P ARO REGISTRADO SEGÚN SECTORES ECONÓMICOS

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• To investigate how coaching can be used as an effective and successful distributed leadership strategy;

• To explore ways in which one design, implement and maintain coaching as a distributed leadership strategy to ensure effective school leadership in South Africa; and

• To explain how a distributive leadership model can be conceptualised as leadership strategy to ensure effective schools in South Africa.

The findings and recommendations will be discussed in this chapter and a model will be introduced as to how coaching can be used as a strategy to ensure effective schools in South Africa.

6.2 SUMMARY OF RESEARCH

In chapter 1, the background to the problem was discussed and the study questions were developed in accordance with the study problem. The aims and the objectives of the study were stated and the study design and methodology were outlined. A breakdown of the six chapters of this study was given and certain key concepts such as distributed leadership, leadership strategies and effective schools have been clarified.

Chapter 2 gave a literature overview of theoretical framework of the theories and practices of distributed leadership as strategy to ensure effective schools. The chapter addressed the following two research questions:

 What are effective school leadership, leadership strategies and distributed leadership?

 How can distributed support change and improve effective schools?

The concept of school leadership and the theory of school leadership were discussed. The relationship between democratic, teacher, dispersed, collaborative, shared, delegated and distributed leadership was put into context. The chapter discussed the role of distributed leadership as a strategy to change leadership through coaching and mentoring to ensure effective schools.

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The chapter also guided the researcher towards the achievement of the major study problem: What is the role of distributed leadership as strategy to ensure effective schools in South Africa?

Chapter 3 gave a literature overview of coaching as distributive leadership strategy ensuring schools that are more effective. The chapter addresses the research question: How can distributed leadership be used as a successful and effective leadership strategy? A discussion was given on the collaborative nature of coaching as a seven-stage pattern that links to the distributed leadership strategy. An explanation was given on the role of coaches within educational settings. Five coaching models that can assure that schools are more effective managed were discussed. Each of the coaching models was linked to distributed leadership. Coaching models included the GROW coaching model, STRIDE coaching model, OSCAR coaching model, strategic executive coaching model and team coaching model. A further discussion followed on the role of coaches to distribute leadership by means of coaching to assure effective schools. The researcher also gives an indication that the OSCAR coaching will be implemented as model to assure schools in South Africa that are more effective. A discussion was also given on the influence of internal coaching to enhance the distribution of leadership within schools.

The chapter also guided the researcher towards the achievement of the major study problem: What is the role of distributed leadership as strategy to ensure effective schools in South Africa?

In chapter 4, the researcher achieved the objective: “to explore ways in which one design, implement and maintain coaching as a distributed leadership strategy to ensure effective school leadership in South Africa.” The researcher also answered the sub-question: How does one design, implement and maintain coaching as a distributive leadership strategy to ensure effective schools in South Africa?

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The rationale for choosing the qualitative research method was explained. The researcher also gave reasons why the explorative, descriptive and contextual research designs were used in this study. Explanations were given on the ethical measures used in the study. The strategies and measures to ensure trustworthiness were also explained in detail. Clear descriptions were given on the methods to collect and analyse data.

In chapter 5, the research results were analysed, interpreted and synthesised. The results were also discussed and synthesised to simultaneously put forward a framework for the OSCAR coaching model to facilitate meetings as a distributed leadership strategy to ensure effective schools in South Africa, coupled by the discussions and illustration of findings from the from the research methods employed. In chapter five the OSCAR coaching model to facilitate meetings were only introduced. The literature study and the theoretical assessment, especially the theoretical models of Spillane and Diamond (2007); Spillane (2004); Spillane, Halverson and Diamond (2001, 2004), Cope (2004), and Gilbert and Whittleworth (2009) were applied to practice, based on the role of distributed leadership to ensure effective schools in South Africa.

Eight themes were identified from the literature and the in-depth interviews, which gave possible solutions to the research sub-questions as identified in chapter one. The eight themes that were identified were:

 Theme 1: Distributed leadership is about teacher leadership

 Theme 2: Distributed leadership is about team work

 Theme 3: Distributed leadership is about democracy and sharing of leadership at all levels

 Theme 4: Distributed leadership is about interaction between leaders at all levels.

 Theme 5: Distributed leadership is about sharing of leadership and not delegation of leadership.

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 Theme 6: Distributed leadership is about ensuring effective schools in South Africa.

 Theme 7: Distributed leadership is about the development of coaches as a distributed leadership strategy.

 Theme 8: Distributed leadership is about the OSCAR coaching model to facilitate meetings as distributed leadership strategy to ensure effective schools

The above themes were discussed using the distributed leadership strategy and the introduction of the OSCAR coaching model to facilitate meetings as a distributed leadership strategy. The research shows that leadership should be managed through the distributed leadership strategy and that the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the OSCAR coaching model as distributed leadership strategy would ensure more schools in South Africa that are effective.

This summary highlighted some of the important aspects and procedures that were undertaken during this research. Important findings derived from the study will now be presented and recommendations made for school management and the leaders at all levels of their schools.

6.3 LIMITATIONS

 The fact that the study was conducted only in the Pumela Ward is a limitation on its own, because it is not representative of the rest of KwaZulu-Natal or the whole of South Africa.

 Dysfunctional schools refused to participate in the study. This indicates the effectiveness of rural schools in the province (See Appendix F). It came to the attention of the researcher that rural wants something in return before they will be willing to participate in developmental studies.

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6.4 IMPORTANT FINDINGS ABOUT THE ROLE OF DISTRIBUTED

LEADERSHIP TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS IN SOUTH