Faculty of Education - Theses

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Start date: 1944 × Type: Masters Research thesis × Author: Mbuye, E. A. ×

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    SOTF principals' roles and preparation
    Mbuye, E. A. (University of Melbourne, 1995)
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    Principals' perceptions of their roles and preparation for leadership positions in "Schools of the Future"
    Mbuye, E. A. ( 1995)
    The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of how principals perceived their roles to have changed since the introduction of the Schools of the Future program, and how they were prepared for their new leadership roles. Devolution and self-management are the major concepts underpinning the Schools of the Future initiative. As such, the Directorate of School Education has been downsized and many of their previous responsibilities have been delegated to schools. A case study methodology was chosen as the most appropriate for the study in that generalisation of the findings was not intended, due to the small number of participants involved in the study. The experiences and understandings of five primary school principals were sought by means of interviews. The findings of the study indicate that the participants have perceived a considerable change in their roles. There was unanimous agreement that the management dimension of their role had become more prominent in their job. They also reported that they have had to accept increased financial responsibility and accountability compared to the previous system. On the whole, the participants expressed satisfaction with the program. Their main concern was the apparent job overload associated with the implementation phase. In relation to the preparation process, the findings of this study indicate that emphasis was placed on preparing principals to handle self-management in their schools rather than on generic management skills. The focus was therefore, on topics such as self-development, use of technology in schools, change management, financial management, and so on. Various preparation programs initiated by the DSE and professional associations were made available to principals. The participants' feelings about the preparation process was that it was adequate and appropriate. Their main worry was that the process was rushed. As such, they have not had enough time to work out strategies of implementing what they had gathered from the training. The study raised the issue of whether the introduction of the self management concept in Victorian schools will lead to improved student outcomes, which is the major objective of the Schools of the Future initiative.