School Principals’ Views on Administration Work, Their “Frequent Turnover” and Its Effects on Their Work

As a school administrator, an educational leader promotes a significant influence on the effectiveness of their school and the achievement of their students. Effective principals understand the core purpose of schools and have the capacity to develop and shape a compelling vision that sets the direction for their school and guides their practice. They also support and monitor the learning and growth of effective teachers that fosters powerful teaching and learning for all students (Education & Training, 2016; Fullan, 2003). In addition to being the leader of a school, the principal is also expected to be a visionary and an innovator who predicts the educational challenges of the future and creates innovative ways to meet them (Apple, 2005; Deem & Brehony, 2005; Hall, 2005; Kaljunen, 2011; Rinne, Jarvinen, Tikkanen, & Aro, 2015; Thomson, 2001). The process of their selection and employment has been discussed heavily in many countries as well as in Turkey. Research suggests that some practices are implemented to select the best candidate. Among all the selection approaches, interviews are the most widely one, which consist of obtaining more information about a candidate from their responses to preestablished questions (Gatewood, Feild, & Barrick, 2008; Lin, 2013). For a more effective and accurate interview, the interviewers who are selected for the panel should represent demographic diversity to minimize unwanted bias. Another way is to use interview panels, which develop multiple dimensions for each interview question can help maintain the validity level (Ployhart, Schneider, & Schmitt, 2006). A further selection method is competency-based selection system, which is based on candidates' performance. It is relatively used rarely in education (Steiner & Hassel, 2011). Anderson (1988) claims that an applicant's level and range of competency can help determine an applicant's level and range of competency. Their technical leadership, human leadership ability, educational leadership, symbolic leadership, cultural leadership and community criterion qualities may help their performance while administering a school (Education & Training, 2016). In addition to traditional requirements, Amy (1988) proposes that personal qualities must also be given consideration while selecting principals. As to this, they should be determined, creative, and enthusiastic-willing and able to confront problems and seek out opportunities to inspire their school communities toward beneficial change. Anderson (1988) also suggests a full-time internship (six months to one year) as an assistant principal before becoming real-life administrative situations. Long-term internships also enable both parties in the selection process to make a more informed decision. In the selection process, a trained, diverse team should consider information gathered from many sources and ask every candidate "the same, predetermined, and well-thought-out questions. In this regard, it would also be beneficial to broaden the search committee to include parents, teachers, students, and community members, and circulating surveys for input on desirable principal traits. This gives a sense of participation in the selection of a new principal. NASSP (2016) recommends that principals should engage in activities designed to simulate typical school situations. These exercises include leaderless groups, fact-finding, stress tests, and personal interviews. Since they practice a very important role at their schools, selecting and employing a new principal can significantly affect the vitality and student achievement rates of a school (Clifford, 2010). Therefore, choosing an effective school principal is one of the most important decisions that the ministry or school board can make (Elmore & Burney, 2000). However, research shows that many principals leave their posts after less than five years, which creates a lot of problems for educational system.Administrators' TurnoverFor more than three decades, in the field of educational administration there has been intensifying interest in the problem of educational change (Fullan, 2003). …