principals embrace ethical leadership in their leadership as school leaders because they are of the strong view that it yields many benefits in the entire school environment. Also, the findings of the study suggest that school principals have a clear understanding of ethical leadership; however, some still enacted unethical leadership practices. The study found that some school principals are conscious that ethical awareness is their responsibility as school leaders and the latter is enhanced through human interaction. To achieve this endeavour, the study found that some school principals believe in being exemplary and have taken upon themselves to enhance ethical leadership in their schools while others collaborate with other stakeholders like teacher unions, the DBE, Traditional Leaders and even Taxi Drivers’ Associations. This thesis concludes that the nexus between accountability and ethical behaviour remains elusive, as a result, ethical leadership for some school principals remains a pie in the sky; in some instances, it is a well-preached gospel that is hardly practiced. Since this study was conducted in one education district where six school principals participated in the study, I therefore recommend another study of the phenomenon to be conducted. To this effect, a mixed method study that will also include statistical data is recommended in order to allow for data to be extrapolated to a wider population. Iqoqa. Ucwaningo oluningana selukuvezile ukubaluleka kobuholi obunqubonhle ngalesi sikhathi sokuziphendulela. Ucwaningo luveza ukuthi ubuholi obunqubonhle buqhakambisiwe esimweni sesikole njengoba izinqumo zesekelwe kwinqubonhle. Lolu cwaningo luphenye izimo zabaphathizikole zobuholi obunqubonhle. Ucwaningo lubuye futhi lwahlola ukuthi kungani abaphathizikole beqhuba ubuholi obunqubonhle ngendlela abenza ngayo. Ngokwesekelwa ipharadaymu yomhumusho, uhlaka lwekhwalithethivu kanye nendlela yocwaningonto, abaphathizikole abayisithupha kwaxoxwa nabo ngokusebenzisa izingxoxo ezisakuhleleka. Ukubuyekzwa kwamadokhumenti kwasetshenziswa ukwengeza imininingo eyatholakala ezingxoxweni. Injulalwazi yepharadaymu yenqubonhle ephindaphindiwe, injulalwazi yobuxhaxhaxha, injulalwazi yokuziphendulela, kanye nenjulalwazi yababambiqhaza kusetshenzisiwe njengesisekelo sokubuka ukwakha uhlaka lokuhunyushwa kwemininingo. Imininingo ibe seyihlaziywa ngokwezindikimba zokubuka izinto ngokuqhathanisa. Ukuveza umphumela, ithuluzi lokuhlaziywa ngengxube yamamethriksi kanye nohlaka lokubuyekezwa kwamadokhumenti kwasetshenziswa ukuhlaziya ngokunzulu imininingo etholakale ezingxoxweni kanye nakumadokhumenti ngokulandelana kwakho. Ucwaningo luthole ukuthi abaphathizikole bagomothela ubuholi obunqubonhle njengabaholi bezikole ngoba bakholelwa ekutheni kuholela emivuzweni eminingi ezizindeni zesikole zonke jikelele. Okunye futhi, imiphumela yocwaningo iveza ukuthi abaphathizikole banokuqonda okucacile ngobuholi obunqubonhle, yize noma kunjalo, abanye basenza izinto ezinobuholi obungenayo inqubonhle. Ucwaningo luthole ukuthi abanye abaphathizikole banako ukuqonda ukuthi inqubonhle ingumsebenzi wabo njengabaholi bezikole nokukhuliswa ngokuxhumana kwabantu. Ukufinyelela kulo mkhankaso, ucwaningo luthole ukuthi abanye abaphathizikole bayakholelwa ekutheni babe isibonelo futhi bakubeke emahlombe abo ukukhulisa ubuholi obunqubonhle ezikoleni zabo ngesikhathi abanye behlanganyela kanye nabanye ababambiqhaza njengezinyunyane zothisha, i-DBE, abaHoli beNdabuko kanye neziNhlangano zabaShayeli bamaTekisi. Lolu cwaningo luphetha ngokuthi ukuvumelana phakathi kokuziphendulela kanye nokusebenza okunqubonhle kusahleli kungenakuqhathaniswa, okungukuthi, ubuholi obunqubonhle kwabanye abaphathizikole busayingxenye ephezulu esibhakabhakeni, kwezinye izimo, kuyintshumayelo ejwayelekile nengejwayele ukulandelwa. Njengoba lolu cwaningo lwenzeke esiyingini semfundo lapho abaphathizikole abayisithupha behlanganyele ocwaningweni, ngiphakamisa futhi olunye ucwaningo lwesimo esifanayo ukuthi lwenziwe. Ukuveza umphumela, indlela yocwaningongxube oluzobandakanya imininingo yezinombolo iyaphakanyiswa ukuze imininingo yedluliseleke emphakathini osabalele.
Supporting teaching and learning in out-of-field subjects : a case study of departmental heads.
(2024) Gumede, Khethiwe Frances.; Myende, Phumlani Erasmus.
According to the ELRC in South Africa, for an educator to be promoted to Departmental Head he or she must have a teaching experience and a teaching qualification (M+3) with a Relevant Education Qualification Value (REQV 13) as the minimum requirement. The main role of departmental heads is to provide support and assistance in teaching and learning to achieve positive learner results. Due to different circumstances such as a decrease in enrolment, some departmental heads in schools find themselves in a position where they offer support in out-of-field subjects. Therefore, it was crucial to explore departmental heads’ understanding of roles, how they perform those roles, and the enabling and hindering factors of supporting teaching and learning beyond majors. The purpose of the study was to explore the Departmental Heads’ experiences of supporting teaching and learning in their out-of-field subjects. The study is conceptualised within the framework of leadership for learning theory. It used a qualitative case study design within the interpretive paradigm. Eight participants were selected using purposive sampling. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were employed to generate data and the generated data was analysed using thematic analysis. The research findings revealed that out-of-field departmental heads understood their role to include the provision of guidance and support, monitoring of curriculum, determining the subject needs, departmental vision alignment with the school’s vision and goals, and moderation of tasks. Out-of-field departmental heads applied different strategies to ensure that their roles were performed regardless of the lack of training. Some of the strategies they applied included allocation of subject heads, working with majored departmental heads, pairing their educators with neighbouring schools' departmental heads specialising is similar subjects and attending Professional Learning Communities. Furthermore, the out-of-field departmental heads identified numerous factors they considered to make supporting teaching and learning easier, which include gaining subject content, class size impacts on teaching and learning, communication and motivation. The study has also identified several hindering factors in supporting teaching and learning, which include inadequate resources, lack of development for departmental heads, subject content and curriculum changes as well as workload against time. This study concludes that the departmental heads’ understanding of their roles is common and they confirm what is stated in different departmental policies. It also concluded that the roles performed for out-of-field subjects were the same roles they performed for their majored subjects. However, it can be argued that in the OOF context, leadership of a department is a shared role to accommodate the shortcomings stated by participants. I recommended that the Department of Basic Education consider the position of a subject head to be an official position since they complement the out-of-field departmental heads.

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