M. Ed. (Educational Management) / School principals are primarily.concerned with education and the effective management of the school entrusted to them. Every principal is given a task to do when he is appointed to or at a school. How successfully he accomplishes his task, and the support that he receives, is highlighted in this study. The principal is a leader who has to perform a complex number of tasks. He works with both adults and children and as a result the method and style of leadership and management is of great importance. The recognition of the principal as leader in the field of instruction and education within the community is essential for the continued existence of the school. The primary aim of the school is educative teaching ('opvoedende onderwys'). The school is a social system which consists of a hierarchy of people, with the principal as the most important manager, and within the system, smaller groups are found. These smaller groups essentially determine the success of failure of the principal's effective management, and this, by implication, also of the educative teaching within the school. This complex task of the principal becomes more manageable if he is familiar with the interwoven management tasks of planning, organisation, leadership and control. Neglect of one of these will have a detrimental effect on the school. The way in which the management tasks are to be executed should be set out in the school policy. In order to perform the tasks which are laid down by the relevant education authority, effective decision making is essential. A principal who has mastered the technique of good decision making has personal freedom to utilise new opportunities for the benefit of the school.

This is a study of a principal succession In a non-racial, multicultural High-School in the North West Province of South Africa, formerly the independent homeland known as "Bophuthatswana". I was employed at the school at the time and am, therefore, a complete member-researcher. I use a qualitative research approach which relies mostly on in-depth interviews, individually and in groups. I chose my sample by administering a short biographical questionnaire. I have sought to establish "what is happening?" in the succession process by reporting the insights and experiences of a staff and its new principal. While I use the stage frameworks of more traditional researchers in succession to provide a coherent structure for my analysis, I use the organisational socialisation perspective extensively to analyse the insights provided by the staff and principal. Unlike other principal succession studies, I include the insights of both the principal and the staff. The organisational socialisation approach emphasises that succession is an interactive, multidirectional process. My study reinforces many of the observations of other researchers in leadership succession, whether in business or Education. However, two elements of succession emerge which appear to be unique in terms of other succession literature. These elements include the impact of socio-political events and what I call "ethno-cultural" aspects on the succession socialisation process. I provide examples of the influence these factors exert in this principal succession. This study is therefore of potential significance to administrators in both Education and business in the South African context where there are significant changes taking place in the power structures and ethnic makeup of relevant organisations. I also identify a number of areas for further research.

M.Ed. (Leadership and Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This study focuses on the role of the induction programme for teachers who are new to a specific school. The main aim of undertaking this research study is to investigate the role played by principals in the induction of new educators in their schools. The main questions the study addresses are: · Why is it necessary for new educators to be inducted · How could mentoring play a role in an induction programme? · What should the role of the principals be in the induction process? · What should the induction programme include and how should it be implemented? The study highlights the problems new teachers experience with respect to aspects such as classroom control and imparting information. It also emphasizes the role of the principal and the mentor in assisting new educators with these issues. The qualitative approach was used to collect data. Data were collected through interviews and observations. The main findings were that new educators experienced problems with classroom control, discipline and that principals should help them with adjustment in the school by allocating a mentor teacher for support.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Zululand, 2004. / The research examined the instructional leadership role of school principals in the Lower Tugela Circuit of the I-lembe District in KwaZulu-Natal. The study made use of questionnaires to determine whether principals perform their responsibilities effectively as instructional leaders. On the basis of the views from respondents, the study concludes that principals in the areas researched are perceived as performing their duties as instructional leaders in such areas as school supervision and facilitating curriculum development.

