Views Of School Principals Research Articles

School Principals’ Views on Classroom Inspection

School principals were charged with classroom supervision which had been in the supervisors’ area of responsibility by the regulations effectuated in 2014. The aim of this study was to find out the views of school principals on classroom supervision based on the amendment of regulations. The research was conducted by a qualitative design and phenomenological method was used. Study group of the research was school principals working in the districts of Battalgazi and Yeşilyurt in Malatya, Türkiye in the academic year of 2019-2020. The semi-structured interview guide, which was designed by the researchers, was used as the data collection tool after the expert opinions were obtained and corrections were made on it. 15 school principals, who were chosen by convenience sampling, were interviewed. Interviews were recorded based on the approval of participants. Code names were given to all participants as M1, M2, M3, … Qualitative data gathered from the participants during the interviews were analyzed by content analysis. First, the researcher coded the data separately. After that, both the researcher and another field member coded the data synchronically and reached a consensus. New codes were created where divergence appeared. It can be stated that school principals have positive views on being charged with classroom supervision. In fact, school principals state that they are not troubled with their supervision duty on teachers, but supervisors should also take part in the supervision process in order to make the process more effective and active.

Examining the Relationship between Participation and Academic Emphasis Based on the Views of School Principals

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between participation and academic emphasis in schools based on the views of school principals. The research group consisted of 828 Turkish school principals who participated in the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey. Within the scope of the research, the School Leadership Scale was used to determine the approaches of school principals to the participation of teachers, the Participation Among Stakeholders Scale was utilized to determine their views of stakeholder participation, and the Academic Pressure Scale was applied to determine the academic emphasis of the schools. In order to determine the participation level, the School Leadership Scale and Participation Among Stakeholders Scale were combined in path analysis. In the analysis of the data, t-tests, ANOVA, and LSD tests were used as post hoc tests, and Pearson correlation analysis and path analysis were performed. As a result of the research, it was determined that school principals’ views were close to high levels regarding teacher and stakeholder participation and they were at high levels regarding academic emphasis. Significant positive correlations were observed between teacher participation, stakeholder participation, and academic emphasis, and school principals’ views on participation were found to be significant predictors of academic emphasis.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: OPINIONS OF SCHOOL PRINCIPALS IN GREECE

The importance of the present research arises from the value that has been given – at the national, European, and international level – to the work of the teacher and the necessity of his or her professional development but also in the research gap that exists in this field. The aim of the research was to clarify the views of school principals on factors influencing their professional development. A questionnaire was administered through the Google form. The data were analyzed using the SPSS v.25. To reply to the research questions, the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis and the Pearson coefficient were used to assess the statistical significance of the data. The sample consisted of 100 primary school principals in Greece. The results of the study showed differences in attitudes towards professional development between heads of primary education institutions with different specializations. Participants with a specialization in math and computer sciences more often supported the idea that their professional development depends on their basic studies. Those who specialized in humanities, agreed on a higher level that their professional development depends on their first two years of education experience, participation in introductory training programs, participation in training programs organized by the state and on the school culture, and their transition to another school or position. The participants who followed a science field were more positive about their professional development depending on their participation in European mobility programs, the professional support they get from their colleagues, and the way the school leadership is practiced. There were differences in the understanding of the role of the educational institution in supporting the professional development of teachers depending on the professional experience of the participants: its importance was recognized by teachers who had less than five or more than thirty years of professional experience. It was found that the more positive was the attitude of the participants toward their own professional development, the wider range of needs for further training they expressed. Most often, such needs related to improving professional competence in such areas as classroom management, solving problems with complex student behavior and school discipline, counseling, and assessment of students.

Qualitative views of Nigerian school principals and teachers on the barriers and opportunities for promoting students\u2019 physical activity behaviours within the school settings

BackgroundInsufficient physical activity (PA) is a growing public health challenge among Nigerian adolescents. Significant information gap exists on the school-related factors which influence the participation of adolescents in school-based physical activity programmes in Nigeria. This study was conducted to document the qualitative views of school principals and teachers on the barriers and opportunities for promoting the physical activity behaviours of adolescents within the school settings in light of the socio-ecological model.MethodsThis was a qualitative study conducted in 12 public and private schools in two local government areas of Oyo state, Nigeria. Two key sources and data collection methods (i.e key informant interviews and focus group discussions) were used. Six key informant interviews were held with school principals and six focus group discussions with classroom teachers using pre-tested guides. Data was analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsFourteen sub-themes were identified as barriers to PA and linked to different levels of the socio-ecological model. Three themes were categorised as parental factors, three themes as socio-cultural and religious factors while the school-related factors had eight sub-themes. Specifically, the school-related barriers were the declining number of trained physical health education teachers, limited opportunities for continuing education and low prioritisation of physical health education. Other school-related factors such as increasing demand for classroom academic time, negative attitudinal dispositions of other teachers and inadequate funding for schools which hampered the provision of facilities and equipment were identified as factors that limit the effective implementation of policies and programmes for physical activity in schools. Opportunities to promote PA within the school settings during assemblies, breaktime, after-school and inter-house sports competition exist. However, these opportunities are hampered by competing academic time, security threats, fear of causalities to students due to poor supervision after school, poor funding and brawling associated with competitive school-based sporting events.ConclusionsFactors that contribute to insufficient physical activity among in-school adolescents in the school settings are multi-factorial. Implementation of holistic, multi-component interventions which address the social-cultural and school-level factors and enhance students’ opportunities for physical activity in schools are recommended.

