Primary School Principals Research Articles

Transformational Leadership Style of Principals in Primary Schools

The purpose of this study aims to analyze the transformational leadership style applied by the Principal, in elementary schools in Sukalarang District, Sukabumi Regency, West Java. Leadership Style is focused on charismatic leadership, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration. The data collection technique is carried out through observation, interviews, and documentation. The research location focused on Sukalarang District, Sukabumi Regency, West Java. The informants in this study were school principals, teachers, and education staff as many as 15 people. Data analysis is carried out by selecting answers obtained from informants and then collected for analysis and conclusions. The data analysis used is data triangulation. The results of the study were obtained, 1) charismatic leadership from the principal, namely every democratic decision-making with educators, and the principal as an actor in carrying out transformational leadership takes a deliberation approach (open management) to make a decision. 2) Inspirational motivation from the principal is shown by Building the will to achieve achievements and planting building a positive organizational culture and organizational climate without discrimination. 3) Intellectual stimulation including the principal creates a positive work culture by strengthening human relations between educators formed through teamwork skills, communication, and the same view on the vision and mission. 4) individual consideration, namely the principal's concern in developing the character and performance of educators through various pieces of training such as independent curriculum training, scientific papers, Teacher Professional Education, and independent teaching Platform (PMM), as well as the Principal gave appreciation to educators for their achievements.

Examining the Leadership Behaviors of Primary School Principals: A Phenomenological Study

Examining the Leadership Behaviors of Primary School Principals: A Phenomenological Study

Relationships among school principals' work values, organisational climate and organisational adaptation: Taiwan's 2018 TALIS data

PurposeThe educational environment in Taiwan's primary and secondary schools is becoming increasingly diverse and complex. This study examined the relationship between primary and secondary school principals' working values, organisational climate and organisational adaptation.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from the third Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), which targeted 401 principals in Taiwan's primary and secondary schools, conducted in 2018 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCED). In this study, a structural equation model was constructed.FindingsThe results indicated that primary and secondary school principals generally had positive work values, and their schools' organisational climate and adaptation were positive. In addition, the work values, organisational climate and organisational adaptation models showed good fit for a variety of potential variables. Furthermore, the organisational climate had a mediating effect that strengthened the principals' work values and was a major factor in enhancing organisational adaptation. The results suggest that in addition to principals' positive work values, fostering a cooperative organisational climate—such as the perceived level of support from supervisors and the environment—is essential to enhance schools' organisational adaptation.Originality/valueThe principal's work value has a profound impact on the creation of a school's organisational atmosphere, the cohesion of members' consensus and the organisation's contingency decision-making in response to the external environment. This study adduces more diverse recommendations for the development of school affairs.

Leadership practices of school principals: the case of the multicultural city of Melilla, Spain

ABSTRACT Increasingly, school principals face unique challenges to improve the educational quality of their schools. Given the vital role of educational leaders in this process, this study presents the case of a city with distinctive features due to its geographical location bordering Africa and Europe: Melilla, Spain. Based on a literature review and in-depth interviews with primary and secondary school principals, this study analyses the initial and continuing training, requirements, and procedures to become a school principal, as well as the motivations, skills, and knowledge required of educational leaders in principalship positions. The results reveal that the training school principals receive in educational leadership is often scarce and not very useful for addressing the realities they encounter in their schools. In addition, the interviewees highlight the multitude of administrative tasks they are required to perform, which often precludes them from engaging in pedagogical practices and exercising educational leadership.

Questions of Power in the Governance of Primary and Secondary Schools in China—An Analysis of In-Depth Interviews with More Than 50 Education Administrators and Principals of Primary and Secondary Schools

Given the fact that school governance entails reorganizing power, changing organizational structures, and reconstructing education methods in contemporary Chinese primary and secondary schools, this study reviewed the relevant literature and conducted a semi-structured in-depth survey of more than 50 education administrators and primary and secondary school principals from across the country. The survey identified prominent issues related to governance and power, including government overreach and misalignment, supervision systems and mechanisms, school autonomy, and the independence of third-party social organizations. The implementation of governance in Chinese primary and secondary schools requires not only the government, schools, and intermediary social organizations to form the necessary linking mechanisms in accordance with the law, but the school itself needs to step up reforms to separate powers, promote the standardization and democratization of the school’s internal governance, and finally to achieve the fundamental goal of improving the quality of education to nurture talent.

