Die verwerkliking van die neoliberale diskoerse in die leierskappraktyke van plattelandse skoolhoofde

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study offers an analysis of the realization of the neoliberal discourses in the leadershippractices of rural school headmasters. It is a Bourdieuian study of leadership in the ruralcontext in relation to the influence of neoliberalism. The focus of this study is the manner inwhich neoliberalism manifests itself in the leadership practices of headmasters functioningwithin a specific geographical context, namely a rural village. The conceptual questiontherefore focuses on the endeavour made by the headmasters with the manifestation of theneoliberal discourses in the leadership practises of the headmasters in question.The point of reference of this study is that neoliberalism positions schools to function in adistinct way as the logic of the market, privatisation, deregulation and the individual'sfreedom of choice of school are manifested in the school as field. A further outcome ofneoliberalism is that a particular leadership practice namely managerialism, use of data,efficiency, performativity and a focus on outcomes and achievements in the school isestablished in the field and proffered as norm. The discursive function of neoliberalism in theschool as field has a direct impact on the leadership practices of headmasters as it effects adistinct logic of practice which endeavours to influence the headmaster's leadership habitusin a certain way. Furthermore it tends to influence the headmasters reason to act directly inthe form of policy changes and indirectly when proposed as the norm or standard of practice.In this study Bourdieu's conceptual lenses of habitus, field, capital, strategy and practice areemployed as comprehensive theoretical background and analytical lenses. The aim of thisstudy is to understand what the neoliberal discourses entail, to interpret how they manifestthemselves in the leadership practices of rural headmasters and to establish the consequencesfor the headmasters.The data was gathered by means of semi-structured one-on-one interviews during which eachheadmaster was granted the opportunity to contextualise in his own words, his experience ofthe effect that neoliberalism discourse has on his leadership practice in his particular ruralschool. The data of the twelve transcribed interviews (with the use of Atlas.ti computerprogramme) was coded by selecting segments of the primary documents to which codes wereaccordingly linked. By applying Bourdieu's conceptual framework of habitus, field, capitaland practice as 'super codes, the data was dealt with thematically and organised accordingly.This study offers an analysis of the realization of the neoliberal discourses in the leadershippractices of rural school headmasters. It is a Bourdieuian study of leadership in the ruralcontext in relation to the influence of neoliberalism. The focus of this study is the manner inwhich neoliberalism manifests itself in the leadership practices of headmasters functioningwithin a specific geographical context, namely a rural village. The conceptual questiontherefore focuses on the endeavour made by the headmasters with the manifestation of theneoliberal discourses in the leadership practises of the headmasters in question.The point of reference of this study is that neoliberalism positions schools to function in adistinct way as the logic of the market, privatisation, deregulation and the individual'sfreedom of choice of school are manifested in the school as field. A further outcome ofneoliberalism is that a particular leadership practice namely managerialism, use of data,efficiency, performativity and a focus on outcomes and achievements in the school isestablished in the field and proffered as norm. The discursive function of neoliberalism in theschool as field has a direct impact on the leadership practices of headmasters as it effects adistinct logic of practice which endeavours to influence the headmaster's leadership habitusin a certain way. Furthermore it tends to influence the headmasters reason to act directly inthe form of policy changes and indirectly when proposed as the norm or standard of practice.In this study Bourdieu's conceptual lenses of habitus, field, capital, strategy and practice areemployed as comprehensive theoretical background and analytical lenses. The aim of thisstudy is to understand what the neoliberal discourses entail, to interpret how they manifestthemselves in the leadership practices of rural headmasters and to establish the consequencesfor the headmasters.The data was gathered by means of semi-structured one-on-one interviews during which eachheadmaster was granted the opportunity to contextualise in his own words, his experience ofthe effect that neoliberalism discourse has on his leadership practice in his particular ruralschool. The data of the twelve transcribed interviews (with the use of Atlas.ti computerprogramme) was coded by selecting segments of the primary documents to which codes wereaccordingly linked. By applying Bourdieu's conceptual framework of habitus, field, capitaland practice as 'super codes, the data was dealt with thematically and organised accordingly. An analysis of the data revealed that the manifestation of neoliberalism results in theheadmaster increasingly having to play a dual role namely that of manager plus that ofprofessional educationist. The leadership skills or practises associated with those two rolesare not always compatible. The latter places principals in a very difficult position where, onthe one hand they are expected to act as Representative of the Department of Education (inwhich neoliberal ideas increasingly function), while on the other hand, as professionaleducationist, the logic behind these practices and its educational accountability may bequestioned. Headmasters, however, despite the fact that neoliberalism seeks to enforce auniform system upon them, respond in a unique, diverse manner to the manifestation of theneoliberal discourses in their leadership practices.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University