Lineamiento para evaluar la propuesta

Babbie and Mouton (2006) state that research methodology focuses on how data is collected and interpreted bearing in mind the process and the tools utilised.

I will employ a qualitative study to investigate and explore the role of the principal as instructional leader in the facilitation of curriculum changes in the chosen schools. By employing a qualitative research approach, the potential for providing an in-depth description on the instructional leadership role of the principal in the facilitation of curriculum changes is increased (Mertens, 2010). While this research method may not present all the answers, it will offer a variety of explanations for examining what instructional leadership roles principals take on in facilitating curriculum changes in schools and the implications it has on the provision of quality education (Henning, Van Rensburg & Smit, 2004:33). This research method will allow me to concentrate on the instructional leadership role of the principal by focussing mainly on what they have to say regarding their experiences in managing curriculum changes as well as observing their behaviour in their natural setting.

According to Mouton (2001:55), selecting a research design that is appropriate and relevant is an important step once the research question is formulated. I will employ a case study design to describe, explain and explore the lived experiences of how principals respond to curriculum changes (Hancock & Alogozzine, 2006:15). Case study designs which fall within the framework of qualitative research are useful in exploring social behaviour in real-life contexts such as the principal’s daily instructional leadership practices (Yin, 2011). The case study will offer a “multiple perspective analysis” of the participants as well as accommodate their views and interactions related to the facilitation of curriculum changes (Nieuwenhuis, 2007:75). Babbie and Mouton (2006:81) suggest that the explicit feature of the case study design is placing emphasis on each participant and in doing so, I aim to give “a voice to the powerless and voiceless” (Nieuwenhuis, 2007:75). By employing a case study design as a qualitative research approach, I seek to understand the instructional leadership role of the principal in facilitating curriculum changes by gathering data in the selected schools on the principal’s, SMT member’s and teacher’s present and past role and experiences in their working environment and how these factors relate to one another (Ary, Jacobs, Razavieh & Sorensen, 2006:457). Furthermore, I chose a case study as a research method for the obvious reason to show a need to develop a holistic understanding of role of the principal as instructional leaders (Maldonado, Rhoads & Buenavista, 2005:615). In this research I will

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adopt a multiple case study typology in order to ensure that the findings are valid and precise (Miles & Huberman, 1994:28). By extending the study over multiple cases (four cases in this study), the intention is get a comprehensive understanding of the role of the principal as instructional leader in the facilitation of curriculum changes (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010:8).

Finally, after analysing each case, I will make cross comparisons, searching for similarities and differences between them (Johnson & Christensen, 2012).

1.5.1 Data Collection

The case study will include the extraction of data by the following means: observation, interviews and document analysis. I will begin my research by reviewing what is known on the principal as instructional leader in facilitating curriculum changes, as it will review what impact relevant theories had on the topic, and the methods of investigation other researchers have used (Bazeley, 2007:41). Thus, a thorough literature study will be conducted to find out what has already been written on the principal as instructional leader in the facilitation of curriculum changes.

1.5.1.1 Interviewing

Using qualitative interviewing, I was able to explore the participant’s experiences which, according to Gubrium and Holstein (2002), are encapsulated with diverse qualities and meanings. In this study, I set out to use both semi-structured one-to-one interviews and focus group interviews, with the aim of providing the participants with the opportunity to speak and share their experiences so that I could obtain deeper insight into issues related in the principal performing his/her role as instructional leader in the facilitation of curriculum changes. I was committed to ensuring that the interviews were professionally conducted and employed a neutral stance to make the process of disclosure easier, while listening carefully, and supportively and recognising that there was no perfect interview that could provide the whole story or real truth, as the process depends on people’s varying abilities to recall the past, comprehend the present and consider the future (May, 2002: 210). Interviews were also tape- recorded and video-recorded provided that permission was obtained from all the participants. Tape recording or video recording, according to McMillan and Schumacher (2010:453) ensures that verbal interactions between the participants are complete and thorough. While

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the interviews were being conducted I also took notes as back-up, which served as a reminder to revisit some questions and perhaps omit others (Charmaz, 1983:286). Through the different interviews with principals, SMT members and teachers I aimed to examine the instructional leadership power of the principal in influencing the teacher’s role and actions in the successfully implementing curriculum changes.

1.5.1.1.1 Semi- structured one-to-one interviews

I collected data through means of semi-structured interviews with each principal, selected SMT members and teachers in a face-to-face manner. Thus, I aimed to gain a detailed picture of the principal’s instructional leadership role in the effective facilitation of curriculum changes.

1.5.1.1.2 Focus-group interviews

In a second set of interviews, deputy principals, HODs and teachers were purposefully selected to participate in focus group interviews to get group consensus about issues related to the principal’s role as instructional leader in the facilitation of curriculum changes. Focus group interviews complement the data collected in the semi-structured interviews, field notes and document analysis, and according to (Johnson & Christensen, 2012:204) they provide in- depth information in a relatively short period of time.

