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Leadership succession planning is an important strategy, not only when a school is considered effective, but also for sustaining future effectiveness. This research examines the importance of more systematic leadership succession planning for the schools of the Sisters of St Paul of Chartres (SPC) Congregation in Thailand. The study includes a critical review of the relevant literature and the analysis emphasises the distinctiveness of the school leadership in a Catholic school as compared with state secular schools. The empirical research was conducted in Thailand and the UK, with samples of six experienced Principals, eight new Principals, eight Aspirant Principals, five experienced SPC Teachers and three UK Programme Directors of MA Catholic leadership. A qualitative research approach using interview and focus groups interview discussion was employed. Analysis of the field work data demonstrates the key themes in any future leadership programme need to include (a) a systematic programme of mentoring (in theory and practice), (b) an emphasis upon the importance of mission integrity and of the concepts of servant leadership and ( c) the development of discernment capacity in those preparing for leadership. It also demonstrated that Catholic values and the values of the culture of Thailand have to be carefully appreciated. The study concludes with various practice and policy suggestions for implementing a new form of leadership succession planning in the SPC Congregation in the future.

This thesis examines how primary headteachers experience, and talk about, emotion and meaning in their daily interactions, and sets out to understand further how the affective impacts on their leadership. It presents a reflective journey into the affective world of the primary headteacher, concentrating on the personal side of headship. It argues that primary headship is reliant on the personal emotional quality of the headteacher, and at the same time a quality of the social relationships in the school. By using an iterative process, the research argues that emotion and leadership are closely tied together, and this is of crucial importance in creating, modifying and sustaining both the headteacher and the emotional coherence of the whole school. The research draws on the headteachers’ own reflections on emotions as well as the influence of their life history, school context and emotional epiphanies. The affective is examined firstly by exploring the literature outside the educational leadership and management field that deals with emotion. This leads to an examination of the metaphor of emotional textures. Then, using qualitative methodology, this metaphor is used to discuss and draw upon on a small-scale study of primary headteachers to discuss the reality in the mind of the participants. Observation is then used as an analytical tool to develop understanding of the need for emotional coherence in primary school headship. The concept of a personal leadership narrative is developed to show not only that an individual’s complexity is not adequately served by competency approaches to emotion, but also that primary school headship is a complex synergy of emotion and leadership. Finally, the implications of the findings for adding to leadership theory and practice are discussed.

The research enquiry for this thesis, from an insider/outsider position, is a deeply held reflection of personal values, convictions and professional experiences stemming from the researcher's life's work in school leadership both in the United States and abroad. The intent of this study is to engage with the sacred discourse of evangelical Christian school leaders and the discourse of the sacred and secular scholarly literature. This is a qualitative study of a constructivist/interpretivist approach where sem1- structured interviews, with 12 senior school leaders, four in each of three Anglophone countries, inform the data. A more in-depth case study of one school is utilised as a comprehensive illustration of thematic elements revealed through multiple data sources. The preliminary literature for this research was based on the readings of various contemporary theories of leadership and literature around servant-leadership from which the initial research question was framed. As the data analysis advanced, a new framework emerged around attributes of leadership and community building through leadership, making it imperative to accommodate a new set of transformational/relational/ethical literature, taking the story on a completely different journey with a new research question and sub-questions; therefore, leaving behind the initial research question. Two descriptors of leadership became the primary framework for the thesis: the 'sacred' and the 'secular' discourses relating to school leadership. Standing in the doorway, as it were, the researcher took on a role of interpreting and translating one discourse to the other rather than acting solely as observer and interpreter of the data. The findings, the utilisation of two discourses, and the interpretive stance make a positive and original contribution to knowledge and are significant in two ways. First, the participants, speaking through the sacred discourse, express an extension to or linkage with the secular literature, revealing much more overlap between the two discourses than was expected. Second, the secular literature does not capture the sacred discourse; there is an appurtenance - an add-on - a more spiritual dimension, to consider.

Through the medium of three in-depth case-studies in primary schools in different urban areas, this thesis undertakes a critical analysis of how the governors in these settings undertook the process of recruiting and selecting a headteacher. Headteachers have a potentially crucial role to play in creating educational success. This is particularly important in schools in challenging urban contexts where there is an urgent need to raise the pupils' levels of educational achievement. Yet responsibility for the appointment of headteachers resides with individual schools' governing bodies. School governors are most frequently lay-people and are volunteers. They may therefore lack the time and expertise to undertake each stage of the headteacher recruitment and selection process effectively The findings from this study show that the enactment of the process is not a simple matter of policy implementation. It is a social activity which is shaped by governors' individual and collective knowledge, experiences and expectations. The findings also show that the wide range of factors that comprise a school's context influence the way in which the process is enacted. From these findings, elements of effective practice are identified. These are used to create a 'Programme of Readiness' which is shown to be an important precursor to the headteacher recruitment and selection process. The identified elements are also used to generate the ingredients of an 'Effective Practice Model' for urban schools. This is not designed to be a prescriptive model. Rather, its purpose is to guide governors' thinking towards creating a model to suit their own unique context from elements of practice that were shown to be effective and in compliance with the relevant legislation. To conclude, implications for policy and for future research are discussed.

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In this study the problem concerning the contingency approach to the managerial tasks of the Black high school principal was investigated by means of literature study, interviews and observations. As a result the problems and challenges facing the Black principal were identified. The managerial tasks of the principal in the South Africa of the l 990's were identified and defined. It became clear that these tasks are performed under changing situational contingencies. The contingency approach, its basis, what it entails and its importance in the RSA of today was described. When the contingency approach was related to the managerial tasks, it became clear that under one set of circumstances one type of leadership style is effective. Interviews and observations were conducted in certain schools and with certain principals. Research findings revealed that the Black high school principal should be flexible in the face of many contingencies facing him. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)