Developing a Model to Prevent Job Isolation of School Principals in Iran Based on Grounded Theory

Document Type : Qualitative Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student in Educational Management, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Educational Management, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Job isolation affects the quality of work-life of school principals. Given the vital role of the principals in the success of the schools and, consequently, the success of the community, this issue is of particular importance. Current qualitative research is done to develop a model to prevent job isolation of school principals in Iran based on Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory and systematic approach. The research participants were school principals of three educational levels in Iran. A total of 18 school principals were selected by theoretical purposeful sampling method. In-depth semi-structured interviews continued data collection until theoretical saturation. Content analysis based on the continuous comparison method of Strauss and Corbin was used to analyze the interview texts. The results of data analysis during three stages of open, axial, and selective coding were 13 core categories, 34 subcategories, and 133 concepts analyzed within the framework of the paradigm model and in the form of causal conditions (Occupational causes and Managerial causes), contextual conditions (Extra-school Causes, Inter-school Causes, and Human causes), intervening conditions (Demographic causes and the atmosphere of society), strategies (Existence of spiritual assets in the organization, Creating a supportive umbrella, Managerial style, and Modifying the strategic structure of education), and consequences (Micro consequences and Macro consequences). The Lincoln and Guba (1985) approach was used to validate the data, including creditability, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. According to this study’s findings, the Education System should initiates programs for principals to help them prevent their job isolation.

Keywords

References

Abrams, R. Jr. (1997). Professional Isolation and Connection Among High School Science Teachers in Upstate New York. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. Cornell University.
Ackerman, R. H., & Maslin-Ostrowski, P. (2004). The Wounded Leader and Emotional Learning in the Schoolhouse. School Leadership & Management, 24(3), 311-328.
Aizenberg, M., & Oplatka, I. (2019). From Professional Isolation to Effective Leadership: Preschool Teacher-Directors’ Strategies of Shared Leadership and pedagogy. Teachers and Teaching, 25(8),994-1013.
Alligood, J. P. (2005). Georgia Female School Superintendents: Perceptions of Isolation. Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 248. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/248
Ates, H., & Artuner, G. (2013). The Importance of School Management Has Been Increasing in Student Academic Success, Based on International Exams. New Trends in Education and Their Implications, 4(3), 197-202.
Bauer, S.C., & Brazer, S.D. (2013). The Impact of Isolation on the Job Satisfaction of New Principals. Journal of School Leadership, 23,152-177.
Bauer, S.C., & Silver, L. (2018). The Impact of Job Isolation on New Principals’ Sense of Efficacy, Job Satisfaction, Burnout, and Persistence. Educational Administration, 56 (3), 315-331.
Bazargan, Abbas (2008). Introduction to Qualitative and Mixed Research Methods: Different Approaches to Behavioral Sciences, Tehran. Didar. [in Persian]
Bedward, J., & Daniels, H. R. (2005). Collaborative solutions - clinical supervision and teacher support teams: Reducing professional isolation through effective peer support. Learning in Health and Social Care, 4, 53-66.
Bush, T. (2018). Preparation and Induction for School Principals: Global Perspectives. Management in Education, 32(2), 66-71.
Bushy, A. (2002). International perspectives of rural nursing. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 10, 104-111.
Chen, Ch., & Kao, Y. (2011). Investigating the Antecedents and Consequence of Burnout and Isolation among Flight Attendants. Tourism Management, 33, 868- 874.
Cooper, C.D., & Kurland, N.B. (2002). Telecommuting, Professional Development in Public and Private Organizations. Organizational behavior, 23, 511-532.
Creswell, J.W. (2007). Qualitative Inquiry Research Design: Choosing among five approaches. Second edition, United States, California: sage, 395p.
Danaee-Fard, Hassan, & Emami, Sayyed Mojtaba (2007). Qualitative Research Strategies: A Reflection on Grounded Theory. Management Thought, 2, 69-97. [in Persian]
Drago, A. B., & Pecchia, V. (2016). From Isolation to Collaboration: School Principals. Pd.D. Dissertations in Practice/ Capstone Projects. 5. https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/edd_capstones/5
Dussault, M., & Thibodeau, S. (1997). Professional Isolation and Performance at Work of School Principals. School Leadership, 7(5), 521-536.
Flinders, D. (1988). Teacher Isolation and the New Reform. Curriculum and Supervision, 4(1), 17-29.
Forati, Hassan, & Tehrani Kian, Alireza. (2019). The Effect of Job Isolation on Employees' Intention to Leave the Service with the Mediating Role of Self-efficacy, Burnout, and Job Satisfaction. Third International Conference on New Developments in Management, Economics, and Accounting, Tehran. [in Persian]
Friedman, I. A. (2002). Burnout in School Principals: Role Related Antecedents. Social Psychology of Education, 5,229-251.
George I. M. St. (2006). Professional Isolation and Performance Assessment in New Zealand. Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 26 (3), 216-221.
Holliman, R.P., & Muro, L. (2015). Professional Isolation and the Counselor. Counseling and Professional Psychology, 4, 89-97.
 
