Dissertation
Collaborative recovery: a participatory case study of principal turnover
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Sep 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001344
Abstract
Principals across the nation leave their jobs for a variety of reasons each year. However, the frequency of principal turnover in recent years has created substantial disruptions to school systems and building cultures where the complex work of school reform and relationship-building efforts require significant time investments. Schools that have experienced multiple principal turnover events often experience mistrust, low collaboration, and lack of shared direction contributing to employee dissatisfaction, and ultimately reduced student achievement. The purpose of this participatory case study was to understand how staff and administration within the bounded system of one secondary school worked together to rebuild trusting, collaborative relationships focused on reestablishing positive culture after multiple principal turnover events. Focus groups, individual interviews, participatory coding, and collaborative experience mapping were used to examine the extent to which overall school culture and climate were influenced by disruptions to relationships caused by frequent principal turnover and how intentional actions to rebuild culture were received. This study also explored how staff describes principal turnover's effects on trust, and job satisfaction and what staff identify as key factors of positive work culture. The overall findings suggest that frequent principal turnover events create substantial disruptions to interpersonal relationships within a school building and that staff display significant warning signs of trauma exposure when describing their experiences. Authentic Leadership and Caring School Leadership emerged as frameworks possessing leadership attributes that hold promise for rebuilding damaged school culture.
Metrics
64 File views/ downloads
95 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Collaborative recovery
- Creators
- Lisa D. Perreira
- Contributors
- Kristy Kelly (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- x, 151 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991019104704504721