Factors influencing teacher's aspirations to the principalship in Prince Edward Island schools
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Date
2015
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Publisher
University of New Brunswick
Abstract
For decades, principals have been recognized as important contributors to the
effectiveness of schools (Day, Harris, & Hadfield, 2001; Pullan, 2001, Leithwood, Patten
& Jantzi, 2010; Leithwood, Louis, & Anderson, 2012; Sebastian & Allensworth, 2012).
Over these same decades, the work of school administrators has changed dramatically as
a restructured system of governance and increased calls for accountability have resulted
in constant pressure to innovate, change, and work with community stakeholders (Horng,
Kalogrides, & Loeb, 2010; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2006; McLaughlin & Talbert, 2001).
As in many jurisdictions across the country and indeed the world, public
education in Prince Edward Island (PEI) faces leadership challenges. The limited quantity
and difficulty in identifying quality people interested in school leadership, in particular
the principalship, are major concerns. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
specific factors that impact on the principalship aspirations of teachers in PEI schools.
The qualitative methods for data collection employed in this intrinsic case study
included focus group interviews, one-on-one interviews with key respondents, and
information from relevant documents, and reflections drawn from my own experiences.
The conceptual framework, developed from the review of literature served as the guiding
and structural lens for the study. Data were collected from teachers, school administrators
and district leadership team members and were organized in three categories:
motivational, experiential and reluctance factors.
The data for this research clearly indicated that most teachers in PEI are reluctant
to apply to the principalship because of a perceived weakness in the required skills, a
perceived unsuitability for the position based on the requirements posted, and misalignment with their professional goals. This often manifests itself as a fear of the
unknown or a lack of confidence among teachers when they are contemplating the
principalship.