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The role of a school principal is complex and multidimensional, and is pivotal to the success of an educational institution. It is widely recognised by researchers that the effectiveness of a principal depends on his or her ability to be a strategic thinker, create and share knowledge, build relationships, be flexible, embrace a sense of efficacy and nurture the development of organisational capacity. Through a self-reflexive, autoethnographic methodology I examine my ‘self’ as the person in the principal’s office within the unique socio-cultural context of a rural school for the Deaf. Through a process of narrative inquiry and reflective analysis, I explore the first steps in my leadership journey, my engagement with instructional leadership in all its complexity, and my quest for quality outcomes for Deaf learners. This autoethnography raised multiple levels of consciousness about my identity, my lived experiences as a school leader and the school as an institution. Through the interrogation of my leadership enactments key themes have emerged that have implications for the professional development of school leaders. I came to understand that my identity as a leader evolves continuously and that my leadership practices are negotiated and renegotiated in context. Thus, my identity as a leader is situated and produced simultaneously in many different contexts, events, and by different agents for diverse purposes My study highlights that leadership is not merely the act of an individual but is embedded in a complex, unpredictable, non-linear interplay of various interacting influences. Leaders are social actors who need to be able to examine critically their own subjectivities, subject positions and the discourses that shape their actions. Leadership is the site for continuous, ongoing processes of learning, and organisations have the potential to be dynamic, interactive and adaptive systems, reinforcing the notion of the enabling leader. Therefore, leadership development programmes should enable leaders to understand that their actions and practice are socially and culturally situated, and that schools are complex dynamic, adaptive systems. / Ph. D. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This reflexive narrative traces the development of the author’s authentic leadership fingerprint. The document outlines the author’s developmental journey from the streets of North-End in Port Elizabeth, to the boardroom tables of major telecommunications organisations in Africa, Continental United States and Europe. Utilising autoethnography as a vehicle of enquiry, the author relates his life story, with a specific focus on significant trigger events, individuals who had a positive or negative influence on the development of his world view; and the dynamic of a racially reclassified family living in Apartheid-era South Africa. The author recounts specific incidents and reflects upon significant learnings that continue to influence his leadership style as corporate manager today. The author concludes with a reflection of the transformative power of the autoethnographic process and it’s potential use as a leadership development tool, before defining an authentic leadership fingerprint that is unique to his management style. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie persoonlik reflekterende dokument weerspieël hoe die deurlopende ontwikkeling en persoonlike groei van die outeur se leierseienskappe verfyn is deur sy lewenservaringe en ondervinding. Die roete wat die outeur in sy persoonlike omstandighede moes onderneem om die oorbrugging, vanuit Port Elizabeth se noordelike voorstede, tot in die beheer van vergaderings in raadsale van een van Suid-Afrika, die VSA asook Europa se voorste telekommunikasiespelers te bemeester. Met behulp van outoetnografie, koppel en vereenselwig die outeur die ontwikkeling van sy lewensverhaal met spesifieke gebeurtenisse, positief sowel as negatief, asook met die individue wat ‘n moontlike impak gehad het op sy uitkyk op die lewe sowel as die leierseienskappe wat die outeur vandag in sy daaglikse lewe so suksesvol weerspieël en implimenteer. Die dokument raak ook aan die historiese rasse klassifikasie en apartheidswette van Suid-Afrika en watter impak dit op die outeur se familielewe asook persoonlike opvoeding en ontwikkeling gehad het. Die proporsionele bydrae van hierdie eksterne insette soos vergestalt deur staatsregulasies en diskriminasie word bespreek met spesifieke verwysing na die invloed wat dit gehad het op die ontwikkeling van die outeur as leier en watter impak dit moontlik kon gehad het met verwysing tot die outeur as leier en bestuurder soos wat spanlede en mense in sy daaglikse lewe hom ervaar. Die outeur sluit af met ‘n oorsig gefokus op die moontlike impak wat ‘n outoetnografie proses op verandering in ‘n werkshoedanigheid kan hê met betrekking tot die moontlike insluiting in die leierskap onwikkelingsproses van maatskappye. Die klem val op die ontwikkeling van die toekomstige leier en hoe die outoetnografie proses ‘n roete of handleiding kan verskaf vir die omskrywing van die leier se individuele en unieke styl van leierskap.