Educational Management to Promote Inclusive Environments in Costa Rica: An Analysis from an Educational Policy Perspective

The educational management implemented by principals is essential to guarantee compliance with educational policies, which are not only an obligation but a conviction in schools wanting to promote inclusive environments and respect for diversity, multiculturalism, comprehensive training, teamwork, creative capacity, abstract thinking, and social entrepreneurship through equitable and accessible coexistence spaces. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the fulfillment of the educational policy on inclusive education from the perspective of educational management. The research implemented a qualitative approach, with the participation of six primary school principals in Costa Rica and used the case study technique through a semi-structured interview. The findings show the existence of situations limiting the application of educational policies, mainly in the promotion of inclusive environments oriented to prejudice-free coexistence respecting diversity, as well as in issues of lifelong learning and institutional transformation as part of the orientations of the country’s public policy in education.

Participation of parents in the remote teaching process – revealed problems and valuable innovation in the opinion of school principals in the Wielkopolska region (Poland)

The findings presented in this paper are part of the comprehensive research carried out within the “Diversification of Social Attitudes in the Sphere of Educational Services during a Pandemic” project. This study examines the challenges that emerged during remote learning, focusing on parents’ involvement in their children’s learning process, as perceived by school principals. The conclusions are based on questionnaire interviews with principals of 36 randomly selected schools throughout the Wielkopolska region (Poland). The study spanned the second semester of the 2019/2020 school year and the first semester of 2020/2021. Several issues were identified in the interviews, including communication difficulties with students, lack of skills of teachers and students to work remotely, insufficient IT infrastructure at school and home, financial deficits impeding the purchase of new equipment, and a decline in students’ mental health. These problems were primarily related to the family (home) situation of students and the participation of parents in solving these problems. No significant spatial differences were identified with respect to the opinions of school principals from different poviats of the Wielkopolska region. However, differences in opinions were observed depending on the level of the school. A distinctive issue raised mainly by primary school principals was the participation of parents in lessons and their tendency to complete tasks or even write tests for children, as well as the frequent baseless excuses for absences and unfinished tasks. In contrast, principals from both general and vocational secondary schools generally agreed that parental assistance was marginal.

Mātauranga Māori and Kai in Schools: An Exploration of Traditional Māori Knowledge and Food in Five Primary Schools in Regional New Zealand

Māori (Indigenous people of New Zealand (NZ)) suffer food insecurity disproportionately in New Zealand. Some research suggests that Māori value mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) when it comes to the collection, preparation and eating of kai (food). This study explores the connections between mātauranga Māori and kai in regional NZ schools for potential pathways to impact food security for children. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with five primary school principals in the Hawke’s Bay region. Principals were purposively selected on commitments to proactively incorporating mātauranga Māori into their school environment. Reflective thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Three main themes were identified: teaching and learning around mātauranga Māori and kai; environmental sustainability and the sustainability of kai initiatives; and school values. A strong emphasis was placed on the learning of traditional Māori values around kai and the whenua (land) and the sustainability of teaching programs. School values were invariably bound in Te Ao Māori (a Māori worldview) however, schools felt challenged in aligning their values and their mātauranga Māori-bound teaching practices with the current food provision programme in their schools (Ka Ora, Ka Ako). The programme’s strict nutritional guidelines appeared to challenge traditional Māori approaches to kai. Schools remain an ideal environment for the incorporation of mātauranga Māori to support food security and food education, and future work should explore a demonstration project that incorporates the knowledge gained in this study and ways to integrate mātauranga Māori into Ka Ora, Ka Ako.

KEPEMIMPINAN KEPALA SEKOLAH PEREMPUAN DI SEKOLAH DASAR

This study aims to determine the leadership style of the principal of a female elementary school at Public Elementary School 1 Paya Bujok Tunong, Langsa City, Aceh. This research was conducted using phenomenological and qualitative methods. The result of this study is that female elementary school principals have the ability to improve the quality of education significantly. Principals of female primary schools usually focus on teacher morale, mastery of technical skills, and high responsibility for the school organization. Women also have a good sense of control because they are detailed. The success of a woman as a leader is influenced by several factors. Dominant factors that influence women`s leadership, namely: mother (mother), seductress (attention sucker), pet (beloved child), and iron maiden (strong woman).

