M.Ed. (Education Management) / Communication is without doubt the most important aspect of the daily duties of the school principal. There are seldom less than 20 members on the staff of a school, all reporting directly to the principal on numerous aspects. The principal also engages in holistic conversations with his entire staff. It is therefore imperative that the school principal has a sound knowledge of the art of communication. The concepts "communication", "nonverbal communication" and "diadic conversation" have been examined. The communication problem was attributed to the inability of principals to engage effectively in face-to-face conversations as opposed to instructional staff meetings. To be successful, the principal can no longer depend only on his intuition for effective communication, but must possess a practical grasp of the networks of communication which constitute the educational system and develop the ability to handle the interpersonal conversation with ease. To achieve this aim, the characteristic principles of the interpersonal conversation were investigated. The diadic conversation prescribes to all the rules of communication, inclUding nonverbal communication which plays an important role in any type of conversation. The meaning of the diadic conversation was investigated, as well as the factors that influence effective interpersonal conversation. Certain conditions that have a bearing on the diadic conversation were high-lighted. The effectiveness of the interpersonal communication could be hampered by factors haVing a negative effect on the outcome of the conversation. Factors directly related to the personalities of one or both of the conversationists were studied. In this respect, the following factors were determined: peergroup pressure, assumptions, the inclination to evaluate, and the halo effect. To achieve the aims that the principal has set for himself at the beginning of the interpersonal conversation, it is of the utmost importance that the principal should be aware of these factors that may cause a hinderance to the goals which he wishes to achieve. Only by breaking down these barriers, will a situation of trust develop between the teacher and the principal. The successful interpersonal conversation depends on the management acumen of the principal in this respect. To enable the teacher to develop to the maximum of his ability, the principal should provide the necessary guidance and encouragement. The management functions of the school principal are so numerous and entangled that it is impossible to do a meaningful study thereof within the framework of this ~tudy. Management styles were investigated, and the participative style was identified as the most suitable to the education sitaation. A two-pronged aim can be ascribed to the diadic conversation, namely the influence by the school principal and influence of the principal. Not only should the principal possess the necessary management acumen, but his communication acumen in the following aspects are of vital importance: planning, motivating, decision-making, persuasion, the handling of conflict, complaints and grievances and the creation of an effective atmosphere. The following conclusions were drawn from the investigation into the diadic conversation as an educational managerial technique: maximum trust should exist between the principal and teachers the diadic conversation should be directed at a specific aim the principal should possess the necessary knowledge and prowess to conduct the interpersonal conversation xiii - the necessary communication networks should be established the lack of upward communication has a detrimental effect on the effectiveness of interpersonal communication the school principal should be able to handle the factors and conditions pertaining to the diadic conversation with ease the importance of nonverbal communication should not be underestimated - certain factors have a negative effect on the diadic conversation At the conclusion of this study, the following recommendations were made: - opportunities should be created for the diadic conversation to take place the diadic conversation should be seen as a continuous process principals should endeavour to gain the necessary communication knowledge and skills future leaders in Education should make a thorough study of the art of communication - opportunities should be created for voluntary upward communication guidelines are given for future studies in the field of interpersonal communication
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:11229 |
| Date | 29 May 2014 |
| Creators | Wheeler, Andrew Francois |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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