Successful leadership practices of School Management Team members: a multiple case study of selected rural secondary schools=Imisebenzi yobuholi obunempumelelo yamalungu eThimba Elilawula iSikole: Ucwaningonto oluphindekile lwezikole zasemakhaya ezikhethiwe zamabanga aphezulu .

Abstract

The study sought to examine successful leadership practices and how these practices are locally enacted by SMT members in rural secondary schools in the O. R. Tambo Coastal District in the Eastern Cape. Moreover, the study seeks to understand how these successful leadership practices are ‘practicalised’ in different contexts and how negative environmental challenges that hinder success are mitigated thereof. Furthermore, this study seeks to understand the complexities and intricacies surrounding leadership practices in trying school contexts. The study was qualitative and interpretive in nature and employed semi-structured interviews to generate data. The study was focused on four research sites which were purposively sampled from rural secondary schools. Interpretive data analysis was used in this study which emphasised the need for the researcher to stay close to the data so as to interpret it from a position of thorough understanding of the School Management Team members’ leadership practices. This study is framed on Instructional Leadership Theory Model by Hallinger (2011) and Adaptive Leadership Theory. The study found out that leadership practices in rural secondary schools laid emphasis on school-community integration and maintained close relationship with the traditional leaders. Also, the study found that School Management Team members describe and explain successful leadership practices among other things as a way whereby the newly appointed Principals physically go to Traditional leaders as to introduce themselves as additional members to the communities where Traditional leaders are residing. Among other things, this study reveals the importance of the enhanced collaboration between the schools and various stakeholders and accountability. This study also found that, in enhancing collaboration between the school and various stakeholders, the schools among other things initiated a strategy of accounting to Traditional leaders quarterly for learner results in terms of learner academic performance. As a result, learner academic performance improved in the participating schools.

Iqoqa

Ucwaningo luhlose ukuhlola ukusebenza okunempumelelo kobuholi nokuthi lezi zindlelakusebenza ezisungulwe ezindaweni zasemakhaya amalungu e-SMT ezikoleni zamabanga aphezulu eSifundeni sase-OR Tambo Coastal District eMpumalanga Kapa. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ucwaningo lufuna ukuqonda ukuthi imisebenzi yobuholi obunempumelelo ‘okwenzekayo’ ezingqikithini ezehlukene nezinselelo zezendawo ezingezinhle ezinqinda impumelelo ziyabhekwa.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, lolu cwaningo lufuna ukuqonda ubunkimbi nezinzulumininingo ezingena ebuholini obuzungezile ezingqikithini zesikole ezikhathazayo. Ucwaningo lunomumo wekhwalithethivu futhi lungoluchazayo lwaphinde lwasebenzisa izimposambuzo ezihlelwe-ngokungaphelele ezikoleni zamabanga aphezulu zasezindaweni zasemakhaya. Ukuhlaziya imininingo echazayo kwasetshenziswa kulolu cwaningo kwagcizelela isidingo sokuba umcwaningi asebenzise imininingo ukuze ihunyushwe ngasohlangothini lokuqonda ngokuphelele ngemisebenzi yobuholi yamalungu eThimba eliPhethe iSikole.

Lolu cwaningo lusebenzise i-Instructional Leadership Theory Model ka-Hallinger (2011) kanye ne-Adaptive Leadership Theory. Ucwaningo luthole ukuthi okwenziwa ngokobuholi ezikoleni zamabanga aphezulu zasezindaweni zasemakhaya kwagcizelela ekudidiyeleni umumo wesikole somphakathi lwase luba nobudlelwane obunokusondelana nabaholi beNdabuko. Okunye, ucwaningo lwathola ukuthi amalungu eThimba eLilawula iSikole achaza izindlelakwenza zobuholi obunempumelelo phakathi kokunye njengendlela lapho oThishanhloko abasanda kuqashwa beya bona siqu kubaholi beNdabuko ukuze bazethule njengamalungu engeziwe emiphakathini lapho kuhlala khona abaholi beNdabuko. Kwezinye izinto, lolu cwaningo luveza ukubaluleka kokubambisana okuphucukile phakathi kwezikole nabanesabelo abehlukene nokuziphendulela. Lolu cwaningo lwaphinda lwathola ukuthi ukuphucula ukubambisana phakathi kwesikole nabanesabelo abehlukene, izikole phakathi kokunye zaqalisa umqondosu wokuziphendulela kubaholi beNdabuko ngemiphumela yabafundi ngokuhambisana nokusebenza komfundi ezifundweni. Ngenxa yalokho, kwaphucula ukusebenza kwabafundi ezifundweni ezikoleni ezibambe iqhaza.