Potential threats to implementing instructional leadership in Western Cape township secondary schools

Abstract

This empirical study examines the factors that pose challenges to the implementation of instructional leadership in township secondary schools in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The study adopts Critical Emancipatory Research (CER), which promotes peace, hope, freedom, and social justice, as its theoretical framework. Participatory action research (PAR), utilising focus group interviews, is employed to collect data. PAR is situated within a transformative paradigm, and a qualitative research approach is chosen to align with this paradigm. Data is collected through focus group discussions with the school management team (SMT), consisting of the principal, two deputy principals, and six heads of department. These discussions aim to gather information on threats to instructional leadership and strategies to mitigate these threats. The findings reveal that the local community and its dynamics, along with the prevalence of violence in the neighbourhood, are external factors that significantly impede the smooth operation of the school and negatively affect the implementation of effective instructional leadership. Conversely, factors such as limited interference from the local community, reduced workload, adherence to compliance guidelines and requirements set by the Department of Education, and an unimpeded leadership role for the management team may contribute to the successful implementation of instructional leadership. Therefore, the study recommends promoting effective and transparent communication as well as open engagement among all stakeholders within the school.

Keywords

• instructional leadership
• learner achievement
• critical emancipatory research
• participatory action research
• external interference