“Navigating unchartered waters”: lived experiences of novice principals leading in deprived school contexts.

Abstract

Moving into a leadership position can be daunting. In modern-day schools, the leadership role comes with multiple responsibilities and is attached to high levels of accountability. Arguably so, today’s principals are called CEOs as they have to lead and manage complex organisations and perform managerial, instructional, and political roles. Such an undertaking is challenging, especially for novice principals who assume this position with limited leadership experience and lack formal leadership training. Additionally, schools are located in different contexts, and the context influences leadership. Some schools are located in contexts that are conducive for those who are principals to lead and navigate leadership challenges successfully. Others are situated in contexts that are deprived. Deprived contexts are post-Apartheid geographies where numerous factors conspire to diminish the quality of life, making leading and working in these contexts more challenging compared to other contexts. Most schools in South Africa are located in deprived contexts. This means several novice principals get appointed to lead in such contexts amidst the limited training and sometimes experience in principalship. This study explored novice principals’ lived experiences of leading schools in deprived contexts through a theoretical lens that integrates sense-making, adaptive leadership, and context-responsive theories. It intended to understand the identities of novice principals (who are the principals leading schools located in the context of deprivation), how they enacted leadership, and why they lead in the ways they do. Four novice principals leading schools in deprived contexts from the province of KwaZulu-Natal were selected. Guided by the narrative methodology, which relies on storytelling and narrating to understand the complexity of human experience, life history interviews were used to generate data. From the dual analysis, namely narrative analysis and analysis of narratives, the study found that interestingly, the leadership practices of the novice principals in this study are not that different from those of other seasoned and successful principals. The practices that emerged were working collaboratively through building relationships, strengthening the instructional core, leading by example, wearing many hats by using and drawing on their multiple personal and professional identities, being active policy enactors and leading with the context in mind through a leadership of care. This suggests that novice principals do not assume their role as blank slates, whether formally trained or not. Childhood, educational, and professional experiences emerged as powerful socialising agents that cultivated leadership identities even before novice principals were appointed and were highly significant in shaping the leadership of principals. Additionally, the novice principals led in the ways they do as a response to the contextual constraints posed by the context in which they lead, demonstrating contextual awareness. This study further found that this contextual awareness arose from being socialised in a similar environment to that in which these novice principals lead. While current scholarship asserts that principals shape and are shaped by the contexts they lead, this study extends knowledge by illustrating that the novice principals have contextual literacy, which cultivates contextual awareness, guiding leadership practices. From this, we learn that novice principals are not deterred by the challenges of being new; instead, they proactively seek creative ways to empower themselves and navigate the complexities of both their new role and the deprived context. Moreover, we discover that the context of being a novice principal in a deprived setting holds distinct meanings for those who are insiders (the novice principals leading in the deprived context) compared to outsiders (such as the researcher exploring the phenomenon). The novice principals perceive themselves as transformative agents, strategically positioned to challenge systemic constraints and find innovative solutions to navigate, transform, and thrive in this challenging and prejudiced context. Their experiences and these findings challenge conventional assumptions about novice principals and provide valuable insights into their resilience and capacity to lead effectively in demanding circumstances.

Iqoqa Ukuthatha isikhundla sobuholi emkhakheni wezemfundo kuletha izinselelo eziningi, ikakhulu kothishabakhulu abasengamavukana abangase bentule ukuqeqeshwa kwezobuholi namava. Ezikoleni zamanje, iqhaza likathishomkhulu selikhule ledlula imisebenzi yokulawula lafaka namagunya okulawula nawezombusazwe. Kuqakulwa ukuthi kufanele othishabakhulu babizwe ngama-CEO ngoba kufanele bahole baphathe izinhlangano eziyinkimbinkimbi. Lobu bunkimbinkimbi bungaphinda buqhutshelwe phambili yisimo salapho isikole esakhiwe khona. Ezinye izimo, njengezinobuhlwempu eSouth Africa yasemva kobandlululo, zinemithelela eminingi enomthelela wokwehlisa izingabunjalo lempilo, yenze ukuhola nokusebenza kulezi zimo kube lukhuni kakhulu uma kuqhathaniswa nezinye izimo. Iningi lezikole zaseSouth Africa zakhiwe ezimeni ezinobuhlwempu. Ukwanda kwalezi zimo nokuqokwa kothishabakhulu abangamavukana ukuthi bahole kulezi zindawo kugqamisa isidingo sokuqonda ngokujulile amava nokwenza kwabo ekuholeni. Ucwaningo luhlose ukuhlola ngosekwedlulwe kukho ngothisha abangamavukana okuholela ezimeni zobuhlwempu ngokweso lenjulalwazi edidiyela okwenza umqondo, ubuholi obuhambisanayo, nezinjulalwazi zokuhambisana nesimo. Ucwaningo lwaluhlose ukuqonda ubunjalo bothishabakhulu abangamavukana, ukuthi benza kanjani kwezobuholi, nemithelela eyakha indlela yabo yokuhola, ikakhulu umthelela wezimo zombili zobuhlwempu nesimo sobuvukana ebuholini babo. Ngokuholwa yindlela yengxoxo, ephakamisa ukuxoxwa kwezindaba ukuzuza injula yobunkimbinkimbi bamava esintu, kwaqokwa othishabakhulu abane basezikoleni zesifundazwe iKwaZulu-Natal, abaphonswa imibuzo kusetshenziswa indlelakwenza yomlando wempilo ukwakha imininingo. Imininingo yabe isihlaziywa ngokusebenzisa indlela ekabili yohlaziyongxoxo, nokuhlaziywa kwezingxoxo, okwaba nomthelela wokwakhiwa kwezindaba nezindikimba. Ucwaningo lwathola ukuthi othishabakhulu abangamavukana banobunjalo obuningi obunomthelela ebuholini babo. Lokhu kwenza akwehlukile kakhulu kulokho kothishabakhulu abanamava futhi abaphumelelayo, okukhomba ukuthi othishabakhulu abangamavukana baletha amava nemibono kwaphambilini emsebenzini yabo kunokuyiqala elwazini oluncikinciki. Amava asukela ebunganeni, kwezemfundo, nawobungcweti kwatholakala kubamba iqhaza eliqavile ekwakheni amakhono obuholi ngisho naphambi kokuqokwa kothishabakhulu abangamavukana. Nokho-ke, lolu cwaningo lunikeza injula ngokugqamisa umqondo wokufunda ngokwesimo nokuqonda nobumqoka bokwejwayezwa umsebenzi esimeni esifanayo. Kulolu cwaningo othishabakhulu abangamavukana bakhombisa izinga lokusiqonda isimo, okuyikho okwalekelela kwaphinda kwakha ubuholi babo. Bazibona beyizimbangela zenguquko, ezikwazi ukubhekana nezinselelo ezinokuhleleka zezimo zabo nokuthola izindlela ezintsha zokuguduza nokusimama kuzo.