This auto-ethnographic study (i.e. an autobiographical genre of writing and research, written in the first-person voice, where the workings of self are expressed both cognitively and emotionally) qualitatively explores the changing assumptions of a training therapist. It shows how various therapies were negotiated during the training period, and explores how meaning was constructed according to basic, underlying epistemological assumptions. Significant experiences and therapies are presented, showing how the therapist's most basic, linear assumptions, were directly challenged by eco-systemic training. The study produces an in-depth, thick description of both the emotional and the cognitive journey of a training therapist, and traces the therapist's movement away from the stability and certainty of a linear epistemological 'way of knowing' to the instability and uncertainty characteristic of an eco-systemic 'way of knowing'. Conclusions are idiosyncratic and are not intended for generalization. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This auto-ethnographic study (i.e. an autobiographical genre of writing and research, written in the first-person voice, where the workings of self are expressed both cognitively and emotionally) qualitatively explores the changing assumptions of a training therapist. It shows how various therapies were negotiated during the training period, and explores how meaning was constructed according to basic, underlying epistemological assumptions. Significant experiences and therapies are presented, showing how the therapist's most basic, linear assumptions, were directly challenged by eco-systemic training. The study produces an in-depth, thick description of both the emotional and the cognitive journey of a training therapist, and traces the therapist's movement away from the stability and certainty of a linear epistemological 'way of knowing' to the instability and uncertainty characteristic of an eco-systemic 'way of knowing'. Conclusions are idiosyncratic and are not intended for generalization. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Following the postmodern discourses of spatial conceptualisation, this study examined the manner in which space in an Open Distance Learning (ODL) University enables or constrains academics’ work as they go about the process of constructing their academic identities. Focusing on academics’ engagement in one college of the University, the study was premised on the assumption that, in the current higher education (HE) dispensation, academic identity construction presumes and demands the existence of supportive space for academics to effect the academic practices. Lefebvre’s (1991) social production of space and Soja’s (1996) Thirdspace were used as lenses to examine the multiple dimensions of space in relation to spatial practices in the College, the spatial policies and the experiences of academics as the users of the Institutional space. Qualitative ethnographic research methods that were used to collect data included a review of the Institutional policies, intranet posts and emails; the observation and photographing of academics’ offices and administrative office space; observation of departmental meeting proceedings and the conducting of semi-structured interviews with academics of different academic ranks. Findings suggested that although some forms of space are supportive of spatial practices that contribute to academic identity construction, the imagined space of the ODL Institution can be unfairly inclusive and inconsiderate of academics’ unique spatial needs. Such inclusivity of space seemed to be inconsistent with the appropriate ODL space as imagined by some participants where academics may work comfortably and with limited restrictions. The study concluded by making recommendations on how the Institution and the academics may manage space for optimal academic identity construction in the College. / Educational Foundations / D. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)

This study examines through autoethnographic inquiry my research journey in the world of childhood cancer. The unfolding research experience eventually led to the focus of this investigation which is exploring stories of coping with childhood cancer in a support group for parents. Using the principles of ethnographic epistemology this study explores the stories of eight parents whose children were diagnosed with cancer and who decided to join the support group for parents called, TOUCH. An overview of the existing body of knowledge on childhood cancer and the family is presented as well as the value of a social support group in parenting a child with cancer. The need of a conceptual shift in order to understand the problem of parenting a child with cancer is propagated. The stories of eight parents within the setting of a social support group are presented. Through the principles of the qualitative method of ethnography the story of the child's cancer is described by means of emerging themes. The coping mechanisms used to cope in this world of uncertainty and ambiguity, follows. Finally the contribution of the support group is discussed in terms of my relationship with the group member, the group members' communication pattern and what was perceived to be helpful to the group member. The eight stories discussed all follow the same pattern. Four hypotheses emerged from the eight stories described and are presented in the final chapter. The strengths and limitations of the study are discussed as well as recommendations for future research. / Psychology / D. Lit. et Phil. (Psychology)

This study examines through autoethnographic inquiry my research journey in the world of childhood cancer. The unfolding research experience eventually led to the focus of this investigation which is exploring stories of coping with childhood cancer in a support group for parents. Using the principles of ethnographic epistemology this study explores the stories of eight parents whose children were diagnosed with cancer and who decided to join the support group for parents called, TOUCH. An overview of the existing body of knowledge on childhood cancer and the family is presented as well as the value of a social support group in parenting a child with cancer. The need of a conceptual shift in order to understand the problem of parenting a child with cancer is propagated. The stories of eight parents within the setting of a social support group are presented. Through the principles of the qualitative method of ethnography the story of the child's cancer is described by means of emerging themes. The coping mechanisms used to cope in this world of uncertainty and ambiguity, follows. Finally the contribution of the support group is discussed in terms of my relationship with the group member, the group members' communication pattern and what was perceived to be helpful to the group member. The eight stories discussed all follow the same pattern. Four hypotheses emerged from the eight stories described and are presented in the final chapter. The strengths and limitations of the study are discussed as well as recommendations for future research. / Psychology / D. Lit. et Phil. (Psychology)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The collection of pages spread before you now, this story-thesis, is a collection of stories about my journey from cult member to the place in life I am now, stories about those stories, and stories about the people who lived or read them, talked about them, and were changed by the tellings. Most importantly, the goal of this story-thesis is to illustrate how the process of story-making and -telling changes how we interpret our identities and our lifeworlds. I argue that the stories that we share change our identities, and I also argue that how we perceive our identity and the identities of others affects the stories that we share.