An investigation into the role of the Head of Department (HoD) as an instructional leader in the leadership and management of the teaching & learning of accounting in two secondary schools in one district in Gauteng.

Abstract

This report draws on the findings from data gathered for a mini dissertation. The research investigates the role, importance and effectiveness of the Accounting HoD as an instructional leader in contributing towards learner performance. Data has emerged from questionnaires, interviews and discussions with principals, educators, some senior learners and from the HoDs themselves. Much of the literature points to the school principal as the focus of this leadership style but this study regards the HoD/middle manager/curriculum leader as being well suited to implement instructional leadership and sees this position as one where it could potentially have the greatest impact on learning and teaching. The Head of Department (HoD) as the middle manager should have a vision that is underpinned by an aspiration to strive for academic excellence within a particular subject area as well as considering the holistic development of learners. This vision should be transparent to the learners, parents, educators and management. Accordingly, if the EMS HoD envisions his/her role as that of an instructional leader, the teacher of Accounting should have the necessary support to make learning successful and ultimately learner performance should improve. Since the revision and restructuring of the Accounting curriculum in South Africa the demands on teaching this curriculum have been higher than ever before and have impacted negatively on learner performance. Many teachers across the country have not been successful in facing up to those challenges and yet the need for expertise in this area in South Africa has never been greater. Hence the potential importance the researcher sees for this study at this time. The two schools investigated were selected for the very similar socioeconomic profile of their learners, while displaying a wide discrepancy in the pass marks they achieve in matric. Both had HoDs of Accounting who were qualified in the subject but the HoD of the successful school was considerably better qualified than the HoD in the unsuccessful school. Thus as far as possible the only distinguishing factors in the schools selected were the quality of leadership of the Accounting department and the knowledge levels of their HoDs. As anticipated from the literature, the findings confirm the key significance of each of these factors.