Core leadership practices of school principals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to explore the core leadership practices of school principals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Given the exploratory nature of this study, a qualitative research design methodology was employed through which an in-depth, multi-perspective study of the practices of four secondary school principals was carried out. Employing a semi-structured interview protocol developed specifically for this study, data was collected from the principals and four teachers and four parents from each of the participating schools. The findings of the data analysis revealed that the principals demonstrated a repertoire of five core practices, namely, setting achievement goals, developing teachers, building strong relationships with parents, focusing on academic excellence and developing school climate. The principals enacted these core practices in a variety of ways. These core practices are discussed in detail along with the important implications for further research and practice.

Research on school principals in the Gulf states: A systematic review of topics and conceptual models

“…One notable gap relates to the impact of culture on principals’ leadership and management practices across GCC societies. There is emerging evidence suggesting that culture shapes how school principals conceptualise effective leadership (see Alqahtani et al, 2020) and that specific cultural contexts create specific challenges for school leaders in the region (see Alsaleh, 2019; Hammad and Shah, 2018). Other important gaps include the impact of principal leadership on school operations and outcomes, especially student learning and achievement, as well as the impact of principal leadership on teachers’ professional learning and development.…”

Leadership practices in collaborative innovation: A study among Dutch school principals

“…Several researchers (Aas and Brandmo, 2016; Daniels et al, 2019; Leithwood et al, 2020) argued that leadership practices should be studied from an integrative perspective, combining theories such as those of instructional, distributed and transformational leadership, instead of studying solely one fixed leadership theory. For instance, Alqahtani et al (2020) and Noman et al (2018) chose the integrative perspective of leadership practices and explored the leadership practices of school principals in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia respectively. In addition to this focus on leadership practices, Leithwood et al’s (2020) review showed that there is little understanding of how school principals enact leadership practices, and they call for further exploration of how school principals enact certain practices.…”

Women's leadership gamut in Saudi Arabia's higher education sector

“…Here, HEIs are recognized to involve formal and informal rules of the game, embedded within which is the notion of gender as a binary social construct, involving appropriate (expected) actions on the role and identity of biological men and women (Al Alhareth et al., 2015). In terms of actors in Saudi Arabia's HEIs, the behaviors of both women and men are often shaped by the institutional practices and norms and stereotypical attitudes and behaviors, thereby posing issues and challenges for women's leadership (Alqahtani, 2021). In terms of the context, Saudi Arabia's HEIs do not function in a vacuum and are not immune to influences from the country's male‐dominated political, social, cultural, and economic environment (Lebeau & Alruwaili, 2021).…”