Role of the principal in involving the parents in various activities of the school
Date of Award
8-1-2009
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Education (M. Ed.)
Department
Institute for Educational Development, Karachi
Abstract
The study explores the role of the principal in involving parents in various school activities in a private secondary school in Karachi, Pakistan. The study employed a case-study method to explore the phenomenon. My sampling criteria were purposive. I conducted my study in a school where the principal involved the parents in the affairs of school, and the parents contributed their expertise and inputs in various activities of school. The research participants were Principal, vice-principal, three class teachers at secondary level and ten parents (five male and five female). The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations of homeschool relations during the research study (progress/reports day meetings and concert etc.) and document analysis regarding parental involvement in various activities of the school. The case study school is located in the area where majority of the people are from low socio-economic background. It is a co-education school. Majority of the parents are not formally educated. The principal started leading the school with limited resources and in challenging circumstances. However, the findings illustrate that the principal regarded parents as her big strength. The data suggest that there are various activities and processes, in which the principal played different roles to involve the parents, for example, school's vision-statement and policies formulation, co-curricular activities, students' progress, Parent- Teacher Association (PTA) sessions, management of students' behaviours, classroom visits and homework. After analyzing the data, three main roles emerged from the findings. The roles were: the principal as a; 'strategic leader', 'pedagogical leader' and 'democratic leader'. Firstly, her role as a strategic leader emerged when she became vision developer, policy initiator, activity planner, implementer and navigator of different issues of the students. Secondly, the role of the principal as a pedagogical leader emerged when she created a friendly environment with trust and good relations among all stakeholders and became academic expert, mentor, master teacher and feedback provider for further improvement in the school. Finally, the role of the principal as a democratic leader emerged when she showed good relations with the parents and involved all the stakeholders to create a caring and friendly environment in the school.
Recommended Citation
Muluk, Z. (2009). Role of the principal in involving the parents in various activities of the school (Unpublished master's dissertation). Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.