School Leaders' Perspectives on Successful Leadership: A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Private School Network in Pakistan

Private school culture dominates the public-school culture in Pakistan. With no central regulating organization, private schools in the country autonomously construct their educational philosophy that underpins curriculum choice, pedagogic approaches, and school operations. In this perspective, ther...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mehwish Raza, Nadia Gilani, Syed Abdul Waheed
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.656491/full
_version_ 1819091003464744960
author Mehwish Raza
Nadia Gilani
Syed Abdul Waheed
Syed Abdul Waheed
author_facet Mehwish Raza
Nadia Gilani
Syed Abdul Waheed
Syed Abdul Waheed
author_sort Mehwish Raza
collection DOAJ
description Private school culture dominates the public-school culture in Pakistan. With no central regulating organization, private schools in the country autonomously construct their educational philosophy that underpins curriculum choice, pedagogic approaches, and school operations. In this perspective, there is an increasing inquisitiveness in the understanding of what determines a private school as a “successful” school. The researchers intend to understand the determinants of a successful private school and aim to explore the leadership behaviors of head teachers of such schools in Pakistan. The Beaconhouse School System (BSS), the largest private school system in Pakistan, took part in this case study. A sample of a total of 128 participants, comprising of teachers (n = 120), School Group Heads (SGH) (n = 4) and school head teachers (n = 4) of four most successful primary schools of BSS, was drawn to participate in this case study employing a mixed-methods design. Two survey instruments, Determinants of School Success (DSS) and Leadership Practice Index (LPI) were developed on a five-point Likert Scale and applied to identify four most successful primary schools of BSS. It was found that head teachers had established a whole-school approach towards students high achievement, promoted a culture of trust, commitment, shared vision, practiced distributed leadership and involved all stakeholders in creating a shared sense of direction for the school. Recommendations have been generated for improving the performance of school leaders.
first_indexed 2024-12-21T22:32:49Z
format Article
id doaj.art-bd4f4c7e88bd44e897f9af30c9e62af9
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2504-284X
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-21T22:32:49Z
publishDate 2021-08-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Education
spelling doaj.art-bd4f4c7e88bd44e897f9af30c9e62af92022-12-21T18:48:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Education2504-284X2021-08-01610.3389/feduc.2021.656491656491School Leaders' Perspectives on Successful Leadership: A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Private School Network in PakistanMehwish Raza0Nadia Gilani1Syed Abdul Waheed2Syed Abdul Waheed3Department of Education, Forman Christian College, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Teacher Education, University of Okara, Okara, PakistanDepartment of Teacher Education, University of Okara, Okara, PakistanDepartment of Educational Research and Assessment, University of Okara, Okara, PakistanPrivate school culture dominates the public-school culture in Pakistan. With no central regulating organization, private schools in the country autonomously construct their educational philosophy that underpins curriculum choice, pedagogic approaches, and school operations. In this perspective, there is an increasing inquisitiveness in the understanding of what determines a private school as a “successful” school. The researchers intend to understand the determinants of a successful private school and aim to explore the leadership behaviors of head teachers of such schools in Pakistan. The Beaconhouse School System (BSS), the largest private school system in Pakistan, took part in this case study. A sample of a total of 128 participants, comprising of teachers (n = 120), School Group Heads (SGH) (n = 4) and school head teachers (n = 4) of four most successful primary schools of BSS, was drawn to participate in this case study employing a mixed-methods design. Two survey instruments, Determinants of School Success (DSS) and Leadership Practice Index (LPI) were developed on a five-point Likert Scale and applied to identify four most successful primary schools of BSS. It was found that head teachers had established a whole-school approach towards students high achievement, promoted a culture of trust, commitment, shared vision, practiced distributed leadership and involved all stakeholders in creating a shared sense of direction for the school. Recommendations have been generated for improving the performance of school leaders.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.656491/fullleadership qualitiesprivate schoolsuccessful school leadershipschool successprimary school leaders
spellingShingle Mehwish Raza
Nadia Gilani
Syed Abdul Waheed
Syed Abdul Waheed
School Leaders' Perspectives on Successful Leadership: A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Private School Network in Pakistan
Frontiers in Education
leadership qualities
private school
successful school leadership
school success
primary school leaders
title School Leaders' Perspectives on Successful Leadership: A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Private School Network in Pakistan
title_full School Leaders' Perspectives on Successful Leadership: A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Private School Network in Pakistan
title_fullStr School Leaders' Perspectives on Successful Leadership: A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Private School Network in Pakistan
title_full_unstemmed School Leaders' Perspectives on Successful Leadership: A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Private School Network in Pakistan
title_short School Leaders' Perspectives on Successful Leadership: A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Private School Network in Pakistan
title_sort school leaders perspectives on successful leadership a mixed methods case study of a private school network in pakistan
topic leadership qualities
private school
successful school leadership
school success
primary school leaders
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.656491/full
work_keys_str_mv AT mehwishraza schoolleadersperspectivesonsuccessfulleadershipamixedmethodscasestudyofaprivateschoolnetworkinpakistan
AT nadiagilani schoolleadersperspectivesonsuccessfulleadershipamixedmethodscasestudyofaprivateschoolnetworkinpakistan
AT syedabdulwaheed schoolleadersperspectivesonsuccessfulleadershipamixedmethodscasestudyofaprivateschoolnetworkinpakistan
AT syedabdulwaheed schoolleadersperspectivesonsuccessfulleadershipamixedmethodscasestudyofaprivateschoolnetworkinpakistan