Howard, M. P., & Mallory, B. J. (2008). Perceptions of Isolation Among High School Principals. Women in Educational Leadership, 6(1), 7-27.
Javadi-Pashaki, Nazilla, & Darvishpour Azar (2019). A Review of the Concepts of Theoretical Sensitivity and Rethinking in Qualitative Research. Qualitative Research in Health Sciences, 8, 57- 65. [in Persian]
Johnson, L. (2005). Why principals quit. Principal, 84 (3), 21-23.
Joudaki, Akbar, Mohammad-khani, Kamran, & Mohammad-davoodi, Amir Hossein. (2019). Presenting a Model for Professional Development of High School Principals. School Administration, 7(2), 251-272. [in Persian]
Khanifar, Hossein, Ebrahimi, Salah-aldin, Seifi, Ali, & Fayazi, Bibi Marjan (2020). Designing a Competency Model to Use in Evaluation and Development Centers. School Administration, 7(2), 118-139. [in Persian]
Khumalo, M.G. (2012). Management Strategies to Improve Job Satisfaction of Principals in Primary School. Ph.D. thesis.
Lashway, L. (2003). Inducting School Leaders. ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management Eugene OR. ERIC Digest.1-7.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Beverly Hills, Calif, SAGE.
Morrissette, P. J. (2000). The experiences of the rural school counselor. Professional School Counseling, 3(3), 197-207.
Nazari, Ali, Hasani, Rafigh, & Shir-Beigi, Naser (2018). Caring Leadership of School Principals: Exploratory Analysis. School Management, 6(2), 305 -324. [in Persian]
Ostovar-Nameghi, S. A., & Sheikhahmadi, M. (2016). From Teacher Isolation to Teacher Collaboration: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Findings. English Language Teaching, 9(5), 197-205.
Rousta, Marzieh, & Heidari, Marzieh. (2019). Investigating the Structural Pattern of Job Isolation with the Intention to Leave the Work through the Mediation of Self-efficacy, Job Satisfaction, and Burnout of Female School Principals in Abadeh City. Journal of Woman and Society, 40,175-194. [in Persian]
Schutz, P. A., & DeCuir, J. T. (2002). Inquiry on Emotions in Education. Educational Psychologist, 37(2), 125–134.
Sindberg, L., & Lipscomb, S. D. (2005). Professional Isolation and the Public-School Music Teacher. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 166, 43-56.
Solomon, M. S. (2000). Childhood Loneliness: Implications and Intervention Considerations for Family Therapists. Family Journal, 8(2), 161–164.
Stephenson, L., & Bauer, S. (2010). The Role of Isolation in Predicting New Principals’ Burnout. International Education Policy and Leadership, 5(9), 1-17.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory, Ebrahim Afshar, 8 editions, 2019, Tehran, Ney. [in Persian]
Tahir, L., Thakib, M. T. M., Hamzah, M. H., Said, M. N. H. M., & Musah, M. B. (2015). Novice Head Teachers' Isolation and Loneliness Experiences: A mixed-methods study. Educational Management Administration &Leadership.1-26. DOI: 10.1177/1741143215587302
Williams, M.A. (2012). Rural Professional Isolation: An Integrative Review. Rural Nursing and Health Care, 12(2), 3-10.
Wright, S.L. (2012). Is it Lonely at the Top? An Empirical Study of Managers; and nonmanagers Loneliness in Organization. Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 146(1-2), 47-60
School Administration
Volume 10, Issue 2
September 2022
Pages 1-22

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 15 December 2021
  • Revise Date: 11 June 2022
  • Accept Date: 13 July 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics