Understanding and Negotiating the Secondary Vice-Principal Role: Perspectives of Secondary Principals
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 8-24-2016 12:00 AM Understanding and Negotiating the Secondary Vice-Principal Role: Perspectives of Secondary Principals Louis Lim The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Katina Pollock The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Education A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Education © Louis Lim 2016 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Lim, Louis, "Understanding and Negotiating the Secondary Vice-Principal Role: Perspectives of Secondary Principals" (2016). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4039. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4039 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT This dissertation explores how secondary principals understand and negotiate the secondary vice-principal role. The principal assigns vice-principal duties so there is no standard description for the vice-principal role (Ontario Ministry of Education, 1990). My conceptual framework, based on the notions of role and work, informed the study. Using an interpretive basic, generic qualitative study approach, I conducted single 60 to 90 minute semi-structured interviews with 13 secondary principals from four Ontario district school boards. Data analysis was on-going and used a modified version of the constant comparative method for themes to emerge. Findings indicated that secondary principals expect their vice-principals to perform both operational and instructional tasks, although the school day remains dominated by operational duties related to supporting students and staff. Duties are determined collaboratively and are based on strengths, interests, and areas of growth. The secondary principals provide their vice-principals with short-term supports through mentoring and consulting for collaborative problem solving and decision making, and long-term supports through cognitive coaching conversations and opportunities to perform the full spectrum of vice-principal duties. According to the secondary principals, challenges include the composition of the school administrative team and increased workload. Using a neoliberal approach to education as a context, I identified three tensions: (1) secondary principal and vice-principal roles are similar, (2) vice-principals find it difficult to prioritize or balance their operational and instructional duties, and (3) the composition of the administrative team. i Implications include revisiting the number of vice-principals assigned to high schools and exploring a reconfiguration of the secondary vice-principal role so there can be better a balance between operational and instructional tasks. Keywords: principal; vice-principal; role; work; duties; responsibilities; operations; instructional leadership ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ i DEDICATION................................................................................................................. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xi LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................................ xii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1 Statement of Problem ................................................................................................................ 3 Problem of Practice ................................................................................................................... 5 Research Question and Research Sub-Questions ................................................................... 6 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................................... 7 The Ontario Context ................................................................................................................. 9 Instructional Leadership ......................................................................................................... 11 My Positionality ....................................................................................................................... 15 Organization of Chapters ....................................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................... 20 Vice-Principals’ Duties and Responsibilities ......................................................................... 20 Managerial and operational duties. ....................................................................................... 20 Instructional leadership. ........................................................................................................ 23 Aligning actual and ideal roles. ............................................................................................. 24 Role complexity and increased workload. ............................................................................ 25 How Principals Determine their Vice-Principal’s Role........................................................ 28 Assigned duties. .................................................................................................................... 28 Principal as “boss.” ............................................................................................................... 29 How Principals Support Vice-Principals with Performing their Daily Role...................... 31 Strong working relationships. ............................................................................................... 31 Mentor. .................................................................................................................................. 32 Developing personal leadership resources. ........................................................................... 33 How Principals Support Vice-Principals in their Long-Term Growth .............................. 34 Co-principals. ........................................................................................................................ 34 Cognitive coaching conversations. ........................................................................................ 35 Applying for the principalship. ............................................................................................. 36 Conceptual Framework .......................................................................................................... 37 Concept of role. ..................................................................................................................... 38 Concept of work. ................................................................................................................... 40 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 41 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY .................................................................... 44 iii Interpretive Approach ............................................................................................................ 44 Qualitative Research ............................................................................................................... 46 Semi-Structured Interviews .................................................................................................... 46 Participants .............................................................................................................................. 49 Sample Size ............................................................................................................................... 49 Recruitment .............................................................................................................................. 50 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 53 Data Interpretation.................................................................................................................. 58 Trustworthiness of Study ........................................................................................................ 58 Credibility. ............................................................................................................................ 58 Dependability. ....................................................................................................................... 60 Transferability. ...................................................................................................................... 60 Confirmability. .....................................................................................................................