Principals’ identity – developing and validating an analysis instrument in the Swedish context

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to develop and validate an analysis instrument of principal’ identity in the Swedish context. A point of departure is taken in the work of Crow, Day, and Møller (2017) and three dimensions of the concept: professional, personal, and situated or socially located. The article builds on a survey on Swedish principals covering questions of the three identity dimensions. The survey reached approximately 3,000 out of the 3,600 Swedish principals, generating 1,286 replies (n = 1,286). The analyses identified questions with strong and weak correlation with the three dimensions. Thus, the findings provide components for a more refined analysis instrument to analyze how principals’ identity is formed and negotiated in different contexts without overlooking the fact that construction of identity is situated in time, space, and place. These findings also contribute to a more comprehensive image of principal’s professional identity. Additional studies, however, are requested for a more in-depth understanding of the concept of identity in various leadership contexts.