Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on New Trends in Teaching and Education
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Empowering Leadership Capacities of Novice Principals: A Prelude to Transformation in South African Schools
Dr. Sasere O.B, Matashu. M
ABSTRACT:
The South African educational landscape, marked by deep-seated disparities, calls for a nuanced approach to leadership development. Notably, as novice principals embark on their transformative journey from classroom to leadership, they encounter unique challenges necessitating specialized support and training. This conceptual article serves as a prelude to a comprehensive two-year postdoctoral project aimed at understanding and bolstering the capacities of novice principals in disadvantaged South African schools. Drawing on Heifetz and Linsky’s Adaptive Leadership Framework and Social Capital Theory, this prelude abstract lays the foundation for the upcoming research endeavour. It illuminates the critical need for tailored capacitation programs and highlights the influence of leadership training on novice principals’ effectiveness. This article introduces the project’s overarching mission: to bridge the gap between classroom teaching and school leadership, ultimately fostering positive change within disadvantaged schools. The forthcoming research will engage 24 purposefully selected novice principals, exploring their experiences, challenges, and capacitation needs through qualitative methods. By shedding light on these crucial aspects, this project aims to pave the way for a more inclusive and effective educational system in South Africa. Through this prelude conceptual article, we offer a glimpse into the transformative journey that novice principals and the educational system as a whole are poised to undertake. The insights gained from this project hold the potential to not only empower novice principals but also to catalyze broader positive shifts in South African education towards attaining optimum leadership and school effectiveness.
keywords: Novice Principals Disadvantaged Schools, Empowerment, Leadership Capacitation, South African Education