Abstract
The purpose of this article is to report on research in schools to determine the views of teachers regarding points of which principals should take into consideration during periods of change in their schools. The research, based on a post-positivist worldview, was quantitative in nature, with one qualitative section. Eight hundred and eighty four teachers from 67 schools formed the sample. Teachers are concerned that the change will render them incompetent in future due to the fact that important aspects are not taken into account when change is led by principals. Change always has an element of resistance to it which should be taken into account by principals when change is being effected. Taken into account the views of teachers, the effect of resistance could be minimised for effective schools. Principals could be in a better position to steer the changes in schools in the right direction. In the light of the findings of the research, principals will be in a better position to lead the change in schools. The latter will enable teachers to do their work in a proper way to the benefit of the learners and eventually, to the benefit of society.
Highlights
Since the inception of the democratic education system in South Africa in 1994, many curriculum changes have taken place to rectify the disparities that existed in the education departments prior to 1994 (Van Wyk & Van der Westhuizen, 2015)
Based on the aforementioned observations and remarks regarding leadership and frequent curriculum changes in the schooling system, the research reported in the remainder of this article was guided by the following question: What are the perceptions of teachers regarding the leading role of principals in curriculum changes in schools? The research was based on the following conceptual and theoretical framework
Does your principal listen to teachers when they propose something about the curriculum change?
Summary
Since the inception of the democratic education system in South Africa in 1994, many curriculum changes have taken place to rectify the disparities that existed in the education departments prior to 1994 (Van Wyk & Van der Westhuizen, 2015). It has been maintained that in the South African schooling context, notwithstanding interventions of various institutions and the government, the curriculum changes in the schooling system do not seem to come to fruition. It seems that most of the old challenges regarding the curriculum still remain, while new challenges pertaining to the curriculum have come to the fore One can refer to the rapid curriculum changes that have taken place, such as Outcomes-Based Education (OBE), the National Curriculum Statement, the Revised Curriculum Statement and, presently, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) (Gumede & Biyase, 2016)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
