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Contact: [email protected] A Qualitative Study of Leadership in Saudi Arabian Early Childhood Education: Influential Factors and Critical Challenges By Lubna Alameen Alshanqiti Canterbury Christ Church University Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Education July 2018 A Qualitative Study of Leadership in Saudi Arabian Early Childhood Education: Influential Factors and Critical Challenges Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND DIAGRAMS ............................................................................ 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................. 5 ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 6 ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... 7 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 8 1.1 RESEARCH BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................... 8 1.1.1 Overview of Leadership .................................................................................................. 8 1.1.2 Research Objectives ...................................................................................................... 10 1.1.3 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 10 1.2 OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH CONTEXT ................................................................................ 11 1.2.1 Socio-demographic ....................................................................................................... 11 1.2.2 Social & Institutional Structure .................................................................................... 11 1.2.3 Education Stages ........................................................................................................... 14 1.2.4 The importance of Education in Saudi Arabia .............................................................. 15 1.2.5 Early Childhood Education in Saudi Arabia ................................................................ 19 1.2.6 Women in Leadership.................................................................................................... 22 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE AND RATIONALE OF THE RESEARCH ................................................................ 23 1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY ..................................................................................................... 24 1.5 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... 25 2 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 26 2.1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 26 2.2 UNDERSTANDING LEADERSHIP ............................................................................................... 26 2.2.1 Leadership and Management ........................................................................................ 29 2.2.2 Leadership Constructs .................................................................................................. 30 2.2.3 The Shift of Leadership in 21st Century ......................................................................... 34 2.2.4 Leadership in Early Childhood Education: .................................................................. 35 2.3 UNDERSTANDING PEDAGOGY ................................................................................................. 40 2.4 UNDERSTANDING PEDAGOGICAL LEADERSHIP ....................................................................... 45 2.4.1 What is Pedagogical Leadership? ................................................................................ 46 2.4.2 Factors which influence leadership: ............................................................................. 53 2.4.3 Challenges facing pedagogical leaders ........................................................................ 62 2.5 THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................. 70 2.6 RATIONALE OF THE RESEARCH: .............................................................................................. 74 2.7 THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS .................................................................................................... 75 2.8 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... 75 3 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................. 77 3.1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 77 3.2 NATURE OF THE RESEARCH .................................................................................................... 77 3.3 RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY ......................................................................................................... 78 1 A Qualitative Study of Leadership in Saudi Arabian Early Childhood Education: Influential Factors and Critical Challenges 3.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................... 81 3.5 RESEARCH METHODS .............................................................................................................. 83 3.5.1 Interviews ...................................................................................................................... 84 3.5.2 Access ............................................................................................................................ 86 3.5.3 Research sample ........................................................................................................... 86 3.5.4 Secondary data .............................................................................................................. 90 3.6 RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................. 90 3.7 LIMITATIONS ........................................................................................................................... 91 3.8 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ..................................................................................................... 91 3.9 TRUSTWORTHINESS ................................................................................................................ 92 3.10 THE ROLE OF THE RESEARCHER .............................................................................................. 93 3.11 DATA ANALYSIS...................................................................................................................... 93 3.12 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... 95 4 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS .................................................................................................. 97 4.1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 97 4.2 PEDAGOGICAL FACTORS: ....................................................................................................... 97 4.2.1 Personal factors ............................................................................................................ 98 4.2.2 Leadership related factors ............................................................................................ 99 4.2.3 Communication with staff ........................................................................................... 103 4.2.4 The sense of responsibility .......................................................................................... 105 4.2.5 Internal – motto ........................................................................................................... 105 4.2.6 Context where leadership operates ............................................................................. 106 4.3 KEY CHALLENGES LEADERS FACE IN ECE IN KSA .............................................................. 107 4.3.1 Social challenges........................................................................................................