SA Journal of Education, Vol 33, No 2 (2013)

Professional and organisational socialisation during leadership succession of a school principal: a narrative inquiry using visual ethnography

Trudie Steyn

Abstract


Leadership studies on principal succession show that new principals are required to address
numerous challenges when adapting to a new school context. This paper, on a study that used
a qualitative research design, reports on the professional and organisational socialisation of
a new principal in a South African primary school during the first three years of the principal’s
appointment. Data were collected through a number of interviews and photographs and were
presented in the form of a reflexive story. The principal’s story illuminated the socialisation
process and illustrated how he made sense of his role as a new principal of the school and the
way in which he addressed the challenges in the school. The findings emphasised that so-
cialisation in principal succession can be complex and varied, depending on factors such as the
principal’s personal characteristics and the school context.

doi: 10.15700/saje.v33n2a702

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