Pedagogical leadership practices in secondary schools of Gupis Yasin, Gilgit-Baltistan: What, why, how, and by whom?
Date of Award
12-28-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Education (M. Ed.)
First Supervisor/Advisor
Dr. Dilshad Ashraf
Department
Institute for Educational Development, Karachi
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the Pedagogical Leadership (PL) practices in government and not-for-profit private school systems, situated in the Gupis/Yasin region of Gilgit Baltistan (GB). Its primary purpose was to explore the PL practices in the school, responding to what, why, how, and by whom through a comparative case study method within the qualitative research paradigm. The data was collected in two phases i.e., Phase I and II. In the first phase, the study employed a qualitative survey in five schools from each system. Based on the analysis of the qualitative survey, only one school from each system having more active PL practices was selected for the second phase. In the second phase, data was collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and document analysis. In both phases, the data was analyzed thematically.
The findings of the study indicated that the schools execute in-house Continuous Professional Development (CPD) sessions, workshops, trainings, observations, feedback, and reflections as part of their professional learning in the schools. The study highlighted that PL practices are not a single person’s responsibility, rather they are a collective effort of various stakeholders such as head teachers and subject specialists (SS) in government schools whereas in private schools’ head teachers, coordinators, and SS were acting as PL. The study also revealed the role of the school-community relationship in the improvement of teaching and learning in both schools. Parents and community members supported improvement efforts of the schools through Local Support Programs (LSPs), school management committees, and appointing honorary teachers. This unique dimension of PL practices appears to be reflective of the communities’ culture of volunteerism and the ascribed value of quality education. The study also highlighted the importance of PL-led initiatives in fostering higher academic excellence, innovative classroom instruction, and making schools of choice.
The study recommended that all educational institutions be required to operationalize the notion of PL practices as a collective endeavour rather than an individual effort. Similarly, head teachers may improve their ability to draw on the respective communities' culture of support and academic strength which would help in further enhancing the community dimension of PL.
Recommended Citation
Ahmed, J. (2022). Pedagogical leadership practices in secondary schools of Gupis Yasin, Gilgit-Baltistan: What, why, how, and by whom? [M. Ed. Dissertation]. Aga Khan University.