Despite widespread and long-standing commitment to the notion of
leadership across the teaching profession, it is unusual for the theory and
practice of leadership to be taught as a subject in education. This study
examined what factors the participants believed influenced their school management
approach and how they defined their current leadership styles. This paper
offers theoretically informed models of leadership which encompasses different
purposes (assessment of self and the school system). Finding out the leadership
styles of the principals helps them find ways to understand complex educational
issues. Available literature points to the realization that there have been few
studies that explore principals’ perceptions of the factors underpinning their
successes and achievements. A qualitative research project was undertaken in
Cyprus by using in- depth interviews. Data were collected from interviews. Journal
entries were also analyzed for the benefit of the study. Microanalysis was used
to analyze the data and cross case analysis was used to look for similarities
and differences between the cases. Analysis was informed by movement between
theoretical dimensions and emerging themes from participants’ discussions of
their leadership experiences. This research has shown that the participants had
similar goals with regard to their school management yet implemented it in
different ways. This study illustrates implications for future research on the
factors influencing school management.
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