Primary School Principals Research Articles

In-Service Training and its Role in the Administrative Selection Process of School Principals

In the Greek literature there is a debate on the development, management, organization and effectiveness of the school units and which is the role of the school principals in these processes. Two concepts in Greece have been involved in this debate in the last decades related to the above-mentioned functions of school development: evaluation and training. The goal of this research was to investigate the views of the principals of school units in the prefecture of Rethymno (Crete, Greece) regarding their training needs and the role of these training during their in-service administrative selection process. 53 primary and secondary education school principals of Rethymnon prefecture participated in this survey. The questionnaire was used as a research tool for data collection. The research highlighted the needs and characteristics of their training and that their training should be taken into account in their in-service selection process.

Factors Influencing Pupil Transition from Primary to Secondary School In Hulugho Sub-County, Kenya

The study investigated factors influencing transition of pupils from primary to secondary schools in Hulugho sub-county in Kenya. The study, which used quantitative approach, adopted positivist paradigm and employed correlational research design. The target population was the six primary school principals, two secondary school principals, 39 primary school teachers, 17 secondary school teachers, 19 primary school PTA chairpersons, and four secondary school PTA chairpersons of schools in Hulugho Sub County. A sample population of 71 respondents was obtained using formula by Mugenda and Mugenda and selected using stratified proportionate sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview guides. Data from questionnaires was analysed using Pearson r while that from interview guide was analysed using verbatim. The study found that; teaching capacity has significant influence on pupil transition from primary to secondary school (p-value < 0.01; r = 0.551). support programs has a significant influence on pupil transition from primary to secondary school (p-value < 0.01; r = 0.656), physical facilities has significant influence on pupil transition from primary to secondary school (p-value < 0.01; r = 0..667) and family background has significant influence on pupil transition from primary to secondary school (p-value < 0.01; r = 0.613) on pupil transition from primary to secondary school, in Hulugho sub-county. The recommends that the primary schools in Hulugho sub-county should ensure that. they acquire and retain recommended teacher-student ratio; teachers are assigned manageable workload; they recruit and nurture highly qualified teachers, they have adequate support program structures, and sufficient school physical.

Sensemaking in and for times of crisis and change: Irish primary school principals and the Covid-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT The Children’s School Lives (CSL) study provides a unique opportunity to learn first-hand from school principals as part of a large national study about their sensemaking as they led in a time of crisis and change in terms of teaching and learning. Major interconnected findings include: (1) the centrality of relationships and communication between school principals, teachers and the wider school community; (2) the systemic and school-related challenges and supports for pedagogical and curriculum leadership; (3) the emotional intensity of leading during crisis and its implications for individual and collective wellbeing in schools; and (4) the value and role of collaborative practices both within the school and between the school and system, including school self-evaluation efforts to establish leadership impact, which in turn inform the principal and leadership team’s sensemaking and adaptive leadership. Findings are contextualised through the responses of 11 principals from case study schools. While theoretical observations are drawn regarding sensemaking, practical suggestions are also made. A refocusing on the particular supports and challenges for school leadership learning and development in contexts of crisis and change is also warranted and problems and possibilities are discussed in this regard.

Does principals’ gender matter in their leadership performance and leadership style the case in governmental primary schools of Addis Ababa

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to compare the leadership performance and leadership style of male and female principals in Addis Ababa governmental primary schools. A QUAN-qual research approach with a causal-comparative design was employed. 29 schools led by male principals and 29 schools led by female principals were randomly selected. From these schools, 919 teachers and 113 vice-principals were randomly selected to rate-their principals’ leadership performance and leadership style. Besides, 5 Woreda Education Office Heads were purposely selected as key informants. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis. The study revealed that female principals significantly show superior performance than their male counterparts in four of the five major tasks of principals. No statistically significant difference was observed between the leadership styles that male and female principals dominantly used. However, the democratic leadership style was the most commonly used leadership style by principals.

