Determining school heads’ practices aimed at ensuring school quality and the resulting job stress factors: a study of senior high school heads in Ghana
Date
2022-11-22
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Abstract
Erinevalt teiste valdkondade juhtidest ei ole koolijuhtide tööülesanded täpselt kindlaks määratud. Koolijuhid moodustavad olulise haridusvaldkonna sidusrühma, sest nad on oma rollis asendamatud. Nii nagu ühiskond, muutuvad ka koolijuhtide tööülesanded üha mitmetahulisemaks, mistõttu ei ole neid lihtne määratleda. Ka tööstress mõjutab koolijuhtide tegevust ja rahulolu kooli kvaliteedi parandamisel ning paremate õpiväljundite saavutamisel. Doktoritöö eesmärk ongi anda ülevaade koolijuhtide tööülesannetest ja nendest tingitud stressist, samuti teguritest, mis mõjutavad koolijuhtide tööstressi ja tööülesannete täitmist. Lisaks soovitakse doktoritöös välja selgitada tööalased toimingud, mis aitavad parandada kooli kvaliteeti, ning nendega seotud stressorid ja toetavad tegurid. Kvantitatiivse uuringu andmed koguti Ghana keskkooli juhtidelt ja kvalitatiivse uuringu omad Volta piirkonna koolijuhtidelt. Uurimistulemusena eristusid 22 tööalast tegevust, mida koolijuhid eelistasid. Selgus, et kuigi koolijuhtide tegevus on stressirohke, ei tagane nad oma kohustustest. Koolijuhtide tööstressi mõjutavad koolijuhi vanus ning kooli tüüp ja klassifikatsioon. Seevastu vanus ja ametikoht avaldavad mõju tööga rahulolule, ametikoht ka tööülesannete täitmisele. Reformide elluviimisel täidavad koolijuhid reformimisega seotud tööülesandeid, ehkki need on stressirohked. Hea kooliga seotud uuenduste kontekstis näitavad tulemused muu hulgas seda, et koolijuhid toetavad töötajate professionaalset arengut ja õpilased on hästi juhendatud. Samas avaldavad õpetajate supervisiooniga kaasnevad raskused, ressursside nappus, õpetajate vähene tugi ja bürokraatia koolijuhtide tegevusele negatiivset mõju. Stressiolukordadega toimetulekuks loodavad koolijuhid eelmistest töökohtadest saadud kogemustele ja oma akadeemilisele taustale. Uurimistulemuste põhjal saab anda mõningaid praktilisi soovitusi, kuid edasistes uuringutes tuleb koolijuhtide tegevust uurida suurema valimi peal ja töötada välja strateegiad, mille kaudu toetada koolijuhte nende kohustuste täitmisel.
Unlike the leadership of other sectors with well-defined roles, that of School heads differ. School heads are significant stakeholders in education with irreplaceable duties. Their roles keep evolving as society develops with much complexity. Thus, they are not easily define, and the incidence of job stress affects their performance and satisfaction in improving school quality for quality learning outcomes. The current thesis aims to provide an overview of the practices performed by School heads, the stressfulness of the practices, the factors that affect their job stress and the performance of practices. In addition, the thesis sought to determine the practices perform to improve school quality, the job stressors, and support factors in that regard. Data was first collected from secondary school heads across Ghana for the quantitative part of the study and from Heads in Volta Region for the qualitative study. The results indicated 22 most preferred practices of school heads. The results also indicate that though the practices were stressful, the Heads did not renege on their duties. The result revealed age, school type, and classification affected the heads’ job stress. In contrast, age and position affected the job satisfaction level of schools, with position also affecting the performance of practices. On implementing reforms, the results indicated that Heads perform tasks related to reforms though stressful. With specific reference to quality school improvement, the results revealed among others, that School heads promote professional staff development, and students are also well tutored. However, challenges with supervision, lack of resources and support from teachers and bureaucracy negatively impacted their performance. These notwithstanding, Heads relied on support from experiences from past roles and their academic background to cope with stressful situations. Based on the results, some practical implications were adduced. Further research should test the practices in a bigger sample and develop strategies to support school heads in performing their duties.
Unlike the leadership of other sectors with well-defined roles, that of School heads differ. School heads are significant stakeholders in education with irreplaceable duties. Their roles keep evolving as society develops with much complexity. Thus, they are not easily define, and the incidence of job stress affects their performance and satisfaction in improving school quality for quality learning outcomes. The current thesis aims to provide an overview of the practices performed by School heads, the stressfulness of the practices, the factors that affect their job stress and the performance of practices. In addition, the thesis sought to determine the practices perform to improve school quality, the job stressors, and support factors in that regard. Data was first collected from secondary school heads across Ghana for the quantitative part of the study and from Heads in Volta Region for the qualitative study. The results indicated 22 most preferred practices of school heads. The results also indicate that though the practices were stressful, the Heads did not renege on their duties. The result revealed age, school type, and classification affected the heads’ job stress. In contrast, age and position affected the job satisfaction level of schools, with position also affecting the performance of practices. On implementing reforms, the results indicated that Heads perform tasks related to reforms though stressful. With specific reference to quality school improvement, the results revealed among others, that School heads promote professional staff development, and students are also well tutored. However, challenges with supervision, lack of resources and support from teachers and bureaucracy negatively impacted their performance. These notwithstanding, Heads relied on support from experiences from past roles and their academic background to cope with stressful situations. Based on the results, some practical implications were adduced. Further research should test the practices in a bigger sample and develop strategies to support school heads in performing their duties.
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Keywords
school management, schools, job stress, stress management, Ghana, managers