Leadership practices by school management teams aimed at enhancing academic performance in underperforming schools of Mopani West District

Abstract

Using instructional leadership to improve student performance is a standard practice in many nations, including South Africa. Principals, Deputy Principals, Departmental Heads (DHs) and senior teachers form part of Senior Management Teams (SMTs) in schools, and they are held responsible for improving student performance, especially in secondary schools. Little, however, is known about how SMTs use their instructional leadership practices to influence learner performance in secondary schools in Mopani West Education District. Yearly, the Department of Basic Education sets the standard expected from schools to achieve, for them to be labelled “performing schools”. When a school performs below the expected standard, it is categorized as an underperforming school. This study aimed to explore and analyse instructional leadership practices by SMTs in pursuit of improving academic performance in selected underperforming schools. The study implemented a mixed-method approach. The population for this study comprised all school management team members - Principals, Deputy Principals, Departmental Heads and senior teachers - in nine (9) identified underperforming schools in Mopani West District. This sampled population was made up of 9 Principals, 9 Deputy Principals, 18 Departmental heads and 9 senior teachers – hence, 45 participants. This study used purposive sampling to select the participants who enabled the researcher to explore and analyse SMTs’ instructional leadership practices, in pursuit of improving learner performance. First, quantitative data was gathered through questionnaires; then the results of the quantitative data informed the design of the qualitative data collection instrument - semi–structured interviews. Findings from the interviews were augmented by document analysis, thus enabling triangulation of the process of gathering data, resulting in a comprehensive exploration and analysing of the instructional leadership practices used by school management teams to raise learner achievement in underperforming schools in the Mopani West District of the Limpopo Province in South Africa. The quantitative data was analysed using the SAS/STAT 13.1 software, while the qualitative data analysed using the Tesch Methods of data analysis. The findings of the study is that the school management teams in underperforming schools do not monitor curriculum management, academic goals are not clearly set, inadequate provision of support to teachers and learners, Inadequate integration of ICT and lack of professional development of teachers in the schools