Resumo

TSEGAYE, Ma  e  BOTHA, RJ (Nico). Empowering secondary-school principals in Ethiopia to perform their instructional leadership roles more effectively. Tydskr. geesteswet. [online]. 2020, vol.60, n.3, pp.764-782. ISSN 2224-7912.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2224-7912/2020/v60n3a12.

The research literature clearly indicates that school leaders are faced with numerous and daunting problems and challenges in diverse contexts. This is mainly the result of rapid changes in the world, characterised by, inter alia, unending technological progression, an increase in the information society and globalisation. These and other factors influence the inherent goals of schools and, as a result, the leadership roles of school principals are shifting in tandem with these changes. School principals play a major role in ensuring that schools are well managed and, more specifically, to ensure effective teaching and learning. The instructional leadership role ofthe principal becomes vital in this process. Instructional leadership involves, inter alia, the strategic application of knowledge and skills to solve context-specific problems and to achieve the purposes of schooling. Surprisingly, little or no research has been done in the area of empowering public secondary school principals with regard to their instructional leadership roles in Ethiopian secondary schools. Although many other sub-sectors of education in Ethiopian education have adopted some kind of empowerment initiative for at least part of their workforce, less attention is paid to the empowerment of principals. The main aim of this study was to examine how public secondary school principals (PSSP) can be empowered to perform their instructional leadership roles more effectively in the Amhara region of Ethiopia (ARE). The study aspired to support school principals in becoming more aware of their perceptions and practices regarding instructional leadership, with particular reference to the possibilities offered by instructional leadership to influence teaching and learning positively. The objectives of the study were • to establish the relationships between empowerment, leadership behaviour and effectiveness in the instructional leadership role and performance of principals; • to determine which empowering opportunities were needed by PSSPs to perform their instructional leadership roles; and • to determine the challenges and significant predictors for empowering PSSPs to perform their instructional leadership roles in the ARE. This study is underpinned by a quantitative approach and its aim was to examine how public secondary school principals can be empowered to perform their instructional leadership roles in the ARE. The units of analysis were teachers and principals, while questionnaires were used as the quantitative research instrument. The data obtained was analysed by utilising the Statistical Package for Social Science. The population of this study consisted of all principals and teachers of the 415 public secondary schools from the four administrative zones in the ARE. Of these 415 secondary schools, 283 schools are administered and sponsored by the regional government. The remaining 132 schools are private secondary schools. From the abovementioned 283 public secondary schools, 108 were selected for the investigation using systematic random sampling techniques that enabled the researchers to collect a sufficient number of samples. Thus, random and comprehensive sampling methods were used to select teachers and principals from a population of 11 758 teachers and 108 principals and vice-principals. It was established in this study that principals mainly ascribed their empowerment to the fact that they had ready access to resources and could count on the support received from various stakeholders. In addition, aspects such as structural and psychological empowerment and leadership behaviour also have a significant bearing on effective instructional leadership and the empowerment of principals. In contrast, aspects such as inadequate support from top management, lack of professional development, shortage of the required resources, undue interference by top leaders and intimidation of principals were experienced as major challenges for empowering principals in the Amhara region. In conclusion, the study suggests recommendations for principals to perform their instructional leadership roles effectively. In this regard, the formulation and implementation of an empowerment process model for principals is recommended. Based on the reviewed literature, the field survey and empirical data, four main recommendations are made as an outcome of the study. Such recommendations include those that relate to the understanding and knowledge of the field, implications for practice and improving the existing policy documents that enhance the empowerment of principals in performing their instructional leadership roles more effectively in the secondary schools of the ARE. These recommendations are specifically aimed at policy-makers, school boards and/or community stakeholders, practitioners, as well as preparatory programmes for principals. The outcomes of the study provide useful insights to advance instructional leadership practices in not only Ethiopian secondary schools, but also in schools worldwide.

Palavras-chave : empowerment; empowerment process model; Ethiopia; context-specific problems; leadership behaviour; education leadership roles; performance; secondary schools; school principals.

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