A framework to improve curriculum leadership in primary schools
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Date
2023
Authors
Shale, Motsamai Ishamel
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Research attests that there is correlation between leadership and learner achievement. Principals, deputies, head of departments and subject heads play an important role in designing high quality, critical, community-oriented and collective curriculum leadership in schools. Since the dawn of democracy, the South African education system has experienced many changes in their curriculum. This has led to a serious confusion in terms of leadership, which has resulted in ineffective curriculum leadership in schools. The aim of this study was to design a framework to improve curriculum leadership with the purpose of improving learner achievement. The study used a qualitative approach and a diverse group of curriculum leaders were involved, using critical participatory action research as participants, and the researcher used two primary schools for research. A focus group technique to facilitate participants’ observation was used to stimulate sustained interaction. The research question is: how can a framework to improve curriculum leadership in primary schools be designed? Providing ongoing curriculum leadership in schools today is a multifaceted process. The study used Africana Critical Theory (ACT) as its theoretical framework. African leadership models contend that there is a great interest in educational leadership today, because of the widespread belief that the quality of leadership makes a significant difference to school and learner achievement. It is a critical common place that leadership in schools is confronted by moral and ethical dilemmas, thus ACT as the 21st century outgrowth of efforts to deconstruct and reconstruct, the dialectics of domination and liberation of Africana life worlds, as well as lived experiences. Data were collected using free attitude interviews and analysed using critical discourse analysis. The study drew heavily on critical leadership studies as a conceptual framework that was used throughout the study. Critical leadership studies, as a conceptual framework proposed by the study - respond to the failure of mainstream leadership studies to address important questions of power, control and inequalities (cf. 1.3, 1.7, 2.2, 2.2.8.3, 2.7.1. 2.7.2, 2.7.3, 5.1, 6.2.2.3 & Figure 7.1). The discussion of the findings resulting from the intervention was done with the use of critical discourse analysis.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.(Education Studies))--University of the Free State, 2023
Keywords
Africana critical theory, critical leadership studies, conceptual framework, critical participatory action research, curriculum leadership, intervention strategies, learner achievement, school improvement plan, school self evaluation, teaching