School leadership in disadvantaged contexts in Spain: Obstacles and improvements

Abstract

The increase in child poverty in Spain highlights the importance of equality and inclusion of students at risk of social exclusion in the Spanish educational system. Recent research emphasises the importance of educational leadership, particularly from school principals, as a tool to improve the learning of these students. The main aim of this study is to establish the characteristics of school management in disadvantaged contexts in western Andalusia (Spain), placing special emphasis on the factors considered to hinder or aid effective leadership from principals. A mixed methodology was used in this process, surveying 282 teachers and interviewing 14 principals, and employing descriptive and contrastive statistics techniques. According to the teachers surveyed, principals tend to follow good educational leadership practices. However, the disadvantaged contexts present obstacles to their effective execution. While improvements are observed in the continuity of teaching staff, there is an urgent need to improve the qualifications of teachers working with students at risk of exclusion. In conclusion, principals need greater autonomy in relation to teachers and teaching practice.

School Principals in Spain: Interplay of Leaders, Teachers and Context

“…After this categorization, we proceeded to estimate the frequency of these categories with the NVivo 12 Plus software. Also, discourse analysis [42] was carried out with the NVivo 12 Plus software in order to offer a reliable and reasonable overview of the studied school's context.…”

Principals' Attitudes, Knowledge, and Beliefs Regarding Active Learning Methodologies in Spain

“…Hence, it is not surprising that this study's findings indicate that principals in Spain have positive attitudes and beliefs and substantial knowledge about active learning methodologies. Unlike in other nations, in Spain, principals frequently teach four to five hours a week in addition to performing all the organizational and managerial tasks that their position requires [73]. Thus, it is understandable that they are up-to-date with new trends in teaching and learning.…”

Examining the Role of Contextual Conditions and Leadership Status of School Principals from Multiple Perspectives

“…The role of context in SPL must still be studied, as suggested by recent studies (Agasisti, Bowers, & Soncin, 2019;Brauckmann, Pashiardis, & Ärlestig, 2020;Lorent-Bedmar, Cobano-Delgado, & Navarro-Granados, 2019). The main body of literature on SPL focuses on leadership styles such as instructional, transformational, and transactional leadership (Akar & Ustuner, 2019;Buluç, 2009).…”

“…Studies on SPL indicated that recruiting and supporting mechanisms at the national level, personal characteristics, near socio-economic environment of the school, etc. seem to affect SPL actions (Church, 2014;Demirtaş & Küçük, 2014;Gündüz & Balyer, 2012;Lorent-Bedmar et al, 2019;Sancar, 2012). However, international research still requires evidence about the interaction between contextual conditions and leadership actions (Brauckmann, Pashiardis, & Ärlestig, 2020;Da"as, 2017).…”