Exploring the perceptions and practices of college principals in managing government degree colleges in Sindh, Pakistan

Date of Award

8-1-2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Master of Education (M. Ed.)

Department

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Abstract

This research study was conducted in order to explore the perceptions and practices of principals in managing government degree colleges in the context of Sindh, Pakistan. This study focused on exploring the perceptions and practices of the college principals and investigated the challenges they faced in managing their institutions as educational leaders. In their study, Spillane, Halverson, and Diamond (2001) state that "knowing what leaders do is one thing, but without a rich understanding of how and why they do it, our understanding of leadership is incomplete" (p.32). Within the qualitative study approach, the data for this research study was gathered through semi-structured interviews, focused group discussions and observations, so as to ensure the validity of the data. Furthermore, a thematic analysis approach was used to understand the data. Since this study is an effort to explore college principals' perceptions and practices in their settings; therefore, it is of inherent importance. This research endevours a status of uniqueness in its respective field because this subject has not been explored before in the context of college principal ship. The findings of the study has revealed that appointment and posting of principals play an important role in managing institutions. However, this feat is always a great challenge for them because of lack of professional development and unawareness about their leadership role. Most of them have a rich teaching background but minimum management and leadership exposure. The study identified that the principals perceived their leadership role as that of a care giver. They have the instinct to execute their role with responsibility; nevertheless, there are some challenges that act as hurdles in their way. Political influences seem to play an important role in managing these institutions. The study invites researchers to explore more about the different aspects of governance of degree colleges, as this dimension has been under researched so far.

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