Examining the Roles and Competencies of Principals of Project Schools in Terms of Accountability

The aim of this research is to examine the roles and competencies of school principals working in project schools in terms of accountability, based on the views of school principals. This is a qualitative research which is based on the phenomenology design. The working group is chosen among the most well-known project schools in Istanbul using the maximum variation sampling method. Interviews were held with 12 school principals working at the Science High School, Anatolian High School, Social Sciences High School and Anatolian Religious High Schools in the 2019-2020 academic year. The data obtained from the interviews are coded using content analysis method and different 3 themes such as supervision, the functioning of education and integrity are obtained. In this context, it is indicated that project school principals felt themselves accountable most since they have a right to determine the managers and teachers they want to work with. It came to the conclusion that school principals cooperate with their internal and external stakeholders in all matters for the development of their schools.

Investigating the triangle: The school principal’s role, term of office, and school improvement in Greece

The aim of this study was to explore the role of school principals and their term of office in regard to school improvement. In particular, we investigated the convergences and divergences between the views of school principals in Greece and the findings of relevant international literature. To this end, we collected and analysed data from 66 school principals across 89 secondary state schools in Achaia, Greece, using an anonymous questionnaire. Survey data revealed that most participants assessed positively the contribution of essential aspects of international literature to school improvement. The same applied for the role and term of office of school principals in Greece, despite the factors that were acknowledged to limit their autonomy. More-qualified school principals appeared to have a more positive stance on assessment and human resource management. In contrast, novices had greater difficulty in managing priorities and tended to be more cautious at the prospect of being assessed. They also appeared to be more satisfied with the institution of term of office as per the Greek model. Conclusions on the implications are presented.

Measuring Intercultural Learning through CLIL

CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) —endorsed by the European Commission since 1996— constitutes the official approach to bilingual education in Spain. Intercultural learning (IL) is one of the four defining Cs in CLIL, though the literature has consistently described it as the weakest implementation area. This paper analyses the opinions of 76 Spanish secondary education students about IL through their bilingual curriculum. Their viewpoints clearly suggest that IL comes from two main sources: native assistants; and exchange programmes. These data were contrasted with the views of school principals and bilingual coordinators, who declared that both of these valuable ‘resources for IL are scarce due to administrative difficulties and lack of budget. Our conclusions reveal how improving these areas can lead not only to improved scores but also to a better implementation of the intercultural axis in CLIL, if the goal consists in educating 21stcentury citizens.

Views of School Principals and Teachers on Performance Evaluation Process: A Qualitative Study

Bu calisma, 2015-2016 egitim ogretim yilinda ilk kez uygulanan Performans Degerlendirme Sistemine dair okul mudurleri ve ogretmenlerin goruslerini belirlemeyi amaclayan nitel bir arastirmadir. Arastirma kapsaminda 2016-2017 egitim ogretim yilinda Kutahya il merkezinde farkli egitim kademelerinde gorev yapan 22 okul muduru ve 22 ogretmen ile performans degerlendirme sistemine dair hazirlanan sorular dogrultusunda gorusmeler gerceklestirilmistir. Arastirmada temel nitel arastirma deseni kullanilmistir Arastirmada okul mudurlerinin ve ogretmenlerin performans degerlendirme sureci hakkindaki gorusleri betimleyici bir yaklasim izlenerek ortaya koyulmustur. Performans degerlendirme sureci katilimcilarin cogunlugu tarafindan kabul gordugu tespit edilmis, performans degerlendirme sistemine yonelik elestiri ve oneriler elde edilen bulgular dogrultusunda yorumlanmistir.

