This research study was carried out in order to gain an understanding of the experiences of women primary school heads, their perceptions of their roles as leaders, the challenges they face and how they dealt with them. The study focused on the lived experiences of five women in Zimbabwe's primary schools. Literature relating to the issues and experiences of women in educational leadership within school contexts and the conceptual framework is examined. The importance of leadership has been emphasised in the literature of school effectiveness. Leadership theories tended to emphasise measurability and effectiveness of leadership, oversimplifying the complexity of leadership phenomenon. These features reflect research approach adopted by researchers from a positivist orientation. This study is an in-depth qualitative study conducted along the lines suggested by a phenomenological-interpretivist design with emphasis on rich contextual detail, close attention to individual's lived experience and the bracketing of pre-conceived notions of the phenomenon. Views and experiences based on the participants' perspectives are described through in-depth interviews which were dialogical in nature. Through this approach, I managed to grasp the essences of the lived experiences of women The research highlights the women's perceptions of themselves as educational leaders. What emerges is the variety of approaches to handling challenges. My findings show a rich and diverse culture of creativity in the way participants adopted a problem-solving strategy, which is not reflected in the mainstream leadership. Though educational leadership emerges as a complex phenomenon, with alternative approaches to educational research, there is high potential for increased understanding of woman's leadership, its importance and implications for school. / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

The overall performance of secondary schools in Zimbabwe has been of grave concern to all stakeholders in education. Several reasons for this downward trend have been proffered but perhaps without getting to the bottom of the problem. Poor student achievement at ordinary level (O-level) in most schools, including schools that seem to have adequate facilities and qualified teachers, is experienced every year. The purpose of the study was to examine and explore the instructional leadership roles of the secondary school principal towards quality school improvement in Zimbabwean schools with specific reference to Harare and Mashonaland East provinces. The research methodology that was employed was the qualitative design drawing from case and ethnographic studies to collect data from the participants. A total of ten secondary schools, their heads, and fifty teachers from the same selected schools took part in the study. While parents were not directly involved in the study, the few that l came across during visits to schools were asked for their views as seen appropriate. The research instruments that were used included qualitative document analysis, interviews and qualitative observations. Each of the ten secondary schools was visited at least eight times for the purposes of collecting and verifying data. While field notes were made during visits, an audio tape was used during interviews in order to capture what was said word for word. The results indicate that for effective instructional leadership that improve quality of schools, heads needed to exercise both instructional and managerial roles effectively. However, the findings of the study indicated that heads tended to concentrate on managerial roles and performed instructional roles indirectly although these have a direct focus on quality school improvement. School principals in the study spent a lot of their time outside the school attending meetings called for by District and Provincial Education officials and other activities that did not seem to directly impact on quality school improvement. Instructional leadership is about spending a lot of time with teachers and students in the school and in particular in classrooms, among other things. As a result, teachers in the study lacked motivation and greatly missed opportunities to be assisted by the ‘’head teacher’’ which would translate to teacher growth and development and ultimately, school improvement. Instructional leadership was relegated to heads of departments. Heads attributed their failure to perform instructional tasks to lack of appropriate interventions to improve their leadership roles, too many meetings and too much paper work which they felt needed to be reduced so that they could be able to focus on instructional leadership tasks. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The overall performance of secondary schools in Zimbabwe has been of grave concern to all stakeholders in education. Several reasons for this downward trend have been proffered but perhaps without getting to the bottom of the problem. Poor student achievement at ordinary level (O-level) in most schools, including schools that seem to have adequate facilities and qualified teachers, is experienced every year. The purpose of the study was to examine and explore the instructional leadership roles of the secondary school principal towards quality school improvement in Zimbabwean schools with specific reference to Harare and Mashonaland East provinces. The research methodology that was employed was the qualitative design drawing from case and ethnographic studies to collect data from the participants. A total of ten secondary schools, their heads, and fifty teachers from the same selected schools took part in the study. While parents were not directly involved in the study, the few that l came across during visits to schools were asked for their views as seen appropriate. The research instruments that were used included qualitative document analysis, interviews and qualitative observations. Each of the ten secondary schools was visited at least eight times for the purposes of collecting and verifying data. While field notes were made during visits, an audio tape was used during interviews in order to capture what was said word for word. The results indicate that for effective instructional leadership that improve quality of schools, heads needed to exercise both instructional and managerial roles effectively. However, the findings of the study indicated that heads tended to concentrate on managerial roles and performed instructional roles indirectly although these have a direct focus on quality school improvement. School principals in the study spent a lot of their time outside the school attending meetings called for by District and Provincial Education officials and other activities that did not seem to directly impact on quality school improvement. Instructional leadership is about spending a lot of time with teachers and students in the school and in particular in classrooms, among other things. As a result, teachers in the study lacked motivation and greatly missed opportunities to be assisted by the ‘’head teacher’’ which would translate to teacher growth and development and ultimately, school improvement. Instructional leadership was relegated to heads of departments. Heads attributed their failure to perform instructional tasks to lack of appropriate interventions to improve their leadership roles, too many meetings and too much paper work which they felt needed to be reduced so that they could be able to focus on instructional leadership tasks. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The central aim of this study was to investigatethe role of principals in the implementation of polytechnic curriculum effectiveness strategy (PCS) in Zimbabwe. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine and evaluate the role and strategic leadership skills of polytechnic principals in the development of PCS, understand the challenges faced by polytechnic principals in the development and implementation of PCS, investigate the extent to which principals provide lecturers with opportunities to enhance their teaching skills through professional development and derive a suitable model to be used in drafting and implementing PCS. The main research question which this study sought to answer was, „What is the role played by strategic leadership in the implementation of polytechnic curriculum effectiveness strategy?‟ In an attempt to realise that end, a mixed method research design was used to collect data, making use of questionnaires and interviews. The participants included 5 polytechnic principals, 123 lecturers, 77 students and 9 company training managers. The participants were selected through purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques drawn from five polytechnics selected for the study. The findings suggest that most polytechnic principals are rendered ineffective in implementing the PCS. Though the principals have a sound theoretical knowledge of their roles, they however experience a litany of practical impediments. These barriers include, inter alia, lack of curricula knowledge in the currere approach, action research, Basil Bernstein‟s and Paulo Freire‟s pedagogical discourses and reconceptualisation of curriculum, shortage of relevant instructional resources and poorly evaluated polytechnic curriculum, low level of staff incentive, training and development. Two systemic impediments in the principals‟ role of implementing PCS are: lack of autonomy in crafting and implementing PCS and lack consensus between Curriculum Research and Development Unit (CRADU) and National Manpower Advisory Council (NAMACO) in crafting policies on curriculum standards. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The central aim of this study was to investigatethe role of principals in the implementation of polytechnic curriculum effectiveness strategy (PCS) in Zimbabwe. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine and evaluate the role and strategic leadership skills of polytechnic principals in the development of PCS, understand the challenges faced by polytechnic principals in the development and implementation of PCS, investigate the extent to which principals provide lecturers with opportunities to enhance their teaching skills through professional development and derive a suitable model to be used in drafting and implementing PCS. The main research question which this study sought to answer was, „What is the role played by strategic leadership in the implementation of polytechnic curriculum effectiveness strategy?‟ In an attempt to realise that end, a mixed method research design was used to collect data, making use of questionnaires and interviews. The participants included 5 polytechnic principals, 123 lecturers, 77 students and 9 company training managers. The participants were selected through purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques drawn from five polytechnics selected for the study. The findings suggest that most polytechnic principals are rendered ineffective in implementing the PCS. Though the principals have a sound theoretical knowledge of their roles, they however experience a litany of practical impediments. These barriers include, inter alia, lack of curricula knowledge in the currere approach, action research, Basil Bernstein‟s and Paulo Freire‟s pedagogical discourses and reconceptualisation of curriculum, shortage of relevant instructional resources and poorly evaluated polytechnic curriculum, low level of staff incentive, training and development. Two systemic impediments in the principals‟ role of implementing PCS are: lack of autonomy in crafting and implementing PCS and lack consensus between Curriculum Research and Development Unit (CRADU) and National Manpower Advisory Council (NAMACO) in crafting policies on curriculum standards. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

In this study, the researcher aimed to investigate and explore the instructional leadership role of the high school head in creating a culture of teaching and learning (COTL), with specific reference to high schools in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. In an attempt to realise that end, a qualitative approach drawing from ethnographic studies was used to collect data. Therefore, the research instruments included qualitative observations, individual and focus group interviews and document analysis. The participants included five high school heads, ten heads of departments (HODs), ten assistant teachers, and twenty five parents. These were drawn from the five high schools selected for the study. The main findings of the study are that a model for effective instructional leadership aimed at creating a culture of teaching and learning (COTL) consists of long-term and short-term dimensions. The long-term instructional leadership dimension comprises: visioning, communication of the school vision, value management, professional development of staff, and empowerment. The short-term instructional leadership dimension comprises of characteristics of the instructional leader, characteristics of the followers and characteristics of the situation. Characteristics of the instructional leader include his or her perception of stakeholders, task or people orientation, personality, knowledge and experience, value system and trust in followers. Characteristics of the followers include their readiness to take responsibility, motivation to excel, knowledge and experience. Characteristics of the situation include the school climate and culture, relationships among members of the school community, structuring of tasks, availability of human and material resources, and the use of incentives. The effective application of the instructional leadership model for effective practice by the high school head as the instructional leader in creating a culture of teaching and learning (COTL) takes into account both the long-term and short-term dimensions of effective instructional leadership in order to achieve meaningful educational change. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

