Principals shaping school culture for school effectiveness in South Africa

Abstract

This paper explores effective schools with an effective school culture. The researchers worked from the assumption that a positive school culture is essential for school effectiveness and that principals are in a position to exert a greater influence on the school culture than any other member of the school community. In democratic South Africa, black parents who needed good education for their children could not always find it in schools that catered for blacks only. They therefore sent their children to effective suburban schools, which resulted in a large influx of learners from outer areas. Schein’s 3-level theory of culture and Zhang’s four constructs of culture were used as theoretical lenses for this research. This qualitative study, which employed the photo-voice method, narrative interviews and structured observations, revealed that effective principals adapted to the changing school population and prepared learners, teachers and communities for success against all odds.