Terblanche, Marietha (2012-12)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The greatest challenge facing the Head of Department is how to successfully manage change. Since 1994 a plethora of changes have taken place in Education. Increasingly schools are being held responsible for every aspect of education. The department is the most appropriate and most important unit for change to provide sustaining quality teaching to learners. The Head of Department is the key to the development of a department or phase at school level. The responsibility of the Head of Department is to develop staff members and to ensure that learners are exposed quality teaching and learning. The Head of Department finds himself/herself in a unique position in that he/she is both a manager of managers and a leader of leaders. The HOD is seen as the driving force of the improvement of the learning process at school. The need for distributed leadership is clear because of the complexity of the management of a school. More staff members are required to lead and the extension of leadership leads to the development of educators.
The aim of the study was to analyse and describe what the role of the distributed leadership style of the HOD plays in the development educators and the provision of sustainable quality teaching to all learners. I wanted to determine how educators and the HOD experience the distributed leadership style and to determine if the it enables the HOD to carry out the expected duties using this leadership style. I wanted to determine the appropriateness of distributed leadership and to explore the challenges in the execution of this leadership style by the HOD.
The roles and responsibilities of the HOD and the accompanying challenges with the implementation of a distributed leadership style were explored. The experiences, interpretation and the perspectives of the HOD and the educators of the Head of Department’s distributed leadership style were analysed and described. The problem was investigated on the basis of the Head of Department and teachers’ personal experiences and opinions. The result will be of a descriptive, interpretive and analytical nature. The study had a qualitative perspective in the research approach and the research methods were used within an interpretative framework. The research methods that I used in this study were conceptual analysis and interviews. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The research findings generally indicated that with more distributed leadership style educators within the department or phase are given an opportunity to make contributions, to develop and to grow in self-confidence. Staff development is visible in the department to deal with the complexity of the education profession. Distributed leadership offers growth and development opportunities for individuals and the department to provide sustainable quality teaching to all learners.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die grootste uitdaging vir die departementshoof is om verandering suksesvol te bestuur. Vele veranderinge in die onderwysberoep het sedert 1994 plaasgevind. Skole word al hoe meer verantwoordelik gehou vir elke aspek van opvoeding. Die departement is die belangrikste en gepaste eenheid vir verandering om volhoubare gehalte onderrig aan alle leerders te verskaf. Die departementshoof is die sleutel tot die ontwikkeling van ‘n suksesvolle departement en ‘n skool. Die departementshoof het die taak om die personeel te ontwikkel en kwaliteit onderrig en leer te verseker aan die leerders. Die departementshoof word blootgestel aan vele uitdagings om kwaliteit onderrig en leer te verseker. Die departementshoof bevind hom in ‘n unieke posisie dat hy ‘n bestuurder van bestuurders is en ‘n leier van leiers is. Die departementshoof word gesien as die dryfveer en dus die sleutel tot die verbetering van die leerproses by die skool. Die behoefte vir deelnemende leierskap is sigbaar weens die kompleksiteit van die bestuur van ‘n skool, meer personeellede word benodig en die verspreiding van leierskap lei tot die ontwikkeling van opvoeders.
Die doel van die studie was om die rol wat die deelnemende leierskapstyl speel vir die departementshoof om opvoeders te ontwikkel om volhoubare gehalte onderrig te verskaf aan alle leerders te analiseer en beskryf. Ek wou vasstel hoe die opvoeders en die departementshoof die deelnemende leierskapstyl ervaar en die departementshoof instaat is om verwagte pligte uit te voer met ‘n deelnemende leierskapstyl. Ek wou die geskiktheid van die deelnemende leierskapstyl bepaal en die uitdagings in die uitvoering van die deelnemende leierskapstyl deur die departementshoof verken.
Die pligte en rolle van die departementshoof en die gepaardgaande uitdagings met die uitleef van ‘n deelnemende leierskapstyl is verken. Die departementshoof en opvoeders se belewenisse, interpretasie en hul perspektief van die departementshoof se deelnemende leierskapstyl is geanaliseer en beskryf. Die probleem is ondersoek aan die hand van die departementshoof en opvoeders se persoonlike ervarings en opinies. Die resultaat sal beskrywend, interpreterend en ontledend van aard wees. Die navorsingstudie het ‘n kwalitatiewe perspektief beslaan in die navorsingsbenadering en navorsingsmetodes gebruik binne ‘n interpretatiewe raamwerk. Die navorsingsmetode wat ek in hierdie studie gebruik het, was konseptuele analise en onderhoude. Data is versamel deur semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude. Die navorsingsbevindinge het in die algemeen daarop gedui dat met ‘n deelnemende leierskapstyl die opvoeders van die departement geleentheid gegee word om ‘n bydrae te maak, te ontwikkel en te groei in selfvertroue. Personeelontwikkeling is sigbaar in die departement om die kompleksiteit van die onderwys-professie te hanteer. Deelnemende leierskap bied groei en ontwikkelings-geleenthede vir die indiwidu en die departement om volhoubare gehalte onderrig aan alle leerders te verskaf.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/71811