Browsing by Author "Maifala, Selaelo Sylvia."

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Examining the understanding and enactment of instructional leadership among the school management team in a rural secondary school in the Limpopo province: a qualitative study.
(2024) Maifala, Selaelo Sylvia.; Moletsane, Relebohile.
The study reported in this thesis aimed to examine the understandings and practices of instructional leadership the School Management Team (SMT) at one rural school I named Crocodile High School located in Moletsi in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study was premised on the understanding that if schools such as Crocodile High School are to overcome the multitude of challenges they experience, the SMT must play a vital instructional leadership role. Thus, the study sought to understand how SMT members understood their instructional leadership roles and enacted them, and how rurality, impacted on their understandings and practices of instructional leadership. The study was located in the interpretive paradigm and adopted qualitative research methodology. The SMT members in the school made up the primary study participants, with a group of six teachers making up the secondary participants. To generate data I used in-depth semistructured interviews with each of the seven members of the SMT, a focus group discussion with the group, and week-long observations of each SMT member. I also carried out a focus group discussion with the six teachers to understand their perspectives on the SMT’s instructional leadership roles. To analyse the data, I used the inductive content analysis approach in which the analysis of data comes from a detailed reading and breaking down of raw data into categories, patterns and themes to explain it. The findings suggest that in many ways, members of the SMT do not have an adequate understanding of their instructional leadership role. This negatively impacts their ability to provide effective instructional leadership needed in the school. Moreover, the findings revealed that rurality had a negative impact on the SMT members’ understandings and enactment of their instructional leadership roles. They tended to focus on the lack of resources and failed to mobilise the school and community to develop or access available assets to benefit teaching and learning. Further, negative influences also came from teacher unions in the form of teacher strikes, leading to negative relationships between the SMT and teachers in the schools. However, some members were able to build rapport with teachers, and thus created a positive environment for teaching and learning. These findings have implications for professional development initiatives that target the SMT in the rural context and focuses on their understanding and enactment of instructional leadership roles. Such programmes could motivate the SMT and other participants to seek continuous professional development opportunities in order to improve their leadership. Lastly, the findings also point towards the need for teacher unions to play their part to improve their influence in schools, including on teacher professionalism and effectiveness.
Leading 21st century schools : an exploratory case study of leadership practices adopted by principals in rural context.
(2016) Maifala, Selaelo Sylvia.; Myende, Phumlani Erasmus.
The aim of this study was to explore the daily leadership practices adopted by principals in the rural context within the 21st century. Using the daily leadership practices, the study sought to explore the extent to which their practices manifest awareness of what is required from principals of the 21st century. Further, the contextual challenges they face as well as how they were addressed were also explored and used to evaluate their awareness of the what is expected from a 21st century principal. Literature relating to school leadership were reviewed and the Complexity Leadership Theory used as a framework for the study. It was conducted within the interpretive paradigm and the qualitative research methodology and design were used. Five principals working in Polokwane District Municipality were sampled to participate in the study. Data was generated using a primary method of semi-structured interviews and a secondary method of non-participative participant observations. The findings revealed some daily leadership practices that correspond with literature on effective 21st century leadership practices namely; performing management tasks, inclusion of teachers in planning and decisions, parents’ involvement and creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning. However, the findings also revealed that although parental involvement is included in the principals’ daily leadership practices, it is not utilised in ways that support 21st support 21st century leadership. Further, the findings revealed that in other areas of the principals’ daily leadership practices such as their harm to instructional time, practices do not manifest awareness of what is required from 21st century principals. The challenges revealed in this study are as follows; insufficient human resources, adequate parental involvement, security and sufficient support from the department. Principals address these challenges through engaging the department, the police and other stakeholders. Revealing awareness that 21st century schools require collaboration of different stakeholders to thrive. It was therefore concluded that principals have some awareness of what is expected of them as school leaders of the 21st century while other areas remain lacking. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to the principals, the department of basic education as well as to other researchers for further study.