Exploring teachers’ experiences in the selection processes of school leaders.
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Date
2018
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Abstract
The process of selecting school leaders in South African schools has been marred with
controversy for some time. Despite guidelines and policies in place to select school leaders.
Selection committee members were not conducting the processes according to the rules and
requirements of South African School Act. Teachers and chairperson of School Governing
Bodies encountered numerous problems in performing their tasks. The focus of this study was
on exploring teachers’ experiences in the selection processes of school leaders. The following
research questions were addressed in this study:
What are teachers’ experiences in the selection processes of school leaders?
What factors influence teachers’ experiences in the selection processes of school
leaders?
The qualitative method underpinned by the interpretivist paradigm was used in this study.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. Thematic analysis was used to
analyse data. The sample of this study consisted of six teachers in four schools who have the
experience of representing their fellow colleagues in the selection processes of school leaders.
The study was situated in the Pinetown District of the KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa.
Purposive sampling was used to select the teachers engaged in the selection processes of school
leaders. The participants were selected based on their previous experiences of involvement as
teacher representatives in the selection processes of school leader positions.
The findings of the study revealed that even though there are educational selection policy
guidelines that are made available to guide schools on how selection processes should be
conducted, schools are still experiencing major challenges with some stakeholders who are not
very knowledgeable about the school leader selection process. The selection processes of
school leaders in schools is fraught with many problems with teachers experiencing numerous
problems in performing their task as members on the panel of selection committee of school
leaders. Some of the problems emanated from the nature and the way the selection committee
was composed. Union interference and lack of educational knowledge amongst some parents
and some members who did not have a conception of what is required from teachers in order
to qualify for senior position (school leader), was identified in this study. Subsequently, their
ability to conduct interviews and select school leader was questionable. Some selection
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committee members are not trained in selection and are not familiar with school leader
selection procedures.
The findings of the study further suggested that there are also underlying factors that affected
the selection processes of school leaders. These factors ranged from the personal hidden
agendas of selection committee members; corruption and favouritism, subjectivity and bias by
committee members in the selection process; inapt selection and scoring criteria by selection
committee members; and the lack of expertise which led to manipulation of the process by
selection committee members. The results of this study may not be generalised to all schools
in South Africa. Recommendations proffered included: the training and re-training of selection
committee members which should be an ongoing process of training and having the scoring
criteria negotiated and decided by the committee members prior to the selection process.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.