Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses Educational Foundations & Leadership & Dissertations Spring 2021 Principal Pipeline Development in Ghana: A Look at Komenda Edina Eguafo Abriem (KEEA) District in the Central Region Eunice A. Turkson Old Dominion University, eunicet2@comcast.net Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.edu/efl_etds Part of the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Turkson, Eunice A. "Principal Pipeline Development in Ghana: A Look at Komenda Edina Eguafo Abriem (KEEA) District in the Central Region" (2021). Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Dissertation, Educational Foundations & Leadership, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/8fhz-3w56 https://digitalcommons.edu/efl_etds/265 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Educational Foundations & Leadership at ODU Digital Commons.
It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@odu. PRINCIPAL PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA: A LOOK AT KOMENDA EDINA EGUAFO ABRIEM (KEEA) DISTRICT IN THE CENTRAL REGION by Eunice A. FEBRUARY 1995, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST M.ED AUGUST 2011, VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY A dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY May 2021 Approved by Dr.
William Owings (Director) Dr. Steve Myran (Member) Dr. Petros Katsioloudis (Member) ABSTRACT PRINCIPAL PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA: A LOOK AT KOMENDA EDINA EGUAFO ABRIEM (KEEA) DISTRICT IN THE CENTRAL REGION Eunice A. Turkson Old Dominion University, 2021 Director: Dr.
William Owings There is no doubt that principals’ roles are important in setting the direction for successful schools, however, current knowledge on the best ways to prepare and develop highly qualified and effective school leaders is sparse (Darling-Hammond, LaPointe, Meyerson, Orr, & Cohen, 2007; Mendels, 2012). As such, the recognition of the importance of school leaders in teaching and learning coupled with a growing shortage of high-quality leaders in American schools, increased the interest in leadership development as a major reform strategy (Darling- Hammond et al. The investment of tremendous amount of time and resources on school leadership therefore help them to be successful on the job (Mendels, 2012). This mixed methods study is a look at principal leadership pipeline development in Komenda Edina Eguafo Abriem (KEEA) District in the Central Region of Ghana, West Africa, to understand how the school district develops its principal preparation program or pipeline for aspiring and current school leaders.
A sample of 50 participants made up of district leaders, principals, assistant principals, and aspiring leaders from schools in the KEEA District were randomly selected to participate in the study. Data were generated through Survey Monkey Cloud and semi-structured interviews with 10% of the sample participants. The two research questions associated with this study are: 1. Is there a principal preparation program or pipeline in KEEA District? 2.
To what degree does the program align with research-based elements? iv Copyright, 2021, by Eunice A. Turkson, All Rights Reserved v This project is dedicated to my brothers and sisters and to my parents of blessed memory. My late father Mr. Ebenezer Yaw Turkson’s love and passion for education and hard work motivated me even from my youthful years.
Below is one of his numerous motivational quotes… “The heights by which great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My first acknowledgement and appreciation go to the Almighty who made it possible for me through His ever-present Grace and Wisdom to embark on this amazing journey! In Psalm 46:10, He tells me to be still and know that He is the Almighty and I have trusted him throughout the entire process. I am forever grateful! I acknowledge the immeasurable support and encouragement from my deceased parents and siblings whose passion for education and love motivated me to come this far. My heartfelt gratitude also goes to my incredibly special team, Mr.
Nana Yaw Pinkrah, Mr. Samuel Oxwell Pinkrah, and Mr. Your unquantifiable and consistent support I cannot begin to measure. I am indeed grateful and do appreciate you! You donated your time, knowledge, energy, and support to help me through this project.
Now to my dear brother Mr. Rexford Anson-Dwamena. You have been with me through thick and thin on so many adventurous journeys and even on this educational journey. You were surely placed in my path in this life for a reason.
Words are not enough to express my sincere gratitude. Thank you very much my dear brother! I do express my cordial gratitude to my great friends from my youthful years, Dr. Harry Dabban and Dr. Your keen interest and ever-present encouragement were a great and welcoming support through the course of this incredible ride! Dr.
William Owings, my respected instructor and dissertation chair. Where do I begin? All I can say is “Thank You.” You told me you were going to help me finish and you kept to your word! I sincerely appreciate every effort and time you invested in me. May the Almighty richly bless you and may you never lack in all areas of life! vii I am deeply indebted to my committee members Dr. Steve Myran and Dr.
Petros Kastioloudis, for the invaluable support given me in the preparation and completion of this project. Thank you very much to each one of you! I am grateful for this kind gesture! May the Almighty bless and keep everyone who has helped me in diverse ways to complete this worthy endeavor! viii Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES. xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. 1 Statement of the Problem.
1 Purpose of the Study. 5 CHAPTER 2: SYNTHESIS OF CORE KNOWLEDGE. 6 Leadership Pipeline-Focus and Why. 6 Conditions that Promote Leadership Pipeline Development.
9 Underlying Issues of Leadership Pipeline Development. 9 Leadership/Principal Standards/Expectations. 10 Professional Development /High-Quality Training. 12 Selective Recruitment and Hiring.
14 On the Job Support for Development and Retention. 16 Instructional Leadership Activities. 19 Increased Institutional Perspective. 20 Increased Strength in Collaborative Practices.
21 Strengthened Technological Skills. 25 Culturally Responsive Practices. 27 Conditions that Challenge Leadership Pipeline Implementation. 28 Overview of Education System in Ghana.
29 History and Background. 31 Legal Framework of Education in Ghana. 33 The 1992 Constitution of Ghana -article 25 Clause (1). 35 The 2008 Education Act (Act 778).
36 The Basic Education system in Ghana. 37 Senior High School (SHS) education in Ghana. 38 School Leadership preparation and requirement. 39 Appointment and training of headteachers.
