Dissertation focus
New to School Leadership Through the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Current Study
Given the sudden global disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on education, and the lack of research considering how new principals navigate crises, the intent of the present study is to understand the experiences of first year principals who led their schools through the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering a qualitative interpretative approach that utilizes in-depth and semi-structured interviews, the current study will explore the successes, supports, and challenges that new K-12 principals in BC faced in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this research will follow an interpretivist epistemology (Crotty, 1998; Schwant, 2002) grounded in phenomenological principles (Crotty, 1998). The data gathered will be analyzed to identify categories and recurring themes (Creswell, 2018; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016; Saldana, 2009). This study’s findings has the potential to inform and improve in-service training for new principals, as well as to further develop and prepare school principals to be successful in their roles, particularly in times of crises.
Research Questions.
The questions this qualitative interpretivist study will seek to address include the following: what successes, supports, and challenges did new K-12 school principals’ experience through the COVID-19 pandemic in their school district? Specifically, this research is guided by the following questions:
- What were the successes that new school principal felt were achieved during the pandemic?
3. What supports did new principals find helpful in navigating challenges and uncertainties caused by the pandemic?
Currently seeking research participants from the following school districts:
Abbotsford School District
Coquitlam School District
Langley School District
Richmond School District
North Vancouver School District
Please email: selmasmith@ku.edu for further information.