Mundane Circular Economy Policy: Peta Kebijakan dan Kriteria Sekolah Sirkular di Level Pendidikan Dasar

This research introduces the concept of "Mundane Circular Economy Policy" (MCEP) in the study of International Political Economy (IPE) and explains how this paper relates to broader IR issues such as sustainability, global economic dynamics, and global education policies. The research methodology employed is Multi Criteria Mapping, which analyzes complex and uncertain issues like Circular Schools. Through the participation of 22 primary school principals in Central Java, three outputs were generated from this research: (1) a map of circular school policies, highlighting 58 policy initiatives that implement the 5R principles (Reduce, Rethink, Reuse, Repair, Recycle); (2) a map of assessment criteria for circular policies; and (3) a mapping of optimism and pessimism in implementing the 5R principles in circular schools. These outputs have significant implications within the context of IPE, as they demonstrate how schools can act as agents in creating economically and politically sustainable environments.

Occupational stress of elementary school teachers after eased COVID-19 restrictions: a qualitative study from China.

On December 7, 2022, China optimized its virus response and significantly shifted its epidemic policy by downgrading COVID management and gradually restoring offline teaching in schools. This shift has brought many impacts on teachers. Through qualitative research of thematic analysis, this paper studies the occupational pressure of primary school teachers in China after the shift in epidemic policy. Two recruitment methods are adopted for this study. One was to email the principals of several primary schools in Zhejiang Province to introduce the research project and indicate the idea of recruiting participants. With their help, we have found teachers who volunteer to participate. The second was to release recruitment information in the network forum (e.g., online teacher forums) to find volunteer participants. Through semi-structured interviews and diaries, 18 primary school teachers from different regions and schools in Zhejiang Province were interviewed. All responses in the interviews were transcribed anonymously. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis was used to analyze the participants' responses. Eighteen participants took part in the research project. Forty-five final codes, generated from 89 codes initially obtained from the dataset, are classified into five final themes: uncertainty, overburdened, neglected, worry about students, and influence, which reflect the professional stress of primary school teachers following the epidemic prevention policies relaxed. Five themes were identified in the research. The problems described by the participants include burdensome offline activities, being disturbed out of hours, and appearing understaffed for the infection. These problems harmed the participants' mental health, including anxiety, fatigue, stress, and other adverse psychological conditions. Awareness and attention to the psychological situation of primary school teachers after the eased COVID control are crucial. We believe protecting teachers' mental health is necessary, especially in this particular period.

Analysis on the Influencing Factors of Informatization Leadership of Rural Primary and Secondary School Principals in Hebei Province, China

Analysis on the Influencing Factors of Informatization Leadership of Rural Primary and Secondary School Principals in Hebei Province, China

The Effects of Cognitive Fusion on Depression in Primary School Principals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Psychological Vulnerability and the Moderating Role of Self-Esteem.

The COVID-19 pandemic had triggered a serious crisis that had brought stress and challenges to primary school principals, as well as having a dramatic impact on their mental health. This study explored the relationship between cognitive fusion and depression among primary school principals during COVID-19, as well as the mediating role of psychological vulnerability and the moderation role of self-esteem in this process. Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), psychological vulnerability scale, and self-esteem scale were used to measure 279 rural primary school principals. The data were analyzed by adopting Pearson's correlations and moderated mediation analysis. The results revealed that: (1) There were significant relationships among cognitive fusion, depression, psychological vulnerability and self-esteem. (2) The results showed that psychological vulnerability mediated the link between cognitive fusion and depression. (3) Self-esteem moderated the associations between cognitive fusion and depression, and also moderated the associations between cognitive fusion and psychological vulnerability. The relationship between cognitive fusion and depression was weaker for primary school principals with high levels of self-esteem. In contrast, the relationship between cognitive fusion and psychological vulnerability was stronger for primary school principals with low levels of self-esteem. Psychological vulnerability played a mediating role in the relationship between cognitive fusion and depression. Moreover, self-esteem moderated the effect of cognitive fusion on depression, and also the effect of cognitive fusion on psychological vulnerability.

Anti-Bullying Strategy towards Parents: A Comparative Analysis between Principals of Experimental and Non-Experimental Primary Schools in Greece

School bullying is a type of bullying that occurs in an educational setting. In the present study, we examine the differences in strategy towards parents followed by principals of public experimental and non-experimental primary schools in Greece in their effort to deal with bullying regarding issues related to the proper treatment of the phenomenon. A sample of 11 school principals was the focus of this research. In particular, the population examined were the principals of the three public experimental primary schools of the prefecture of Thessaloniki and eight randomly selected principals of non-experimental public primary schools of the same prefecture. In the prefecture of Thessaloniki, the problem of bullying seems to exist and concern to a great extent the principals of primary education who constitute the sample of this research and pursue their strategy to find appropriate solutions for its immediate and effective coping. At the same time, these principals follow, to a significant degree, common practices in dealing with the phenomenon in their effort to reduce it or even eliminate it, revealing however significant shortcomings on their part.

Intellectual Efficiency of Primary School Principals in the North within the Green Line and its Relationship to Emotional Intelligence

The study aimed to identify the relationship between intellectual efficiency and emotional intelligence among primary school principals in the North within the Green Line from teachers' point of view. The study sample consisted of (460) primary school teachers. To achieve the study objectives, descriptive survey methodology was used. The results showed that the level of intellectual efficiency among primary school principals was high from teachers' point of view, while emotional intelligence was moderate. The results revealed statistically significant differences in intellectual efficiency level among primary school principals due to qualification, in favor of Bachelor degree, while there were no statistically significant differences due to gender and experience. Also the results revealed statistically significant differences in emotional intelligence level among primary school principals due to qualification, in favor of Bachelor degree, while there were no statistically significant differences due to gender and experience. It was found that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between intellectual efficiency and emotional intelligence among primary school principals from teachers' point of view.

Principals’ and Teachers’ Comprehension of School Performance Feedback Reports. Exploring Misconceptions from a User Validity Perspective

School performance feedback can be a tool for school improvement. However, when educational professionals do not comprehend the data they are provided with, they will not arrive at valid inferences and correct diagnoses. We interviewed 23 Flemish primary school teachers and principals, asking them to explain authentic feedback from a national assessment. Framework analysis of think-aloud data reveals that participants’ comprehension of typical concepts is clouded by a range of misconceptions. We observed that that visual, verbal and mathematical building blocks in the report can become stumbling blocks. Moreover, misconceptions can be attributed to a certain extent to disconnects between feedback providers’ and feedback users’ frames of reference. These findings have important implications for data providers, considering they have a responsibility to cater to the interpretability of the data they provide.

A Review of Resilience Leadership in Challenging Circumstances: A Case Study of Malaysia Primary School Head Teachers

Educational leaders were faced with the combined difficulty of handling noticeable improvements outside their organisations and all across the ministry of learning plan and execution in addition to reacting to unprecedented requires the social. Education in Malaysia saw an unusual rate and degree of change over some few fortnight in March 2020, trying to equate earlier worldwide trends. The outbreak made it the more crucial to act quickly in the field of education. The syllabus has already been altered, facial expression instruction is in jeopardy, and the public primary school test has already been delayed. Effective school administration is the responsibility of school administrators, especially in basic schools. There were many decisions that needed to be made, conveyed, carried out, and evaluated, all of which called for resilience. Throughout this study, we provide a number of important resilience elements and lessons discovered from the head teachers' perspectives as educational leaders in Malaysian primary schools, both in the now and in the years to come. We depend on the knowledge of six principals of Malaysian public primary schools. Resilient leaders must meet stringent standards in primary schools. The standards are broken down into leadership categories where school leaders' social skills and compassion more towards the school community, parents, and stakeholders should be handled. People as educational leaders gained a fresh appreciation of the resiliency and ingenuity of teachers and elementary school students as a consequence of the ramifications of these responses. In order to prepare for an exceptional event that may emerge in the modern day, we provide illustrations of these classes and topics, as well as suggestions for how to operate the school mostly in "new baseline" of dealing with COVID-19 and help overcome.

