Management and leadership complexities and challenges for principals in Victorian government secondary schools
Creators: name: Jang, Su Jung
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 350707
subject: Leadership
classificationCode: 390201
subject: Education policy

description: In the context of a devolved system of decision-making and management of Australian schools, particularly in Victoria, and increased demands imposed by national testing and public accountability, the roles and responsibilities of school principals have become more complex. The reliance on on-the-job training without compulsory preparatory programs for principals and the heavy workload rendered the role of a principal less favourable as a career. Further, concerns about school principalship extend to student achievement and outcome as there is sufficient evidence that school leadership can have a positive influence on improving student learning. Victoria has the most devolved education system in Australia yet is the second-lowest funded state or territory for government secondary education. In Victoria, secondary school student performance gleaned from the Programme of International Student Assessment has been either stagnant or declining.

Given this context, the focus was narrowed to leadership and management complexities and challenges experienced by principals became the focus of this present study in the Victorian government secondary education context. These challenges were explored by situating the challenges within the transformational school leadership model and a combination of formal and collegial models of management.

This study explored specific leadership and management challenges faced by principals in the Victorian government secondary school context and potential assistance they need to better support their role. In this qualitative study, eight Victorian government secondary school principals were recruited, and the research questions were explored via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the principals. The data were analysed using `Six Phases of Thematic Analysis' and as well as analytical tactics from Miles, Huberman and Saldaña's approach to qualitative data analysis.

The results showed that leadership challenges were found in establishing, changing and maintaining school culture and in inspiring staff and students, where other variables adversely impacted on the principal's leadership practice. In terms of management challenges, finance and budget, building and facility, occupational health and safety, compliance and accountability, workload, staff management, and legal matters presented difficulties for the principals. Inflexibility, complexity, lack of effective delegation and a heavy workload were particularly relevant to their challenges.

The interviewed principals expressed a considerable need for further support from the Department of Education and Training. The suggested initiatives were in emotional support, funding, centralisation of specific tasks and support for mentorship and training, and a more manageable pace of educational reform.

The specific nature and details of these challenges presented different perspectives and subtleties. They made original contributions to the body of literature in this field, given the paucity of research concerning challenges of principalship, specifically in the secondary schools in the Victorian government education sector.