The Effect of Job Satisfaction and Motivation on the Organizational Commitment

This study determined the effect of job satisfaction and motivation on the organizational commitment of school principals in Palembang City. The research sample is 90 respondents. The technique of data collection in this research is to use a questionnaire and documentation technique. The results showed that the organizational commitment of the director is an important factor because; 1) the principal is the spearhead for the success of basic education management, without a strong organizational commitment, the principal will not properly perform his duties according to his responsibilities so the primary school goals will be difficult to achieve; 2) the organizational commitment of the director is a high level of trust in the organization, individuals who trust the organization will certainly be loyal and actively participate in their organization; 3) the organizational commitment of the current director is one last thing that cannot be improved because as an individual human being, the director will always grow and change according to the demands of the stakeholders. Therefore, primary school principals can improve themselves by increasing their organizational commitment to achieve organizational expectations and goals. In addition to this, this commitment affects job satisfaction and motivation for both yourself and the environment around you, of course, with greater satisfaction, job motivation can be seen from the organizational commitment of the director, which will have a good or positive impact on the world, of education. Therefore, based on the results of the study, there was a significant influence between job satisfaction and motivation in the organizational commitment of the principal of public primary schools in the city of Palembang.

Instructional Leadership Role of Primary School Principals in Sri Lanka

This study explores the instructional leadership (IL) role of primary school principals in Sri Lanka. The purpose of this study was to examine the practices of primary school principal’s role as instructional leader. The main research questions of the study were to find out what roles principal’s play as instructional leader in primary schools; Identify how primary school principal fulfill his/her instructional leadership role? And which activities do principals as instructional leaders engage in promoting the education of students and upgrading the pedagogy of teachers in primary schools. The multiple case study method was used in the current study. Accordingly, Semi-structured interview, focus group discussion, observation and document analyses were used as data collecting tools. As the study sample four principals, and four teachers were selected using purposive sampling for interviews. The study found that all principals in the sample experienced in implementing instructional leadership roles. Also, the study shows that the traditional role of principals as school leaders has been changed to instructional leaders. All the primary school principals mentioned that they implement innovative methodologies to overcome challenges that they face when implementing instructional leadership roles in their schools. Also the study found that a significsnt attention was paid on instructional supervision, giving feedback on instruction, provision of instructional materials and incentives for teaching and learning and protection of instructional time by primary schools principals as instructional leaders. The study further revealed that the opportunities available for primary school principals to acquire leadership training at an appropriate stage in their career are limited. It was further revelaed that Irrespective of education Zone the management of curriculum and instructional programs is a shared responsibility of principals and teachers in schools. However, principals should engage in all the roles related to instructional leadership in order to promote effective teaching and learning and thereby transform the school as an organisation into an environment where teachers and students reach their full potential. Therefore it is recommended that the primary school principals need to be trained in school management and leadership in order to be further competent as instructional leaders in primary schools in Sri Lanka.

Critical Competencies among Teachers and Principals of Primary Schools from Poland and the Czech Republic

Introduction. The article concerns research conducted among teachers and principals of primary schools in Poland and the Czech Republic as part of a project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the State budget, We Cross the Borders. The Key Competencies in Teaching and Education project was implemented under the recruitment of the Praděd Microprojects Fund, Priority axis number: 11.4, priority axis name: Cooperation of institutions and communities. Aim. The theoretical and cognitive aim of the research was to diagnose the competencies of teachers and principals in critical thinking. The practical-implementation objective of the research was to develop practical recommendations that may be included in the education programs of future teachers and principals. Methods. The research used the method of a diagnostic survey and the questionnaire technique. Data analysis was performed with the use of STATISTICA software. Results. The research results showed differences between the behaviour of teachers and principals in such matters as contact with parents, following the headmaster’s instructions, using innovative teaching methods and self-confidence in everyday work-related situations. The results show statistically significant differences in their declarations of behaviour in a particular situation. From the research, it can be concluded that principals are more interested than teachers in solving any difficult situation to resolve the conflict rather than focusing primarily on the consequences of the situation.

THE DEGREE OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT PRACTICE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS WITHIN THE GREEN LINE IN LIGHT OF THE CORONA PANDEMIC: DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS

The study aims to identify the levels of crisis management among primary school principals inside the Green Line in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of principals and teachers by using mixed research, descriptive survey method and conducted interviews. The study sample consisted of (374) principals and teachers in primary schools, selected randomly and then interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of (17) teachers and principals experts. The results revealed a large degree in the crisis management process, and statistically significant differences attributed to job title variables in favor of the "principals" group, educational qualification in favor of the "bachelor degree" group, and years of experience in favor of the "less than 5 years" group. It featured a series of development proposals on crisis management, including four crisis management hubs (technical skills, cognitive skills, self-skills and humanitarian skills), The proposals highlighted the strengthening of managerial agility during crisis management among primary school principals.

