Improving the Instructional Leadership of Heads of Department in Under-Resourced Schools: A Collaborative Action-Learning Approach

Autor/inn/en	Seobi, Boitshepo Audrey; Wood, Lesley
Titel	Improving the Instructional Leadership of Heads of Department in Under-Resourced Schools: A Collaborative Action-Learning Approach
Quelle	In: South African Journal of Education, 36 (2016) 4, Artikel 1326 (14 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Seobi, Boitshepo Audrey) ORCID (Wood, Lesley)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0256-0100
Schlagwörter	Instructional Leadership; Department Heads; Disadvantaged Schools; Foreign Countries; Action Research; Participatory Research; Qualitative Research; Elementary Schools; Experiential Learning; Educational Quality; Elementary School Teachers; Teacher Aides; Educational Improvement; Educational Cooperation; South Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Instruction; Leadership; Bildung; Erziehung; Führung; Ausland; Projektforschung; Forschungstätigkeit; Qualitative Forschung; Elementary school; Grundschule; Volksschule; Experiental learning; Erfahrungsorientiertes Lernen; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Teacher; Teachers; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Handreichung; Lehrerhilfe; Teaching improvement; Unterrichtsentwicklung; Education; cooperation; Kooperation; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	An unacceptable number of learners in under-resourced schools in South Africa are failing to perform adequately in national and international benchmark tests. Poor learner performance has been linked to poor-quality teaching, which, in turn, can be attributed in part to a lack of instructional leadership at schools. According to policy, heads of department (HODs) are best placed to offer such leadership, but in many schools this is not happening. We explain how we engaged HODs in one such school in a participatory action research process, to help them construct a framework for improving their instructional leadership. Qualitative data was generated through open-ended questionnaires, transcripts of recorded action learning set meetings, photovoice narratives, and reflective journals, and these were thematically analysed. The action learning framework developed by the participating HODs, while not being a definitive answer to improving the quality of teaching and learning, may provide guidelines for other HODs to improve their own instructional leadership practices. Since it is a process-based model, application of the model as an approach to improve instructional leadership could prove beneficial in both well-resourced and under-resourced contexts. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Education Association of South Africa. University of Pretoria, Centre for the Study of Resilience, Level 3, Groenkloof Student Centre, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, George Storrar Road and Lleyds Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Tel: +27-12-420-5798; Fax: +27-12-420-5511; Web site: http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/index
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01