South Africa principal role and development needs

Abstract

In this study, the principal's role, workload and leadership/management development needs in South Africa were considered using a replicated methodology from similar studies conducted in Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji and Vanuatu. These comparative studies have significance given a current international focus on the importance of leadership, and principal development, to school effectiveness. The South Africa findings align in some areas with those of the developing Pacific countries, but also differ in one important area. Alignment is evident in positive levels of satisfaction with the role, high workloads, perceptions that the workload and pressure had increased over the last two years, time allocated to the varied components of the role, and principal development experience. A substantially different finding associated with the South African principals was their perception that they spend a great deal of time attending to the instructional leadership role - a finding that conflicts with previous studies in South Africa. The principals also placed low emphasis on the need for development in this area. The high level of espoused confidence indicated by the results in this area is worthy of further practice observation.