Identification of Strategies, Contexts, and Intervening Factors for Developing Coaching Leadership for Primary School Principals in Tehran

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to identify the strategies, contexts, and intervening factors that influence the development of coaching leadership for primary school principals in Tehran. Methodology: This qualitative research utilized a content analysis approach, applying thematic analysis to interview data collected from 16 experts in the field of education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using MaxQDA-V2020 software. The study involved purposive non-random sampling, with participants selected based on their extensive experience and knowledge of educational leadership. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes, which were organized into six dimensions. Findings: The study identified several critical factors influencing coaching leadership. Causal conditions included influence, creativity, responsibility, and cooperation, which directly impact the central phenomenon of coaching leadership. Strategies for enhancing leadership were categorized into professional growth, networking, and organizational support. Contextual factors were divided into general societal context, specialized context, and developmental perspective. Environmental conditions highlighted the importance of managers' self-management skills, their ability to manage others, and their effectiveness within the organizational environment. The outcomes of effective coaching leadership included the creation of respect, mutual trust, and inspirational leadership. Conclusion: The research provides a structured model for developing coaching leadership in primary school principals, emphasizing the importance of tailored strategies and supportive environments. By addressing these factors, educational institutions can foster more effective leadership, ultimately enhancing the quality of education and improving student outcomes.

Online Assessment of Primary Students’ Cognitive, Psychomotor, and Affective Domains: Practices from Urban and Rural Primary Schools in Indonesia

This study intends to describe assessment strategies for young students’ online learning. The participants in this descriptive qualitative study were 15 primary school principals and 35 teachers teaching Years 4 and 5 in urban and rural schools on the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province, who volunteered their participation after undergoing comparable procedures. Using operational concepts of assessment of learning for online learning, class observation, and interview were organized. The content and structure validity of the measures were evaluated in accordance with the developmental periods of young learners. The findings showed that the teachers assessed the primary students’ cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains interactively during the online class meetings, in their portfolio, and through attitude direct observation. Several assessment strategies were advocated to circumvent the shortcomings of online learning. A criterion-referenced evaluation was used to conduct the analysis. The theoretical implications of the findings suggest that the various assessment procedures adopted have decreased the negative washback of online exams; however, further research is required to determine the consistency of the outcomes of online tests with other types of evaluation.

Trend Media Sosial dalam Pendidikan Islam; Analisis tentang Model Pemanfaatannya

This study aims to analyze trends in the use of social media in Islamic education with a focus on three things: the types, benefits and models of using social media in Islamic religious education lessons. This research was conducted at Ibtidaiyah Madrasa Muhammadiyah Kenteng, which uses social media to support its daily learning. The two focus studies above were examined using qualitative research methods with a phenomenological approach. The research informants consisted of teachers as primary informants and school principals, parents and students as secondary informants. Data collection techniques using observation, interviews and documentation studies. The study results revealed that the types of social media users were Facebook, whats app, Instagram, and youtube. Facebook functions for friendship networks, then the whats app for group communication, then Instagram for sharing information, and YouTube for sharing learning videos. The benefit is as a medium to disseminate Islamic studies to students. The usage model is sharing information, assignments, references, and networking.

Ortaokul Müdürlerinin Stratejik Liderlikleri ve Kriz Yönetimi Becerileri

Bu araştırmanın amacı, öğretmenlerin algılarına göre ortaokul müdürlerinin stratejik liderlikleri ve kriz yönetimi becerilerini tespit etmek ve aralarında anlamlı bir ilişkinin olup olmadığı belirlemektir. Araştırmanın evrenini 2020-2021 eğitim öğretim yılında İzmir ili Buca ilçesindeki toplam 27 resmi ortaokul ve bu okullarda çalışmakta olan 1430 öğretmen oluşturmuştur. Bu çalışmada, uygun/ kazara örnekleme yönteminden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini 313 öğretmen oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada “Stratejik Liderlik Ölçeği” ve “İlköğretim Okulu Müdürlerinin Kriz Yönetim Becerileri Ölçeği” olmak üzere iki ölçek kullanılmıştır. Öğretmenlerin demografik özelliklerine (cinsiyet, medeni durum, yaş, hizmet yılı, eğitim düzeyi, branş) ek olarak kullanılan ölçeklerden biri “Stratejik Liderlik Ölçeği” 35 maddeden oluşmaktadır, diğeri “İlköğretim Okulu Müdürlerinin Kriz Yönetim Becerileri Ölçeği” 31 maddeden oluşmaktadır. Araştırma bulguları sonucunda, okul müdürlerinin stratejik liderlik ve kriz yönetimi becerilerine ilişkin algıları olumlu görülmüştür. Stratejik liderlik ve kriz yönetimi becerileri alt boyutları arasında anlamlı, pozitif ilişkiler belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca okul müdürlerinin stratejik liderlikleri, kriz yönetimi becerilerini anlamlı şekilde yordamaktadır.

