The Principals’ Instructional Leadership Practices in Well-performing and Underperforming Secondary Schools in One Township, in Ekurhuleni: A Case Study

Abstract

In recent years, educational leadership has received its fair share of debate in different sectors and for several reasons. Teaching, learning and learner achievement results are at the core of education in schools. As a result, school principals have appeared to be at the centre of it all. When the Minister of Basic Education announces the National Senior Certificate results, the results are either celebrated or criticised based on how their schools have performed. Evidence from empirical studies suggests that a school principal concerned with learner performance ought to subscribe to an instructional leadership style. This study explored principals’ instructional leadership practices in academically well-performing and underperforming schools. The literature used in this study provides evidence that the instructional leadership concept is not new to leadership but has developed over the years. This leadership style is associated with school learner performance given that it defines the purpose of teaching and learning, sets comprehensive school realistic goals, advocates for supervision and evaluation of teaching and learning processes, and provides resources needed for teaching and learning to occur. This study has adopted a qualitative approach via a case study research design. The study is located within the interpretive paradigm. Participants for this study were six secondary school principals in one township in Ekurhuleni district of South Africa. Furthermore, this study used face-to-face, semi-structured interviews as a data generation method. In addition, Webber's 1996 instructional leadership model was used as a theoretical framework for this study. Findings revealed essential instructional leadership practices in academically good performing schools and that, although there were areas and elements of good instructional leadership practices in poor academically performing schools, there is room for improvement. These practices include, among others, developing a clear, realistic vision, creating an environment that allows teaching and learning, supervision and monitoring, and, most importantly, sharing teaching and learning resources. Another finding is that adequate instructional leadership practices are lacking in underperforming schools. v The research concludes that South African secondary schools require good leaders with goals for their schools and leaders who can direct their followers to achieve the desirable results. This implies that the Department of Basic Education is critical in capacitating school leaders who can contribute to the National Development Plan: Vision 2030.