In this study, the researcher aimed to investigate and explore the instructional leadership role of the high school head in creating a culture of teaching and learning (COTL), with specific reference to high schools in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. In an attempt to realise that end, a qualitative approach drawing from ethnographic studies was used to collect data. Therefore, the research instruments included qualitative observations, individual and focus group interviews and document analysis. The participants included five high school heads, ten heads of departments (HODs), ten assistant teachers, and twenty five parents. These were drawn from the five high schools selected for the study. The main findings of the study are that a model for effective instructional leadership aimed at creating a culture of teaching and learning (COTL) consists of long-term and short-term dimensions. The long-term instructional leadership dimension comprises: visioning, communication of the school vision, value management, professional development of staff, and empowerment. The short-term instructional leadership dimension comprises of characteristics of the instructional leader, characteristics of the followers and characteristics of the situation. Characteristics of the instructional leader include his or her perception of stakeholders, task or people orientation, personality, knowledge and experience, value system and trust in followers. Characteristics of the followers include their readiness to take responsibility, motivation to excel, knowledge and experience. Characteristics of the situation include the school climate and culture, relationships among members of the school community, structuring of tasks, availability of human and material resources, and the use of incentives. The effective application of the instructional leadership model for effective practice by the high school head as the instructional leader in creating a culture of teaching and learning (COTL) takes into account both the long-term and short-term dimensions of effective instructional leadership in order to achieve meaningful educational change. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Text in English, abstract in English, Zulu and Sepedi / The education system in Zimbabwe has experienced a wide range of educational reforms and technological changes since the last half of the 20th century. These changes have resulted in a significant expansion of the duties and responsibilities that school heads are expected to perform in schools. Despite these changes, there has not been a comprehensive training programme meant to prepare newly promoted secondary school heads for the daunting task of school leadership in Zimbabwe. The study sought to examine the perceptions of stakeholders regarding management development programmes (MDPs) for beginning secondary school heads (BSSHs). The study employed the descriptive case study approach based on a qualitative research design. A total of 28 participants were initially selected for the study but only 27 took part. The participants comprised five BSSHs, five practising secondary school heads, four deputy heads and 10 senior teachers who were drawn from 10 selected secondary schools in Zaka district. Three school inspectors from the district education office in Zaka district also took part. The participants were purposively sampled using the maximum variation sampling approach to account for the differences of their professional categories. Individual semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the BSSHs, practising secondary school heads and school inspectors, while focus group interviews were used to collect data from deputy heads and senior teachers. A review of relevant documentary sources such as vacancy announcement circulars, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) training and development policy and policy circulars from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) was also undertaken. The findings indicated that there was a need for a management development programme that would equip newly promoted school heads with the relevant technical skills and competencies that would enable them to provide sound leadership to schools. The study established that BSSHs required knowledge and skills in financial management, instructional leadership, general administration, ICT, policy issues, human resources management, community relations, documentation and asset management. / Uhlelo lwezemfundo eZimbabwe seluhlangabenzane nezinkinga ezinkulu ezimayelana nezinguquko kwezemfundo kanye noshintsho kwezobuchwepheshe kusukela kuyisigamu sokugcina sekhulu leminyaka engama-20. Lezi zinguquko ziholele ekwandisweni okuphawulekayo kwemisebenzi kanye nezibopho okumele othishanhloko ezikolweni bayifeze. Ngaphandle kwalezinguquko, akukaze kwabakhona uhlelo lokuqeqesha olunzulu olulungiselela othishanhloko abasanda kuthola izikhundla ezintsha kulomsebenzi onzima wokuhola eZimbabwe. Isifundo sizohlola sibheke imibono yamadlelandawonye mayelana neZinhlelo Zokuthuthukisa Ukuphatha kwalabothishanhloko bezikole zamabanga aphezulu abasafufuza. Isifundo sizosebenzisa ucwaningo lwesifundo esichazayo olwakhelwe phezulu kocwaningo