Browsing by Author "Malik, Yasmeen."

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Exploring the development of teacher leadership: learning from selected South African teachers and members of school management teams.
(2021) Malik, Yasmeen.; Chikoko, Vitallis.
The need for teacher leadership development has never been more urgent. The call for teacher leadership is explicitly embedded within South African educational policies, and amidst an ever-increasing educational crisis, the effective leadership of teachers is an absolute necessity. The call for effective teacher leadership has therefore never been greater. The scarcity of research on how teacher leadership develops warranted this study. Drawing from Reichard and Johnson’s (2011) leader self-development theory, Harrison and Killion’s (2007) ten roles of teacher leaders, and Greenleaf’s (2003) servant leadership theory, this study aimed to do the following: to explore how teacher leaders and school management team members understood teacher leadership work; to explore how teachers and school management team members understood and experienced teacher leadership development; and to determine what lessons could be learnt to inform thinking of how other ordinary teachers could develop into effective teacher leaders as a way forward for the implementation of teacher leadership development. The study employed a multiple case study methodology embedded within a qualitative, interpretivist approach. Multi-perspectival data was generated through semi-structured individual interviews with four effective teacher leaders and four school management team members from three secondary schools in the eThekwini region in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The interview data was supplemented with artefacts and reflective journal entries. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The work of the teacher leader participants was categorised into seven focal areas: reflective practitioners and evolving methodologists, school-wide and community leaders, effective teacher development agents, mentors leading by example, life and personal coaches, change agents for school improvement, and mediating bridges between teachers and management. It was found that their leadership roles developed as solutions to challenges with their learners, colleagues, schools and communities and was motivated by the teacher leaders’ positive and willing responses to developmental needs. Moreover, innate factors, such as their life experiences, personalities, learning dispositions, innate values and personal needs, served as internal stimuli that directed the teacher leaders’ behaviour and the way they led. The study revealed that if teachers are willing to use what they have to initiate and nurture their development, while looking upon contexts and situations as growth opportunities, teacher leadership development becomes a possibility, even in challenging contexts.
A follower-centric study of women leadership in one secondary school : teachers' perspectives.
(2016) Malik, Yasmeen.; Mkhize, Bongani Nhlanhla Cyril Kenneth.
South Africa’s transition into democracy, presents a distinct environment for the study of women leadership. This is so because extensive national and international legislative measures were put in place to uplift the previously marginalised status of women. Since leadership studies have primarily focused on leaders, this follower-centric study focused on ‘what’ secondary school teachers’ perspectives of women leadership were and ‘how’ such perspectives were constructed based on their lived experiences of being led by women in one school. Following a qualitative case study design, embedded within an interpretivist paradigm, the findings for this study were derived from document reviews, seven photo-elicited, semi-structured individual interviews and a photo-elicited focus group interview. The Social Role Theory, the Role Congruity Theory and the transformational theory, constituted the theoretical framework that assisted in analysing data against the social roles of women and prejudice against women leaders respectively. Findings revealed two contradictory styles of women leadership including a feminine or ‘Mothering Leadership’ and an ‘Iron Lady’ leadership style or a highly masculine leadership style. Male participants mostly identified with the Mothering Leadership style, refuting any oppressive, Iron Lady leadership styles. The caring, nurturing and intuitive; patient and persevering; approachable and understanding; humble and motivational; sociable, people and relationship-oriented attributes of mothering leaders were positively evaluated , while the emotional, sensitive and over-caring attributes of mothering leaders came under some criticism. The Iron Ladies’ autocratic and forceful; commanding and demanding; bold and assertive and task and performance oriented attributes were negatively evaluated by female participants with some appraisal of assertive attributes. A passive, robotic leadership style of women was identified in addition to them being perceived as ineffective team leaders and delegators. Due to the domination of males in leadership positions, women leaders were found to be heavily dependent on and following male leaders, while they remained submissive and voiceless in their formal positions. Leadership being largely judged against a yardstick that is male, evidently resulted in masculinist women leaders being subjected to derogatory name-calling, feelings of inferiority and an urge to go ‘more than the extra mile’ to prove their worth to a chastising society.