Creating and utilizing spaces to enhance intergenerational learning at schools and results

<p><span>The purpose of the study was to explore the requirements of schools to increase intergenerational learning, collaboration and solidarity amongst the Baby Boomers, X and Y generations, based on the views of school principals. The research focused on how to create spaces for interaction among different generations and what consequences will arise when intergenerational spaces are created. This study was conducted with phenomenological research design. The study group consisted of 12 school principals who were identified with the maximum diversity sampling technique from Kocaeli Province, Dilovasi District. Criteria used in the selection of school principals were to work as managers in different schools and in different school types. The data were collected with a semi-structured interview form and the content analysis method was used. Interview questions were determined by researchers in the direction of research questions. Creation of intergenerational space is the main topic of this study whereas subtopics are scope and opportunities. On the other hand, findings collected indicate that principals mention intramural and out of school events about the creation of intergenerational space. These events are met under the titles of sports, art, entertainments and educational space. Finally, the results of creating spaces were examined in the study.</span></p>

A Qualitative Investigation on the Views of School Principals and Teachers about Organizational Justice in Evaluation Process

Evaluation which is an important factor during the development of teaching-learning process is providing students a quality education while it offers teachers the opportunity of improving themselves. The fairness of the evaluation that affects these two process significantly increases organizational efficiency like organizational productivity, organizational commitment and job satisfaction. In this study, administrators' and teachers’ perceptions related to organizational justice in evaluation process in Aydin Anatolian High Schools were examined. The research was designed as a qualitative study and has been performed through interviews. The data were gathered from 7 administrators and 14 teachers by semi structured interview method. Six questions were asked to administrators related to organizational justice in evaluation process. Content and descriptive analysis techniques were used to analyze the data. According to findings, school administrators perceive the concept of organizational justice in evaluation process as “giving employees what they deserve in the organization, being at an equal distance to all, being fair in distribution of courses and behaving according to the legislation”. The teachers at Anatolian high schools define the justice as “equality, fairness, valuing according to efforts and quality of teachers”. The administrators emphasize that they are fair regarding the distribution of the courses. However, it is referred from the research that administrators are not fair with teachers from the point of distributive justice in evaluation process. It is seen that the perception of teachers related to the organizational justice is not as totally fair. The common point that both administrators and teachers have is necessity of the standard criteria in evaluation process.

Custodians of silences? School principal perspectives on the incidence and nature of homophobic bullying in primary schools in Ireland

The research reported in this paper sought to determine the level of awareness among school principals in primary schools in Ireland where homophobic bullying is concerned. International research has previously shown that school leaders as animators of school climate are often lacking in their responses to this type of bullying [Walton, G. 2004. “Bullying and Homophobia in Canadian Schools: The Politics of Policies, Programs, and Educational Leadership.” Journal of Gay and Lesbian Issues in Education 1 (4): 23–36; Pizmony-Levy, O., and J. G. Kosciw. 2016. “School Climate and the Experience of LGBT Students: A Comparison of the United States and Israel.” Journal of LGBT Youth 13 (1–2): 46–66; Taylor, C. G., E. J. Meyer, T. Peter, J. Ristock, D. Short, and C. Campbell. 2016. “Gaps Between Beliefs, Perceptions, and Practices: The Every Teacher Project on LGBTQ-Inclusive Education in Canadian Schools.” Journal of LGBT Youth 13 (1–2): 112–140]. We sought to ascertain whether school principals in Ireland have had experience of dealing with this type of bullying, whether they believe it is a significant issue and what they perceive their role to be in relation to addressing homophobic bullying. The research focused on the views of school principals because of the critical role they play in policy implementation and school organisation. The research revealed that one in every two school principals had responded to homophobic bullying and that these same principals did not always consider the use of homophobic pejoratives to constitute homophobic bullying. The paper points to the need for further education and training for school leaders on the topic of homophobic bullying otherwise their perspectives will contribute to the many silences that surround this topic in primary schools in Ireland.

Changes in education policies and the status of schools in Europe: the views of school principals from eight European countries

Neoliberal education policies have altered the operational environments of schools and affected school principals’ job descriptions and requirements. As a result of managerialism, decentralisation and marketisation of education, principals are increasingly responsible for profitability, marketing and striving in competition, in addition to their role as pedagogical leaders. In this study, the opinions and views of European principals on the changes in the governing of education, relevance of education, educational transitions and different factors affecting coping with the demands of education are analysed. The views of the principals do not consistently reflect the structures of the national education systems. Questions related to educational equality highlighted the clearest differences. The more unequal the education system, the more important supporting the students in the weakest positions is to the principals.

Perception Based Principal Leadership Measurement: Does It Work in Pakistan?

