Unseen influencers: Deputy principals' perceptions of their roles in primary school leadership
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38140/ijer-2025.vol7.1.07Keywords:
Deputy principal, distributed Leadership, narrative inquiry, perception, primary schoolAbstract
This study examines the often overlooked yet critical roles of deputy principals in primary schools, exploring how they perceive their responsibilities within the existing school hierarchy. Although deputy principals make significant contributions to the quality of educational activities and the promotion of a positive school environment, their roles are minimally recognised in the Personnel Administration Measures (PAM). This limited recognition may influence how they perceive their impact and responsibilities, affecting their interactions and effectiveness in the school setting. Guided by Distributed Leadership Theory, which highlights the shared distribution of leadership roles across different school levels, these roles can be shaped by factors such as race, gender, age, and other intersecting identities. However, this study specifically focuses on gender. Grounded within the qualitative interpretive paradigm and using phenomenological narrative inquiry through individual face-to-face interviews, this study purposively selected four female deputy principals to capture their experiences and perspectives on their roles. Data were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that deputy principals' perceptions shape their roles and reinforce mutual relationships between actions and perceptions. The study recommends that policymakers implement policy changes, emphasising the need for increased recognition and support for deputy principals to cultivate school environments that promote positive educational outcomes and encourage staff collaboration.
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