Research Report submitted to the School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education. February 2016 / This study explores the experiences of two women principals in leading suburban co-educational high schools in Gauteng province, South Africa. It sought to explore and understand the experiences of two women principals and their leadership roles through the consideration of their challenges, their successes and their leadership styles as demonstrated in their school contexts. Gender and leadership is an area which remains under-researched in both the South African and the national and international educational leadership fields (Faulkner, 2015; Moorosi, 2010 & 2012). Also in South Africa there is very little knowledge of the experiences of women leading suburban co-educational high schools formerly known as Model C schools (Lumby & Heystek, 2011). This context is particularly interesting and important considering the dramatic change in demography of these schools after 1994, which impacts upon how women principals, in particular, experience and lead these diverse schools and their very diverse communities. As the schools now have heterogeneous ethnic and cultural populations, principals face many different challenges in leadership. In a very patriarchal and traditional culture, which typifies South Africa, it was considered an important aspect of the research to understand the experiences of women specific to these under-researched school contexts. The research methodology chosen as the most appropriate is a qualitative, interpretivist approach which uses a case study. The two high schools in the case study were purposefully sampled because they were led by women and they were former Model C schools in Gauteng, to the west and north, which under the apartheid regime served only white learners and communities in former affluent white suburban areas. The participants in this study were the two women principals of the two suburban schools. The research instruments chosen were a semi structured questionnaire, loosely based on Coleman’s questionnaire from her study of UK head teachers (2001), and follow-up probing interviews to gain more in depth responses to key areas of interest. The research was underpinned by a theoretical framework that contends that context plays a significant role in the two women’s experiences and how this might impact upon challenges to their leadership as women, (Christie & Lingard, 2001). Cubillo and Brown (2011) posited in their research that context is critical to women’s experiences of leadership, even more than is the case for male leaders. Evidence from the data collected and analysed in addressing the research questions shows that the two women principals were negatively affected by entrenched patriarchal attitudes within the communities they served. Contexts of former Model C schools played a pivotal role in the two women’s experiences as they employed the leadership styles they considered as the ones that best fitted the situations imposed by diverse ethnic and cultural communities. The misconception about former Model C schools, as still being sites of affluence and privilege, also contributed to their challenges, given the demographic changes that contradict this assumption. Despite these challenges, the two women remained strong with the determination to lead successfully ‘against the odds’ (Coleman, 2001). Family support, work experience, qualifications, confidence and their leadership styles also contributed to their success. This study recommended the need for further research through a longitudinal and wide ranging study of women’s experiences of leadership and specifically on the nature of leadership in these under-researched co-educational former Model C high schools. Keywords Gender and leadership, Principalship, South African High Schools, Discrimination, Patriarchy, Glass Ceilings and Walls,

The aim of the study was to determine whether adolescent psychological well being can be significantly influenced by attributional style, general health, satisfaction with life and self esteem. A cross-sectional research design was implemented for this study. An availability sample of 130 learners from 2 high schools; namely Batloung and Kgobokwe in the Ramatlabama area in rural North West Province (RSA) were chosen to collect data. The learners were selected using the stratified random sampling technique. All participants described themselves as equally traditional and westernised with a high value placed on individual goals and community goals. The respondents were 12-22 years old. Participants responded to a questionnaire consisting of six sections. The first section comprised of biographical data. Psychological well-being was measured in terms of distinctions between hedonism and eudaimonism. The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) was used to measure hedonism and the PWB scale by Ryff(1995) was used to measure eudaimonism. General health was measured by the 28 item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The cognitive Attributional Style Questionnaire (CaQ) measured attributional style. The 10 item Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale (SES) was used to measure self esteem. The quantitative data for the research, which was gathered through questionnaires, was subjected to statistical analysis. This was done through the utilisation of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS ver. 12). Descriptive statistics and Cronbach alpha reliability indices were computed for each scale. Regression analysis was used to establish the relative contribution made by the independent variables; Attributiona1 style (AS),Self Esteem (SE), General Health (GH) and Satisfaction With Life {SWL); on the dependent variable {psychological well being) . Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is used to test the significance of R(2) , which is the same as testing the significance of the regression model as a whole. The results of the study generally show that satisfaction with life, attributional styles, self-esteem and health meaningfully predict psychological well- being (R(2) = .41). the practical significance of the finding based on the Steyn's formulation was 0.69. psychological well-being correlated positively with satisfaction with life, general health, and the external attributions made by learners. There were no significant differences regarding 1he nature of attributions made by both male and female learners. It is therefore recommended that adolescents get support from parents, engage in challenging activities, positive life events, and interact more with significant others for their well being. Further research into the mechanisms of how life satisfaction plays its role in positive youth development is needed to promote the psychological well-being of all youth. / (M.Ed.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Education (Management), Durban Institute of Technology, 2004. / This study focuses on public relations training for secondary school principals and offers recommendations for selected secondary schools in Phoenix. Principals in most schools in South Africa have had little or no training in public relations. Since a number of tasks performed by school principals require public relation skills, it is imperative that a significant part of their in-service training should focus on aspects of the practice of public relations. This research aims to highlight the need for such training as principals interact continually with a wide variety of people, circumstances and social settings. Interaction between principals and educators, principals and learners and principals and parents may be pleasant and rewarding or frustrating and lead to conflict. / M

