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All Journal JETL (Journal Of Education, Teaching and Learning) International Journal of Educational Best Practices
Cynthia B Malinga
University of the Free State
Aerospace Engineering Education Social Sciences Other

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Middle Management and Instructional Leadership: The Case of Natural Sciences’ Heads of Departments in South Africa Cynthia B Malinga; Loyiso C Jita; Abiodun A Bada
JETL (Journal of Education, Teaching and Learning) Vol 6, No 2 (2021): Volume 6 Number 2 September 2021
Publisher : STKIP Singkawang

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | Full PDF (535.361 KB) | DOI: 10.26737/jetl.v6i2.2425

Abstract

Natural sciences heads of departments often find themselves in the middle, shuttling between one role as part of the school management team, and another as an ordinary classroom teacher whose role as subject and instructional leaders is made even more complex because of the several duties incorporated in the subject which brings together other science disciplines, with each having its own disciplinary culture and expectations. The crucial role played by this group of teachers in the area of management and instructional leadership can go a long way in determining effective output in teaching and learning. This study reports on a mixed methods approach to explore the practices of natural sciences heads of department, as they provide instructional leadership to the teachers in a multidisciplinary context of their subject. This research involved 30 participants who responded to the questionnaire and 6 purposively selected subject heads of department interviewed and observed from four districts in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The data collected through questionnaire, semi-structured interview and observations were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The results from this investigation revealed that natural science heads of departments devise creative ways to mitigate the challenge of differently qualified natural science teachers. These study concludes that the effectiveness of heads of departments as instructional leaders is influenced by the immense pressure from the dual roles of managing from the middle, which also appear to affect the optimal implementation of the natural science curriculum.
COMPARING THE ORGANIZATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN NATURAL SCIENCES TEACHING AMONG FORMERLY SEGREGATED SCHOOLS IN GAUTENG Cynthia B Malinga; Loyiso C Jita; Abiodun A Bada
International Journal of Educational Best Practices Vol 6, No 1 (2022)
Publisher : Education Administration Study Program, School of Postgraduate Studies, Universitas Riau

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.31258/ijebp.v6n1.p1-29

Abstract

School organizational conditions influence teaching and learning. Instructional leadership is context-based, and the practices of the leader are contingent upon the school’s organizational context. In this paper, we examine how different schools create the organizational infrastructure for teaching and learning natural sciences (NS) and the adequacy thereof in providing a supportive environment for the teachers and students in the subject. Using a mixed methods approach, we compare the extent to which the organizational infrastructures in schools enable and/or constrain NS instruction and its leadership. We use survey data on NS teachers and their heads of department on school conditions and infrastructures, management and administrative processes, and subject leadership practices. A total of 77 schools and 15 participants responded to the questionnaire and participated in the interview/observation respectively, from 4 districts in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The findings showed that schools sharing similar socio-economic contexts have similar organizational infrastructures and arrangements around which the core work of teaching and learning was organized. The study concludes that school organizational infrastructures (shaped by contexts) may either promote or constrain effective instructional leadership for NS. We recommend that schools need to review their organizational arrangements and infrastructures to support instructional leadership and enhance their capacity to strengthen NS instruction more effectively.  
Co-Authors Abiodun A Bada Loyiso C Jita