45 Limitations of the Study. 47 Analysis of Survey Data. 47 Semi-structured interviews. 70 Summary and Discussion of the Findings.
80 Recommendations for Policy, Practice and Future Research. 81 Recommendations for Policy. 81 Recommendations for Practice. 83 Recommendations for Future Research.
83 Appendix A: Survey Questions. 96 Appendix B: Letter of Consent. 105 xi LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1: MAP OF AFRICA WITH GHANA HIGHLIGHTED. 30 FIGURE 2: MAP OF GHANA WITH THE CENTRAL REGION IN RED.
31 FIGURE 3: LEADERSHIP/PRINCIPAL STANDARDS/EXPECTATIONS. 48 FIGURE 4: LEADERSHIP/PRINCIPAL STANDARDS/EXPECTATIONS. 49 FIGURE 5: LEADERSHIP/PRINCIPAL STANDARDS/EXPECTATIONS. 50 FIGURE 6: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT/HIGH QUALITY TRAINING.
51 FIGURE 7: SELECTIVE RECRUITMENT AND HIRING. 52 FIGURE 8: ON THE JOB SUPPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION. 53 FIGURE 9: ON THE JOB SUPPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION. 54 FIGURE 10: INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES.
55 FIGURE 11: INCREASED INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE. 56 FIGURE 12: INCREASED STRENGTH IN COLLABORATION PRACTICES. 57 FIGURE 13: INCREASED STRENGTH IN COLLABORATIVE PRACTICES. 58 FIGURE 14: STRENGTHENED TECHNOLOGICAL SKILLS.
59 FIGURE 15: CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE PRACTICES. 60 FIGURE 16: CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE PRACTICES. 61 FIGURE 17: CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE PRACTICES. 64 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Principal leadership pipeline development cannot be overemphasized for the development of national education systems.
This is because education for any country is important for national development processes. However, national development processes are influenced by various factors. There is no doubt that, principals’ roles are important in setting the direction for successful schools, however, current knowledge on the best ways to prepare and develop highly qualified and effective school leaders is sparse (Darling-Hammond, LaPointe, Meyerson, Orr, & Cohen, 2007; Mendels, 2012). As such, the recognition of the importance of school leaders in teaching and learning coupled with a growing shortage of high-quality leaders in American schools, increased the interest in leadership development as a major reform strategy (Darling-Hammond et al.
The investment of tremendous amount of time and resources on school leadership therefore help them to be successful on the job (Mendels, 2012). Schools are overly complex and require that the academic, social, emotional, and even basic student needs be addressed. Additionally, school staff have varying views, needs, and diverse experiences that influence the general instructional implementation. Educational leaders, especially school principals or heads therefore must possess the skills to be able to balance all these factors while addressing the needs of their schools.
Statement of the Problem Principals often come out of principal preparation programs ill-equipped to address all the complexities of their job (Davis, Gooden, & Bowers, 2017; Crow, Day, & Møller, 2017; Gurley, Anast-May, & Lee, 2015; Peel & Wallace, 1996; Greenfield, 1985; Cosner, Tozer, Zavitkovsky, & Whalen, 2015; Shaked, Schechter, & Michalsky, 2018; Young & Eddy-Spicer, 2019; Quin, Deris, Bischoff, & Johnson, 2015; Arikewuyo, 2009; Darling-Hammond et al. The dynamic nature of the field of educational leadership makes the opportunities of designing, delivering, and researching educational leadership development particularly challenging. Areas that affect educational leadership may include “rapid and evolving knowledge on learning, teaching, and leading; the demands of society; the persistent demographic changes of schools; and the increasing complexity of the job of school leader” (Young & Eddy-Spicer, 2019, p. 8; Darling-Hammond et al.
Furthermore, principals who do not have the skill set to be successful quickly get overwhelmed and often quit the job within few years of hire (Papa, 2007; Pounder & Crow, 2005). As such, “providing educational leaders with high-quality educational leadership preparation experiences that ensure their readiness for practice is an enduring challenge for the field regardless of national context” (Young & Eddy-Spicer, 2019, p. 8; Crow et al., 2017; Shaked, et al., 2018; Quin et al. To retain them on the job, it is therefore imperative that educational leaders are provided a solid foundation.
Research suggests that school leadership accounts for about 20% of a school’s impact on student achievement—second only to the impact of teachers (Searby, Browne-Ferringo, & Wang, 2017; Crow et al., 2017; Gurley et al., 2015; Greenfield, 1985; Cosner et al., 2015; Quin et al., 2015; Young, Winn, & Reedy, 2017; Fuller, Hollingworth, & Liu, 2015; Mulkeen, Chapman, DeJaeghere, & Leu, 2007). School leadership is the major factor on school improvement that influence the quality of teaching and learning. As such, the idea of school principals being instructional leaders of a school has become an important topic in educational leadership literature over recent decades (Leithwood, Harris, & Hopkins, 2019; Darling- Hammond et al. Federal and state accountability measures have therefore placed a lot of pressure on principals and their aspiring counterparts.
The altered perspectives on instructional 3 leadership created the need for changes in performance evaluations for school leadership (Searby et al., 2017; Hallinger, 2010; Fusarelli, Fusarelli, & Drake, 2019). Principals as the instructional leaders, are responsible for student performance and can be one of the most influential factors in student achievement. For the continued improvement of student performance, therefore, the retention of skilled principals becomes an especially important issue, because principal turnover has a negative influence on overall student achievement. Determinants of principal turnover include principal characteristics, characteristics of the position, school and student characteristics, and policy (Rangel, 2018; Papa, 2007; Shulman & Sullivan, 2015).