Exploring the beliefs and behaviors of effective headteachers in the government and non-government schools in Pakistan.
Published: 2005
Language: eng
Number of pages: 349
Subjects: High schools -- Pakistan -- Karachi.; High school principals -- Pakistan -- Larachi.; Educational leadership -- Pakistan -- Karachi.; Islamic education -- Pakistan -- Karachi.; Community and school -- Pakistan -- Karachi.; Community and school -- Pakistan -- Karachi.
Description: This study explored the roles, beliefs and behaviors of three reputationally effective secondary school headteachers in Karachi, Pakistan. It selected one head from each of three types of schools---government, community and independent, assuming that contextual factors will influence the nature of leadership. It particular, it explored the heads' roles, task management behavior and conceptions of effective leadership, and observed them enacting their roles in their daily school lives. The study also explored the key stakeholders' (e.g., teachers, students, parents and officials) perceptions of an effective headteacher in order to see how they view school leadership.The findings reveal that all three heads' beliefs and practices show similarity in a vision of providing an education balanced between Islamic teachings and values and modern, secular content and skills. As managers and leaders, the heads focused on building an environment conducive to better teaching and learning, enabling teacher development, and fostering productive relations within and outside the school. However, they differed in their rationale, understanding, strategies and application of these strategies, due largely to differences in their personal histories, specific beliefs and values, and organizational settings.The heads' and key stakeholders' images converged in a role of an effective head that I characterize as a "Prophetic Professional" having a dual role: "prophetic" in commitment to Islamic values and "professional" in playing the role of a good school leader in terms of instruction, management, and leadership. The prophetic professional aims to make sure that Islamic education and values are imparted, in conjunction with the modern secular academic knowledge. This dual leadership role derives from broader Islamic ideological and socio-cultural context of Pakistan.The enquiry collected data through qualitative research methods, including semi-structured interviews, discussions, non-participant observation, pre- and post observation discussions, informal conversations and analysis of relevant documents. Data also came from focus group discussions with key stakeholders: teachers, students and parents in each school. In addition, the researcher interviewed selected officials or governors related to each school, exploring their views and expectations of school heads and their effectiveness.
Notes: Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

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Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-06, Section: A, page: 2044.