Furthermore, with focus groups participants do not feel pressurised or obligated to respond to each and every question. They also feel comfortable about sharing their own experiences by hearing others relate their experiences in an environment that is a lot more relaxed and supportive (Morgan in Darlington & Scott, 2002:62).

1.5.1.1.3 The interview schedule

The interviews were guided with an interview schedule of open-ended questions for the interviewees to scan, and reflect on and to pre-empt certain responses, ahead of the actual interview. Open-ended questions encouraged the participants to provide more information on the topic and it also lead to the formulation of other questions (Henning et al., 2004:70). By drawing-up an interview schedule I aimed to avoid the omitting important information that may transpire during the interview.

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1.5.1.2 Document Analysis

In addition to interviews and observations, documents such as minutes of SMT meetings, school policies, learner performance statistics as well as school development plans, will be analysed to provide an internal understanding of the school (McMillan & Schumacher, 1997:455). The documents become stable resources of data and provided me with good descriptive information that will help anchor the study in its context (Ary et al., 2006:483). Primary documents such as the CAPS policy (DoE, 2011), the White Paper on Education and Training (South Africa, 1996), the South African Qualification (South Africa, 1995) and the National Education Policy Act 27 of 1996, (South Africa, 1996) additionally form an integral part of this research. These documents corroborate my observations and transcriptions from my interview thus making the research findings more trustworthy (Bowen, 2009:31).

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1.5.2 Population and sampling 1.5.2.1 Population

McMillan and Schumacher (2010:16) define a population as a group of elements whether individuals, objects or events, that conforms to a specific criteria and from which intentions are made to generalise the results of the research. The population of this study comprises of twenty schools (primary and high schools) in the Johannesburg East area of Gauteng. I looked at various aspects of the school such as distinguishing whether it is a rural or urban school, the socio-economic background of the learners, learner pass rate, ANA/benchmarking tests data from each of the schools, minimum of five year experience of principals, how old the school was and the accessibility of the school before choosing four schools to be researched. Furthermore, the size of the school dictated the extent to which principals’ effectively act as instructional leaders in facilitating curriculum changes. For instance Clabo (2010:23) found in his research that principals can be directly involved in matters of curriculum when the school is smaller in size as opposed to a larger school where the principal as instructional leader assumes a more indirect role. Arising from my criteria of selection, four schools in the Johannesburg East area were selected as cases for the study. All four schools were situated in suburban areas and majority of the learners come from above average social-economic backgrounds.

1.5.2.2 Sampling

For this study, principals, deputy principals, HODs and teachers were chosen from the four schools selected using the purposive sampling technique. I believe that because of having the most comprehensive understanding of the phenomena, the participants chosen were able to best assist me in addressing the main questions: What instructional leadership roles do principals take on in facilitating curriculum changes in public schools and what implications it has on the provision of quality education?

Thus, the samples consisted of four principals, four deputy principals, nine HODs and nine teachers.The rationale for choosing principals from the selected schools is because they were likely to articulate their definition of instructional leadership, what the term meant to them and outline how they saw themselves performing the role of instructional leader in the facilitation of curriculum changes (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010:401). It was my intention to also obtain comprehensive stories from the SMT members and teachers in the selected schools; and how they experienced curriculum changes from their personal and lived

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experiences. The SMT members and teachers chosen must possess a minimum of five years of experience, include both male and female teachers and depend on their willingness to participate in this study. In my view, requiring a minimum of five years of teaching experience ensures that the teachers have been subjected to a number of changes in the curriculum. Hence, they provided valuable insight on their experiences engaging with the principal as instructional leader in facilitating curriculum changes.

1.5.3 Data Analysis

Data obtained from field notes, interview transcripts, audio recordings, video data, reflections and information from documents will be examined and interpreted (Ary et al., 2006:490). After the interviews took place, they were transcribed and checked for completeness and data errors. I made use of Tesch’s eight steps approach in data analysis as outlined by Cresswell (2009) to guide my research. This approach involves an inductive process of examining, selecting, categorising, comparing, synthesising and interpreting data which in this case relates to the transcriptions of the interviews with principals, SMTs, and teachers for credible explanations in the attempt to address the aim of the study (McMillan & Schumacher, 2006). Data analysis of the perceptions and actions of principals, deputy principals, HODs and teachers regarding instructional leadership in the selected schools will thus result in specific inferences being drawn. Further, by using a method of triangulation of sources I aimed to check all information collected for consistency of evidence, (Mertens, 2010:258) and the data gathered from the interviews, observations and documents will be used to draw conclusions regarding the instructional leadership role of the principal in the facilitation of curriculum changes.