The Principals’ Leadership Roles in a Performing and a Non-Performing Combined School in the Zambezi Region, Namibia

Abstract

One of the reasons attributed to the continuous decline in learner performance and low educational outcomes in schools is the poor leadership displayed by many principals (Naidoo, 2019). This article is a comparative account of a study that aimed to elicit the roles that principals play in performing and non-performing schools in the Zambezi region, Namibia. The study was qualitative in nature and used a case study design to generate data. This study used interviews and observations to collect data. Two principals and seven teachers teaching Grade 10 were interviewed using unstructured interviews. The following are the key findings that emerged from the analysis: Firstly, that teachers and principals identified indirect factors such as principal approachability, interactive classroom observation and/or visitation, and collective teacher collegiality and efficacy as the main instructional leadership behaviors that may have strong effects on learner achievements. Secondly, the study showed that schools where students do well tend to have strong administrative leadership.