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The Lived Experiences of K-12 Assistant Principals: A Qualitative Study of Professional Growth in Leadership

Dissertation
2025

Repository

Description

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the lived professional experiences of K-12 assistant principals, focusing on their professional growth to sustain and enhance leadership capacity based on perceptions, successes, and challenges. For this study, professional growth was defined as any activity which allows assistant principals to enhance leadership knowledge and skills, either through self-identified professional growth learning activities or direct opportunities to lead others. This study was grounded in role theory, providing an appropriate perspective to examine the issues assistant principals face in their leadership growth. This study employed qualitative thematic analysis using a secondary dataset of 28 interviews with assistant principals in Singapore schools. The study addressed the central research question: How do K-12 assistant principals perceive their roles, responsibilities, and the professional growth experiences available to them? MAXQDA software was used to thematically code the dataset. From this process four themes emerged: role clarity for individual and organizational professional growth, enhancing assistant principal leadership, managing assistant principal constraints, and organizational relationships impact and the assistant principal role. The findings concluded that, despite their valuable contributions in some areas, assistant principals still experience significant leadership constraints, especially with role clarity, managerial pressures, time restraints, and organizational relationships. The recommendations for future professional growth opportunities include realistic job previews, dedicated time preserved for leadership activities, formal career growth programs, and informal professional growth networking experiences.
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Record Data:

Program :
  • Doctor of Education
Location :
  • CBE
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