Adequacy of relevant knowledge and interpersonal skills, interalia, are vital contributors to a successful leadership. However, leadership is not a self-centered phenomenon but followers through their actions and views profess it. Extant literature suggests teachers’ and principals’ perceptions as a prominent tool for measuring school leadership. This study evaluated the applicability of this leadership measure in context of Pakistani schools. Study focused on analyzing the differences between views of school principals about their own leadership attributes and as viewed by the teachers under their sub-ordination. We adopted the questionnaire developed by Sharma (2010) and Sun et al. (2014) to collect the data on leadership attributes. Total of 178 teachers and 18 principals from Secondary Schools in Pakistan responded the questionnaire. We applied independent sample t-test to analyze the data. The results showed a significant difference between perceptions of principals about their own leadership attributes and that of views by the teachers working under them. The results of the study suggest that principals in the schools under study lack the leadership skills. Further analysis revealed that most of the principals considered them good leader but their sub-ordinates opinion negated this. It shows, the principals, under study, either lacked the interpersonal skills to motivate their sub-ordinates or failed to modify the opinion of their sub-ordinates.

Reflections on a primary school teacher professional development programme on learning English through Process Drama

This article documents the authors’ reflections on a teacher professional development programme conducted in 38 Hong Kong primary schools on the teaching of English through Process Drama. The authors draw upon the views of school principals, subject panel head teachers, English teachers, students and parents in focus group interviews to examine the learning and teaching experiences at the heart of the Programme. These reflections focus on how Process Drama can enhance second language acquisition by accommodating more affective factors in learning, by stressing creativity and by shifting the didactic discourse in the classroom to one that is more authentic and less threatening and which encourages increased amounts of student talk. The authors describe how, based on the focus group interview data, a piece of Verbatim Theatre was created and used as a stimulus to elicit deeper reflective responses to the Programme. They also reflect upon the level of understanding of Process Drama's complex pedagogy and artistry demonstrated by those teachers new to it and consider what further research might help the long-term implementation of drama in Hong Kong classrooms.

Giving Voice to the Voiceless through Deliberative Democratic School Governance.

I focus on the role of learners in the governance of secondary schools. I seek to promote a voice for learner expression as guaranteed in the national Department of Education’s guidelines for Representative Council of Learners as part of promoting democratic governance. The potential, limitations, constraints, consequences, and challenges facing learners in the school governance structure need to be revealed and debated. The views of school principals were solicited by means of unstructured open-ended questionnaires. Six problem areas emerged from the data. The irony is that although the democratisation of school governance has given all stakeholders a powerful voice in school affairs, learners’ voices are, seemingly, being silenced. In attempting to resolve the problem, a new model of democratic school governance to be known as ‘deliberative democratic school governance’ (DDSG) is suggested. There are several DDSG approaches that can be employed in creating elements for stakeholder empowerment and in driving deliberative democratic school governance forward. These include inclusion, motivational communication, consensus, deliberation/ dialogue, collaboration, and conflict resolution. Some school governance stakeholders and schools may use only one or a few of these strategies to create spaces for learner voices in their respective schools.

The level of preparedness of the schools for disasters from the aspect of the school principals

PurposeThe purpose is, depending on the views of principals and teachers, to determine the level of preparedness of primary schools towards prospective earthquakes from the aspect of the effectiveness of school principals; and to develop some recommendations due to the obtained results and the review of the literature.Design/methodology/approachIn the research, the views of school principals and teachers were taken by a Likert type questionnaire, developed by the researcher herself. The sample of the research comprises all the elementary schools in the city centre of Elazig, a city in the Eastern Anatolian Region. As total 589 subjects responded the questionnaire. The data were computed by means of t‐test, and ANOVA according to parametric or non‐parametric situations.FindingsThe findings have revealed that the preparedness level of the schools are not so well for prospective disasters, and there are significant differences among the views of the subjects. In other words, the school principals were not so effective in achieving high level preparedness and for prospective earthquakes.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is limited with the views of the teachers and of principals obtained in the city centre of Elazig. Therefore, observation‐based researches may also be complementary for the reflection of the real life situation at schools.Originality/valueAlthough Turkey is placed a very seismically active region, the attained literature review has indicated that there have not been any researches done about the preparedness of schools for the earthquakes in Turkey, yet. Therefore, this research is an original one by obtaining the views of school teachers and of principals about the preparedness of schools towards earthquakes.

The views of school principals and teachers on the role of the school nurse with handicapped students.

As part of recent program evaluation activities for the University of Colorado School Nurse Achievement Program, a questionnaire was distributed to a sample of school principals and teachers to obtain their views on the role of the school nurse with handicapped students. Generally, the respondents perceived this aspect of the school nurse's role as encompassing a variety of valuable activities; they tended to feel that certain activities (eg, writing the health component of the IEPs) should be carried out by school nurses more than they actually are; and they reported a myriad of unsolved problems and needs of handicapped students, many that could be dealt with by school nursing services if resources were available. Although the data were obtained from only a small and select group of principals and teachers, they help reveal how other school personnel view this increasingly important component of the school nurse's role and may provide some direction for future continuing education programs for school nurses as well as information-dissemination efforts for other school personnel.