Abstract
The international school market has shown a rapid growth in the last decade, particularly in Asia, with the majority of new schools being Type C (for-profit schools). Specific leadership challenges in Singapore international schools are likely to include the wide breadth of the principal’s role, the high competition to recruit and retain the particularly transient bodies of students and staff, and the relationship between principals and their often finance-focused overseeing bodies. The aim of this study is to explore principals’ perspectives on whether their use of coaching, a form of empowering leadership, may help in managing these and other challenges.This qualitative study, based on a subjective ontology with an interpretivist epistemology, employed purposive sampling and semi-structured qualitative interviews to explore the perspectives of 17 Singapore international school principals who had experience of coaching. The transcribed interviews were analysed using template analysis to code, cluster and interpret the data. Supplementary data were collected by the correspondence method.
The findings suggest that the role of the Singapore international school principal offers numerous challenges, particularly relating to the dynamic marketplace, the transience of students and staff, and the plurality of leadership roles. Additionally, there may be a conflict between the implementation of business objectives and a coaching approach to leadership in this competitive environment. Although principals appear to have varying levels of understanding of coaching and may overestimate the extent of its usage as part of their leadership repertoire, most principals perceive there are benefits and detriments to this leadership approach. Consequently, there remains a tension surrounding the use of coaching in Singapore international schools.
It is argued that, although in revenue-generating schools there will inevitably be tensions in the relationship between inherently education-focused principals and their more business-focused overseeing bodies, these may potentially be ameliorated by using leadership approaches that foster a balance between both priorities. Additionally, this key relationship may be harmonised by bi-lateral training of principals and overseeing bodies in finance and coaching respectively. Although participant principals perceived that coaching could help to reduce teacher turnover, there is insufficient empirical evidence to confirm this. However, principals would likely benefit from role-specific coaching training, post-training support, and embedded coaching structures.
| Date of Award | 10 Dec 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Ioanna Palaiologou (Supervisor) & Kate M Hawkey (Supervisor) |