Children's education and parental support in Jewi Refugee Camp, Ethiopia: Unraveling the challenges

AbstractObjectiveIn this study, we examined the situation of parents and caregivers of the refugee children in Jewi refugee camp with the aim of understanding the roles they play in the education of the children.BackgroundEffective educational interventions benefit from parental engagement. This may be particularly the case for refugee children, who typically have had several traumatic experiences during the departure from their home country, while traveling to safer places, and then on arrival to a refugee camp.MethodsA qualitative single case study approach was used to investigate this issue. Refugee primary school students, teachers, school principals, parents, and camp administrators were used as data sources. Individual and group interviews, observation, and document analysis were used to collect the data. Interpretive and narrative approaches were used for data analysis.ResultThe results of the study indicate that parental support for the learning of refugee children was low. The effort schools make to help parents, who themselves have experienced traumatic situations, engage in their children's education was found to be equally low.ConclusionThere was a low level of awareness regarding the value of education, mainly because individuals had endured long periods of war in South Sudan, during which education was devalued and the educational infrastructure was devastated. Lack of awareness on children's right to education is expressed in failure to treat adopted children as equal to biological children. As a result, in this study, parents' engagement in the education of children was low.ImplicationThere is a need to maximize local and international support to refugees to fulfill the basic needs of refugee children and their caregivers. Schools in refugee camps are responsible not only for providing education to students; their work should extend to providing supportive services to parents/guardians in their parenting practices at home. In addition, there should be continued effort to reunite children who are separated from their parents; implement comprehensive parenting strategies; and develop parent education programs.

Okul Müdürlerinin Okul Yönetiminde Karşılaştıkları Yönetsel Sorunların Araştırılması

The aim of this study is to determine the management problems faced by primary school principals and to develop solutions to the problems encountered in school management as a result of the findings. The research is a qualitative research with a phenomenological pattern in terms of the techniques used in data collection. The study group of the research consists of school principals working in public schools in Arnavutköy district of Istanbul province under the Ministry of National Education in the 2020-2021 academic year. Maximum variation sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods, was used to collect data from the study group. An interview form was used as a data collection tool and 28 school principals were interviewed. Codings were created according to the similarity of the answers given in the interview. School administrators were given a code and their views on the problems they encountered were included. The data were analyzed by determining the themes and sub-themes and the results were interpreted. According to the results of the research, school principals face many problems in school management. Inadequacy of auxiliary personnel in schools, inadequacy of course materials, problems experienced in student enrollment and continuation, not being able to support schools economically, not being able to allocate time for education due to physical deficiencies are the most common problems Key Words: School Principal, School Management, Administrative Problems

“Underprepared” Principals Leading Curriculum Reform in Lesotho

This qualitative study explores the views of six Lesotho primary school principals regarding the in-service training they received to implement the integrated curriculum. Purposive sampling was used to select participants who met the inclusion criteria in Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho. A document analysis of the integrated curriculum was conducted, and open-ended interviews were audio-taped, coded, and analysed using the thematic interpretive approach. Findings show that the participants were partially trained to lead the implementation of the new integrated curriculum. The participants reported that their training was shorter compared to that of the teachers. Furthermore, teachers were trained before the principals, compelling the principals to rely on the teachers for implementation information and strategies. The unique finding emerging from the current study is that principals in Lesotho had to learn the dynamics of implementing the new integrated curriculum from the teachers they were supervising. We conclude that having insufficient knowledge about curriculum reform disempowers school principals and holds potential threats to the implementation of new curriculum initiatives, not only in Lesotho but in many other centralised education systems. We recommend that policy reformers and curriculum supervisory authorities should adopt a renewed approach to empower principals with appropriate curriculum reform leadership skills.