lokuklama oluphathelene nesimo. Kuye kwakhethwa abantu abangamashumi amabili nesishiyagalombili (28) kodwa babe ngamashumi amabili nesikhombisa (27) kuphela abaye babamba iqhaza. Abantu ababambe iqhaza behlise obekuhloswe ngalabothishanhloko abahlanu (5) bezikole zamabanga aphezulu abasafufuza, othishanhloko abahlanu (5) asebekhona kulo mkhakha emabangeni aphezulu, amaphini kathishanhloko yesikole amane (4), othisha abasezingeni lokuphatha ngokwesikhathi asebe sisebenzile abaqokwe ezikolweni zamabanga aphezulu abayishumi (10) abakhethwe ezikolweni zamabanga aphezulu kuyisifunda sakwaZaka. Abahloli bezikole abathathu ababuya kuyisifunda somnyango wezemfundo kuso isifunda sakwaZaka nabo babamba iqhaza. Abantu ababambe iqhaza basampulwe ngenhloso ethile lapho kusetshenziswe indlela ephezulu yokuhluka kwesampuli ukuze kuphendulwe ngokuhluka ngokwezigaba zabo zemfundo. Izinhlolokhono ezihleliwe zomuntu ngamunye ziye zasetshenziswa ukuqoqa ulwazi kothishanhloko bezikole bamabanga aphezulu abasafufuza, othishanhloko asebekhona kulo mkhakha emabangeni aphezulu kanye nabahloli bezikole kwase kuthi izinhlolokhono zamaqembu zasetshenziselwa ukuqoqa ulwazi kumaphini onhloko bezikole nakothisha abasezingeni lokuphatha ngokwesikhathi asebe sisebenzile abaqokwe ezikolweni zamabanga aphezulu. Kuye kwabuyekezwa imibhalo yamaphepha efanele efana namasekhula amemezela izikhala zomsebenzi, iKhomishani Yomsebenzi Womphakathi yokuqeqeshwa nenqubomgomo yokuthuthukiswa kanye nenqubomgomo yamasekhula asuka kuNgqongqoshe weMfundo yamabanga Aphansi nawaPhezulu. Kuye kwatholakala ukuthi kunesidingo sezinhlelo zokuthuthukisa ukuphatha ezizohlomisa othishanhloko abasandukunyuselwa kulezi zikhundla ngamakhono afanele ezobuchwepheshe anamandla azobasiza ukuba babengabaholi abaqotho ezikolweni. Isifundo siye sathola ukuthi othishanhloko bezikole bamabanga aphezulu abasafufuza badinga ulwazi namakhono ngokuphathwa kwezimali, ubuholi obuqotho bokufundisa, ukuphathwa kwamabhuku jikelele, Ulwazi Lwezobuchwepheshe Kwezokuxhumana (ICT), okuphathelene nengqubomgomo, ukuphathwa kwabantu, ubudlelwano nomphakathi, kanye nokuphathwa kwemibhalo nempahla. / Peakanyo ya thuto go la Zimbabwe e itemogetše dimpshafatšo tša thuto le diphetogo tša theknolotši tše di fapanego go tloga nakong ya seripagare sa mafelelo sa ngwagakgolo wa bo20. Diphetogo tše di hlotše koketšo ye kgolo ya ditshwanelo le boikarabelo tšeo dihlogo tša dikolo di letelwago go di phethagatša dikolong. Ka ntle ga diphetogo tše, go bile le lenaneo la tlhahlo leo le feleletšego leo le diretšwego go beakanyetša dihlogo tša dikolo tše mpsha tšeo di sa tšogo godišwa go tlo lebana le modiro wo o tšhošago wa boetapele bja dikolo ka Zimbabwe. Thutelo e nyaka go hlahloba dikgopolo tša batho bao ba nago le dikgahlego malebana le mananeo a tlhabollo ya bolaodi (diMDP) a dihlogo tša dikolo tša sekontari tše di thomago (diBSSH). Thutelo e latetše mokgwatebelelo wa ditlhalošo wa nyakišišo ye e dirilwego ka ga tiragalo wo o theilwego go tlhako ya nyakišišo ka go utolla mokgwa wa bophelo bja setšhaba se itšeng. Palomoka ya batšeakarolo ba 28 e kgethilwe pele go thutelo eupša ba 27 ba tšere karolo. Batšeakarolo e be e le diBSSH tše tlhano, dihlogo tša dikolo tša sekontari tše tlhano tšeo di lego modirong, bathušahlogo ba bane le barutišibagolo ba 10 bao ba tšerwego dikolong tša sekontari tšeo di kgethilwego seleteng sa Zaka. Bahlahlobi ba dikolo ba bararo go tšwa ofising ya selete ya thuto ka seleteng sa Zaka le bona ba tšere karolo. Batšeakarolo ba kgethilwe ka maikemišetšo bjalo ka disampolo ka go diriša mokgwatebelelo wa maksimamo wa go tšea disampolo ka go fapana go hlaloša lebaka la diphapang ka go magoro a bona a diprofešene. Ditherišano tša motho a nnoši tša dipotšišo tšeo di sa latelego lenaneo leo le itšeng di dirišitšwe go kgoboketša datha go tšwa go diBSSH, dihlogo tša dikolo tša sekontari tšeo di lego mošomong le bahlahlobi ba dikolo, mola ditherišano tša dihlopha tšeo di nepišitšwego di dirišitšwe go kgoboketša datha ye e hweditšwego go batlatšadihlogo le barutišibagolo. Tekolo ya methopo ya maleba ya kanegelo ya ditiragalo go swana le mangwalophatlalatšwa, molaotshepetšo wa tlhahlo le tlhabollo wa Khomišene ya Mešomo ya Mmušo (CSC) le mangwalophatlalatšwa a melaotshepetšo go tšwa go Kgoro ya tona ya Thuto ya Praemari le Sekontari (MoPSE) le yona e phathagaditšwe. Dikhwetšo di šupile gore go bile le tlhokego ya lenaneo la tlhabollo ya bolaodi leo le tlo fago dihlogo tše mpsha tšeo di sa tšwago go godišwa mabokgoni le botsebi tša sethekniki tša maleba tšeo di tlo ba kgontšhago go phethagatša boetapele bjo bo kwagalago bja dikolong. Thutelo e utollotše gore diBSSH di be di nyaka tsebo le mabokgoni tšeo di nyakegago go bolaodi bja matšeleng, boetapele go tša dithuto, / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Phil. (Education Management)