M.Ed. (Education Leadership and Management) / Part of a headmaster1s managerial task is communication with society. Research regarding a scientifically organised communication programme between headmaster and community is imperative. Such research involves analysis of relevant literature, the need of external bodies to communicate, and the creation of an effective communication programme. This necessitates research into communication media and communication disturbances. The term communication needs scientific definition. This depends on the context. Basically there are the linear-, the inter-action- and the transactional principles. The latter viewpoint is prevalent in this short dissertation. Clarifying communication models are used in conjunction with definitions. These are the Laswell-, Shannon and Weaver-, Berlo and Mc Croskey models. Headmasters communicate internally and externally. The latter task is analysed in this dissertation, and involves preservation of a continual and successful mutual understanding between school and external groups. Successful exploitation of available external resources is the result of resourceful management, of which the four basic elements are planning, organisation, command and control. School-community communication is essential. Theories regarding satisfaction of needs will reveal principles in practice plus relevant communication media at the headmaster's disposal. Theories dealing with satisfaction of needs are founded upon the humanistic philosophy: human needs explain desires to communicate with schools. Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Mc Clelland's social motives theory, and Ardrey's territorial theory will be considered. These theories agree in principle: satisfaction of needs seems to be the main incentive behind communication from outside. The headmasters' communication aims at creating a positive image of the school and at influencing external bodies. Creation of an eventual external contact structure, implies an effective internal communication network. The latter climate depends upon a motivated staff who is effectively involved with external bodies.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Zululand, 1993. / This research is concerned with the lack of specialised training in School Management for Principals under KwaZulu Department of Education and Culture. Central to this argument, is the fact that Principals are merely accorded a new status and role without the necessary training to bring about school effectiveness. Principalship today is very difficult in Black education. A Principal grapples with much more complex problems which call for a new emphasis in developing management competence, skills, abilities and knowledge. Many Principals have had to pick up much of their expertise whilst performing the job. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate and assess the 'INSET' programmes on school management in KwaZulu. Very important questions concerning the relevance of training, aims, content and methods were raised. A questionnaire was administered to 85 Principals of Senior Secondary Schools out of 115 targeted Principals drawn from 4 Regions of K.D.E.C., namely, South Coast, Midlands, Zululand and Northern Natal. In each region, two Circuits were selected and questionnaires were sent to all Principals. After data analysis of the Principals' questionnaire, it became necessary to send another questionnaire (different in nature) to 7 Directors or Co-ordinators of Non-Governmental Organisations identified in the Principals' questionnaire as being responsible for running 'INSET' programmes on management. The major findings that emerged from this study were:- - the need to provide continuous In-Service training on school management not only by Non-Governmental Organisations but also K.D.E.C. itself. - the need for K.D.E.C. to exercise control and guidance on Non-Governmental Organisations. Too many of them operate in KwaZulu in an unco-ordinated manner and this leads to duplication of the same programmes with varying approaches. The underlying problem was found to be the absence of a clearly-defined policy regarding In-Service training by K.D.E.C. - the existing 'INSET' activity on management by Non-Governmental Organisations was found to be directed mainly to Principals. Deputy-Principals and Heads of Departments had been ignored. It was only in 1991 that K.D.E.C. made an attempt to train some newly appointed Deputy-Principals whilst many still got promoted without any training. H.O.D's were found to have been completely ignored. - school principals would like to become involved in the planning, organisation and running of their In-Service training. The pattern of relying on the consultants from outside the profession, largely ignores the fact that some Principals are often experienced people with as much to offer as to receive. The study concludes with several recommendations, the most important ones being: - the formulation of a policy by K.D.E.C. based on a well-defined philosophy of management training. This can be achieved by establishing a fully-fledged section at Head Office to co-ordinate In-Service training to school principals rather than leaving it to Non-Governmental Organisations. These should undertake non-directive roles. In-Service training on school management should be for all levels of our system of education i.e. Lower Primary, Higher Primary, Secondary and Senior Secondary. The establishment of a Section at Head Office could easily co-ordinate and render such training. necessity for constant evaluation of all 'INSET' management programmes to ensure relevance.