Аспекти на професионално-практическото обучение на бъдещи начални учители. Проучване чрез метода интервю

The main goal of the article is to study the current state of the organization, implementation, and quality of the practical vocational training of future primary teachers. For this purpose, it presents the opinions and assessment of students studying for the profession of primary teacher in various full-time and part-time Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in pedagogy, of young primary teachers with no more than three years of experience, as well as of primary school principals. The article analyzes the results of a research conducted using the interview method, and it proposes summaries, conclusions, and recommendations regarding the overall organization and optimization of the practical vocational training of students.

Impact of the Preliminary Education Policy on North Central Region of Nigeria Primary School System

The study was carried out to investigate the impact of the preliminary education policy on the primary school system of the North Central region of Nigeria. The study aimed to advance the understanding of the perceived impact of preliminary education policy implementation on the primary school system. The research question focused on the perception of key stakeholders’ that could improve the full participation and facilitate the establishment of more quality primary schools in the region. A case study was employed with a purposeful sample of 16 semi-structured interviews which included combination of parents or guardians, preschool heads, primary school principals, and officials from the region. Themes were extracted through descriptive coding regarding the preschool education policy’s perceived strengths and opportunities for improvement from collected data transcripts. The emergent themes from the study included equality and social justice, education for all, and school readiness for next level. The results point to the need for collaboration and active participation of all key stakeholders towards effective preliminary education policy implementation.

Self-control and its relationship to some personality traits of primary school principals.

هدفت الدراسة الى التعرف على علاقة التحكم الذاتي ببعض سمات الشخصية لدى مديري المدارس الابتدائية في بغداد للعام الدراسي 2015- 2016 شملت عينة البحث (125) مديراً ومديرة واستعمل الباحث مقياس التحكم الذاتي الذي اعده (شلال 2011) بعد استخراج صدقة وثباته . وكذلك اعتمد الباحث مقياس سمات الشخصية لريموند كاتل . وقد اختار الباحث اربعة سمات منهما و بعد معالجة البيانات باستخدام الوسائل الاحصائية توصل الى النتائج الاتية :- ان افراد عينة البحث من المديرين والمديرات يتمتعون بمستوى جيد من التحكم الذاتي. لم يكن لمتغير النوع (ذكور - اناث) تأثير في احداث الفروق في مجال التحكم الذاتي لدى المديرين والمديرات يتمتع المديرون والمديرات بمستوى جيد في سمه قوة الانا الاعلى وسمة التحرر . بينما كان مستوى امتلاكهم لسمة الشك وسمة شدة التوتر الدافعي ضعيفاً . لم يكن لمتغير النوع (ذكور - اناث) تأثير على احداث الفروق في بعض سمات الشخصية لدى المديرين والمديرات . هناك علاقة ارتباطية موجبة وقوية بين التحكم الذاتي وبين سمتتي (قوة الانا الا على، التحرر) وعلاقة ارتباطية سالبة بين التحكم الذاتي وسمتي (الشك ، وشدة التوتر الدافعي) .

THE DEGREE OF FLEXIBILITY PRACTICE IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS WITHIN THE GREEN LINE

The aim of the study was to reveal the degree of flexibility in educational leadership in primary schools inside the Green Line from the perspective of teachers and principals. The study used the descriptive approach. To achieve the objective of the study, one resolution was applied, measuring flexibility in leadership, to establish the level of practice of flexibility in leadership. The study sample consisted of (374) teachers and principals. The results revealed a significant degree of leadership flexibility among primary school principals within the green line, and statistically significant differences in leadership flexibility due to job title variables in favor of the “principals” group, educational qualification in favor of the “higher studies” group, and years of experience in favor of the “less than 5 years” group Recommendations have been written by the researcher, most notably the need to take into account the individual differences between teachers, and take into account the teachers' gradation with change and reform.. Key words: Leadership Flexibility, Primary Schools, Within The Green Line

Administrative stressors and psychological and physiological symptoms among novice primary school principals

<span lang="EN-US">This study was conducted to identify whether the administrative workloads led to the stress level among novice principals in their new schools. In addition, we also explore whether the principals are experiencing the psychological and psychological symptoms from their stress issue. The data collection consisted of two major phases. In the first phase, questionnaires were administered to 70 novice primary principals who were just being appointed at their new schools. It was followed by three sessions of interviews with purposely selected 10 novice primary principals as the second phase. From the quantitative data analysis, primary principals perceived their schools’ administrative stress caused them a moderate stress level from their heavy administrative workloads. However, principals reported having psychological and physiological symptoms from the quantitative findings and interview sessions.</span>