Factors that influence public school principals’ professional discretion : perspectives of South African public-school principals

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Authors

Beyers, René
Du Plessis, A. (Andre)

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of the Free State

Abstract

Through the lens of the contextual intelligence theory, this article utilises previous empirical research studies as a base to support the application of professional discretion practices of public-school principals. The study focused in particular on the factors that influence or limit their use of professional discretion in their daily tasks. A mixed-methods study was conducted in which quantitative survey data were used to inform the questions that were asked to participants during semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that public-school principals are susceptible to both internal and external factors that could limit or influence the application of their professional discretion. Even though public-school principals within a particular school district operate under the same set of policies, it is evident that some principals are more inclined to apply professional discretion than others.

Description

Keywords

Accountability, Contextual intelligence, Professional discretion, Public-school principals, School leadership, School management, SDG-04: Quality education

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG-04:Quality Education

Citation

Beyers, R. & Du Plessis, A. 2023, 'Factors that influence public school principals’ professional discretion : perspectives of South African public-school principals', Perspectives in Education, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 33-48. https://DOI.org/10.38140/pie.v41i2.7067.