Transformational School Leadership in Low Socioeconomic South African High Schools: Implications for Learner Academic Achievement
Keywords:
Transformational leadership; learner academic achievement; low socioeconomic schools; secondary school leadership; qualitative case study; South AfricaAbstract
Learner academic achievement in low socioeconomic high schools remains a persistent challenge in South Africa, despite extensive policy reforms aimed at addressing educational inequality. Within this context, school leadership has emerged as a critical in-school factor influencing teaching and learning outcomes. This study explores how transformational leadership is enacted in low socioeconomic high schools and how such leadership practices relate to learner academic achievement. Guided by an interpretivist paradigm, the study adopted a qualitative exploratory multiple-case study design. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and field notes with two purposively selected high school principals in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, guided by the core constructs of transformational leadership: idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualised consideration. The findings indicate that transformational leadership contributes to improved learner academic achievement by fostering learning-focused school cultures, strengthening teacher commitment, promoting instructional improvement, and supporting professional development. While structural socioeconomic constraints persist, the study demonstrates that transformational leadership provides a coherent framework through which principals can mediate contextual challenges and create conditions conducive to academic success. The study contributes to educational leadership scholarship by offering contextually grounded qualitative insights into transformational leadership practices in disadvantaged high school settings.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.7.22
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