The Importance of School Principals’ Values towards the Inclusive Education of Disabled Students: Associations between Their Values and Knowledge, Beliefs, Attitudes and Practices

The current paper presents part of a broader, large-scale study regarding inclusive education and educational leadership in Greece that highlights the decisive role that school principals’ values play into shaping inclusive education. Its proposed theoretical model, based on extensive bibliographical research, explores the relationships between values, and knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and practices regarding the education of disabled students, highlighting that school principals’ values influence their beliefs and attitudes, and by extension their inclusive practices. Thus, the current paper presents a large-scale research on the proposed theoretical model with a representative sample of Greek primary and secondary education school principals. The data were collected with a composite questionnaire adapted and validated for the Greek context, which was electronically administered to a sample of 582 school principals from 334 primary and 248 secondary schools. The results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis and a pathway analysis were interpreted based on the strength and direction of the relationships between the examined variables, as well as their significance. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that school principals’ knowledge and beliefs regarding the education of disabled students, and to a lesser extent their values, predicted whether school principals implement practices regarding the education of said students in their school units. However, school principals’ values were indeed the strongest predictive factor for their attitudes towards the education of disabled students and along with their knowledge, play a catalytic role in shaping their beliefs, attitudes and by extension, their practices regarding the education of disabled students. The pathway analysis confirmed the schematic representation of the regression relationships between the examined variables which showed that the theoretical model captures the predictive relationships among the variables, identifies potential causal pathways and showcases their decisive role in inclusive educational leadership. In short, the theoretical model demonstrates a very good fit to the research data coming in agreement with the results from both statistical analyses. Thus, it outlines a consistent and coherent outcome, which highlights multiple relationships between the variables, but primarily the multilayered effect of values in the case of inclusive educational leadership.

OPINIONS OF SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ON SUPERVISION

The purpose of this research; In the 2021-2022 academic year, based on the opinions of the principals working in primary, secondary and high schools in the city center of Tokat, it is aimed to reveal whether the principals have the necessary knowledge and skills for inspection, the problems they encounter in inspection, and the positive and negative aspects of inspection. The data used in the research were collected from a total of 18 people, including 6 primary school principals, 6 secondary school principals and 6 high school principals, selected according to the maximum diversity sampling, working in the central primary, secondary and high school in Tokat province. The data collected with the standardized open-ended interview form developed by the researcher were analyzed and interpreted using the content analysis approach, one of the qualitative data analysis approaches. According to the results of the research, most of the participants argued that it is a correct practice to carry out the supervision by the school principals. The participants stated that the supervision by the school principals puts pressure on the teachers and students, and the teacher-principal relations are negatively affected. It has been concluded that the positive aspects of supervision by school principals are that teachers keep themselves up-to-date on the program and content and contribute positively to their professional development. It was emphasized that the negative aspects of supervision by school principals would damage the developed relations between the supervisor and the supervisor. This situation also emphasized the damage to the institutional balance and school culture, and the psychological pressures that the supervision itself will create on teachers.

Kompetencije školskih ravnatelja

In the Republic of Croatia, being the principal of an educational institution is no longer just a function but a profession. Since 2021, the obligations and rights of principals of educational institutions derive from legal regulations, while the competencies of principals have been determined by the standard of occupation and the standard of qualification. This paper, on the basis of the Qualification and Occupational Standard - Principal of an Educational Institution, which determined the competencies of school principals of educational institutions, sought to determine the level of competencies of principals acquired through formal teacher education. Formal teacher education implies the acquisition of competencies for work in educational institutions. These competencies are acquired in the Republic of Croatia through teaching courses in graduate university studies. The survey method was used on 200 participants, primary and secondary school principals in the Republic of Croatia, to assess the level of acquired competencies, i.e., knowledge and skills, during such education that are applicable in the duties of principals. The surveyed principals expressed satisfaction with the competencies acquired in formal teacher education, especially those competencies that refer to the organizational management of the educational process and cooperation with parents and the external environment. However, the research identified groups of competencies that principals assess as insufficient. The obtained results indicate the need to implement additional training programs for principals that would enable them to acquire knowledge and skills that they have not acquired through formal education, that are crucial for the management of an educational institution.