Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

SAGETRACK

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Educational Management Administration & Leadership
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Trnavcevic, A.
Right arrow Articles by Roncelli Vaupot, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Exploring Aspiring Principals' Perceptions of Principalship

A Slovenian Case Study

Anita Trnavcevic

University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, Slovenia, anita.trnavcevic{at}siol.net

Silva Roncelli Vaupot

Centre of Higher Education and Acting Dean of Polymer Technology College, Slovenia

A lot is expected of Slovenian principals, yet very little is known about aspiring principals' own expectations of principalship. Currently there is no Slovenian study of aspiring principals, although they represent the majority of those enrolled on the `certification programme' of the National School for Leadership in Education. The purpose of this article is to explore: (1) what aspiring principals perceive as principalship and how they define it; (2) what participants perceive as significant influences on principalship; (3) the tensions that aspiring principals might perceive and anticipate as a part of principalship; and (4) the metaphors used for principalship. Data indicate that participants discuss principalship from a managerial position in which the main tasks revolve around the `smooth work of an organization'. Principals' personalities play pivotal role in successful principalship, while the legal context, legislation and national policies `dictate' schools' work. Power is concentrated with principals, which the metaphors nicely reflect. Principals are seen to be paternalistic and hierarchical.

Key Words: aspiring principals • educational leadership • leadership training principalship

Educational Management Administration & Leadership, Vol. 37, No. 1, 85-105 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1741143208099331
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?