This paper explores the perspectives of six contextually different primary and secondary school principals regarding the complexities, contradictions and benefits of ethical leadership practices. Underpinned by the interpretive research paradigm and chaos theory, a qualitative case study design was adopted to guide data generation. We used…

The purpose of the study was to analyze the support roles and responsibilities of Circuit Managers' (CM) as middle tier managers to principals during education change in South Africa. Change management theories were used as theoretical frameworks to underpin this study. Using semistructured individual interviews data was collected from four CM and…

Through the lens of the contextual intelligence theory, this article utilises previous empirical research studies as a base to support the application of professional discretion practices of public-school principals. The study focused in particular on the factors that influence or limit their use of professional discretion in their daily tasks. A…

Schools are under intense pressure to improve quality and achieve long-term educational outcomes. To improve education, schools' teaching and learning environments must be improved. This research evaluated the various leadership philosophies used in South African schools to improve teaching and learning. The study's qualitative methodology…

Religion not only promotes tolerance among societies with different backgrounds, but also serves to enhance human society. In contrast, however, religion is seen to be the cause of conflict and division around the world. Hence, it is crucial that schools handle the teaching of religion with greater care. This paper aims to share schools'…

Departmental Heads (DH) has huge responsibilities of heading phases, departments, and teaching of subjects. At the same time, they need to focus on their leadership and management tasks as senior teachers. The predicament of being a teacher and leader-manager is exacerbated by more expectations from the principals and school management teams…

Purpose: In the past decade, against increasing global inequality, higher education has grappled with increased demands for social justice, transformation and decolonisation. While a lot of research in South Africa has focused on the (im)possibilities of fostering racial, gendered, socio-economic and cultural change, the connection of such change…

The kernel of this paper was to investigate the state of intergenerational knowledge-sharing practices in a principals' professional learning community (PLC) at a selected South African education circuit. The paper was nested in a qualitative approach and the interpretivist paradigm. Deliberate and snowball sampling techniques were employed to…

School leadership matters. After teachers and teaching, school leadership is the most important determinant of learner achievement in school. Despite this, there is still uncertainty regarding what successfulschool leadership is and what successful school leaders do in non-Western contexts. In this mixed methods study I explored successful high…

This paper explores how transphobia is understood and responded to in South African schools. Drawing on qualitative data gathered from in-depth interviews with teachers, school managers, and TGD school-attending youth, the findings show that while there are minimal efforts to respond to and dismantle transphobia, school managers and teachers…

Worldwide, national educational authorities set curricular guidelines for schools to ensure implementation. Despite these measures, the translation of policies into school or classroom activities is rarely a smooth or complete process. South Africa has made significant and much-needed positive curriculum changes. However, effective curriculum…

Principals are faced with some frustrating situations from time to time in their line of duty in which they must make a variety of decisions affecting their students. This study argues that principals need to understand how to apply professional discretion in their practice and be accountable for their judgements and decisions to avoid the notion…

We propose and evaluate contractual- and Intellectual Property (IP) instruments in support of research collaboration partnerships between universities and the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME)-industry, and more specifically in the South African context. Interviews were conducted with executives from 11 South African originated SMME's in…

Monastic education has a rich history rooted in discipline, community, intellectual pursuits and spirituality. Every year, parents all over South Africa are posed with the question of selecting a school for their children. This article aims to evaluate the role of monastic educational principles in shaping the educational experiences within…

In this article, we examine the tension between external educational accountability demands and other [political] forces of interest and possible ways to ensure that schools can still succeed in performing their daily duties and achieving educational goals. We draw from interviews undertaken with school principals in South Africa. Our analysis…