Instructional leaders for vocational education: case studies of selected secondary schools heads of departments in Zimbabwe

English: This study sought to explore the policy and regulatory framework that guides instructional leadership, as well as the roles and expectations of the vocational and technical education (VTE) Heads of Department (HODs) in carrying out their instructional leadership mandate in schools. This thesis consists of five chapters which are outlined as follows: Chapter one presents the background which provides the overview of the research problem, research questions and objectives which the study sought to answer. It also gives a brief historical background of VTE as a way of shedding light on the instructional leadership challenge currently experienced in the teaching and learning of the practical subjects in Zimbabwe. Chapter two reviews literature related to the study, but owing to the dearth of scholarship on instructional leadership for VTE, the chapter draws largely on the literature from other subject areas such as mathematics, science and literacy to inform the leadership approaches and frameworks for this study. In Chapter three, an account of the research methodology used in the study is provided. Multiple case-studies, in the qualitative approach, were used to understand the work of and expectation on the HODs in their natural work settings. ‘Thick description’ of stakeholder perceptions and narratives on how the HODs enact their instructional leadership practices in the various VTE departmental contexts are presented. Chapter four discusses the emerging themes and data analyses from the interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis and observations. Chapter five summarises the major findings, from which recommendations are drawn. It also identifies knowledge gaps that suggest foci for future research. The first set of findings on the skills and competences of VTE HODs uncovered the fact that there are no uniform criteria for employing HODs in the various schools within the Gutu district. The appointment decisions are made almost exclusively by the school principals, who may or may not consider the prospective leader’s qualifications, experience and, in the case of church-run schools, church affiliation. Interestingly, it also emerged that some of the appointees were not even interested in the position when they were appointed and only accepted because they saw it as an instruction from the school head or out of fear of disappointing the head. The lack of public and uniform criteria for appointing the subject leaders has in some cases resulted in strained relations between the teachers and their appointed leaders, with negative consequences for subject leadership in the schools. Not surprisingly, the teacher interviews reflected mixed feelings about the role enactment by the HODs, with many suggesting the need for improvement, especially around equitable resource procurement and distribution for the VTE subjects, distribution of leadership competence and guidance across the various subjects that make up the VTE departments, and clarity on the standards of expected practices and competencies for successful teaching of the VTE subjects. Furthermore, the findings uncovered the need for consistency and improved quality with respect to the enactment of the various practices of instructional leadership by the HODs. Data suggests that the variations in terms of the quantity and quality of supervision practices, such as the number of lesson observations conducted in each subject or for each teacher, and the guidance activities, including meetings with staff to discuss subject-related matters and the capacity-building practices such as the provision of subject-focused professional development opportunities across schools and sometimes within the same VTE department in one school by the HODs, made the practices look arbitrary and rendered them rather mute in terms of their potential to influence teachers’ knowledge and classroom practices. The study thus makes three critical recommendations to improve both the policy and practice of instructional leadership by the HODs in the Gutu district specifically and perhaps in Zimbabwe generally: first with respect to the recruitment and expectations for HODs, that the 1983 policy that seems to guide the principals in appointing these school-based subject leaders be updated and revised to shift focus away from ‘heroic subject leaders’ and instead to develop criteria for effective instructional leadership by the applicants. The policy should provide specific guidelines, for instance on the qualifications, knowledge competences, and experience of the appointees and the processes to be followed for appointment. Second, a clear definition of the required levels or standards of performance by the teachers is required to ensure that supervision and guidance practices are more focused and directed towards improving teaching and learning in the schools. A clear agenda for instructional improvement and/or reform and the required tools or artefacts for leadership are required to guide school-based subject leadership by the HODs. Finally, the quality and the quantity of supervision, guidance and capacity-building practices to be enacted for different groups of teachers (e.g. novices or experienced teachers) need to be defined a bit more clearly to ensure consistent and targeted performance by the HODs across different schools. Induction and capacity building programmes for the HODs should be enacted to focus on clear areas of competence in terms of the knowledge required, the practices to be enacted and the expected outcomes.