they came to form their leadership identity. By focusing open-ended questions from each participant, the researcher was able to capture each participant’s individual perceptions and reflections of their own understanding of how different experiences have shaped who they are as individuals, but also who they are as a leader. There were five sub coding categories that the researcher used to help organize what was being collected and used to probe in follow up questions. The five sub categories were: 1) influential persons, 2) background experiences (child, adult), 3) influential experiences, 4) personal values (core, educational, spiritual) and 5) personal energy (mental focus, physical fuel, and emotional mastery). All of the research participants were able to identify key personal experiences as children and as adults that contributed to their interest in becoming a teacher and/or in seeking the principalship. All 13 participants had a clear understanding of their struggles to construct a sense of self. Furthermore, as a result of not belonging to the dominant group, participants could articulate how this experience was formed and shaped differently. This directly connects to the literature review which examined how identity comes to be constructed. Smith (1993) writes, "identity is the bane of subjectivity existence." As a result, it makes it difficult for an individual to be seen or understood outside of these social constructs. This struggle becomes more complicated when an individual such as a woman of color has to balance multiple identities. Rojas (2002) explains, "Each identity carries us along a predestined path where we are met with fixed assumptions, prejudices and limitations." (p. 3). Moreover, part of their self-actualization came to recognize and understand how this increased complexity of multiple identities
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was intertwined within the social constructs of a larger historical context and legacy. Spring (2012) postulates that hybridity is a word used to describe the intersection of two differing cultures. Hybridization involves the melding of cultural lenses or frames when influenced by more than one cultural context in such a way that women of color
inherently experience the construction through this hybridization, not just as a result of their cultural, ethnic and racial frames but also due to their gender lens. Each participant could identify and attempt to make meaning, connection and/or reflection of how their individual journey was a part of the larger context of their ethnic and racial identity group experiences. The very things that identify us as belonging to one group or another also bring with them inherent expected behaviors that inform who we are not just as
individuals but also as groups (Rojas, 2009). Constructing meaning from those reflections all shaped and influenced the lenses by which participants see and experience the world around them. Personal experiences emerged as a theme for all 13 participants in
constructing their leadership identity. This idea was different when one of the participants added an additional identity that conflicted with gender identity by self-identifying as gay. One of the struggles this participant had was answering questions through a gender lens.
I don't know if I'm coming from a gender identity lens, one thing that I think I have not mentioned in this whole in all of my responses is I don't necessarily fit into a gender personality that we're used to in our society. That, in itself, right there is very different. When I speak about gender, I see myself very differently than maybe another Latina female. As gay and female, again, I'm challenging a lot of stereotypes, so I struggle a little bit with the gender piece as I'm responding
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to these questions, but something I want people to really see is that, as a Latina female, it is my moral imperative to make sure that all children receive the message of being talented and gifted, and that, as a Latina female, I need to disrupt the narrative that our children are hearing every day. It's almost like I have to take the hits for them because they deserve better.
Two subthemes emerged under personal experience, stereotypes and resilience. Each of the thirteen participants were keenly aware of the negative stereotypes connected to their gender, ethnic and/or racial group. Novelist Adichie (2009) stated the following, “The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” One pattern that emerged for the
participants that self-identified as African American was they all made a reference to the stereotype of the angry Black woman. Part of their leadership identity was to be
cognizant of this negative stereotype and ensuring that as leaders they present themselves in a way that they will be heard and understood. African American principals saw one of their responsibilities as leaders was to offer a counter story to this negative stereotype. Participants disclosed how they went through great lengths to ensure that they conducted themselves in a manner that was opposite of this stereotype. This feeling was evoked by all 13 participants that even though they possessed strong educational credentials and years of experiences. This group of leaders is constantly negotiating who they are and their multiple identities against the historical and contemporary struggles of living in a racialized society. According to Spring (2006), these historical tensions continue to manifest themselves in schools today. Schools are a microcosm of our larger society. Our current events continue to make one thing clear, America has not come to terms with its
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racialized past.
A second subtheme that emerged as the data was examined was resilience. The data revealed a creative tension that existed and had propelled mobilized participants to be comfortable in their ethnic and racial identity while concurrently working to transcend and reject these negative stereotypes. For many participants, this has been a life-long struggle to fight labels and stereotypes. Greene (2002) suggests, resilience is defined as an individual’s ability to successfully cope with adversity. Resilience is something developmental that occurs over time that leads to strengthening a person’s competence. All thirteen participants had navigated very complex and challenging situations as a result of a variety of personal experiences. Each could recount how navigating complex
situations specific to their gender, ethnic and racial identity made them stronger
individuals and enhanced their skill set to deal with difficult and complex situations. This enhanced their competencies to deal with complex situations and work with a variety of people which are skills that prepared them to meet the demands of a principal. The researcher noted each of the thirteen participants brought their lived experience into their leadership identity. The cognitive dissonance that was experienced as each participant formed their identities made each participant resilient but also gifted them with immeasurable strengths and skills that propelled them to be leaders in their field.
Theme 3: Leadership style. The core of my research question was to identify and