Different worlds: The cadences of context, exploring the emotional terrain of school principals’ practice in schools in challenging circumstances

Abstract

The centrality of emotions in the personal and professional practice of school leaders is by now well established in scholarship. Much of the investigation that has been carried out over the years provides a strong basis and rationale for the data presented in this paper. This study sought to explore the extent to which the socio-economic context of the school impacts the emotional timbre of the interactions of school principals and to seek to establish how this group of leaders manage the emotional drivers of their different socio-economic contexts. This paper specifically focuses on principals' perspectives on the impact children’s social worlds and their associated lives have on how leadership practice is shaped, from the point of view of the playing out of emotions in school. Qualitative research using multiple, in-depth interviews and shadowing as research tools, was utilised to focus on the emotional experiences of the principals in the study. This approach enabled the research to come as close as possible to understanding the meaning principals make of their lived experiences from their subjective point of view. Most of the data presented here will explore the perspectives of leaders working in schools in some of the most disadvantaged and marginalised communities in Ireland.

A Job Demands–Resources Perspective on Kindergarten Principals’ Occupational Well-Being: The Role of Emotion Regulation

“…Emotion is inherent to the practice of leadership [ 15 ], and “leadership work is hard emotional labor” ([ 36 ], p. 137). The centrality of emotions in the personal and professional practice of school leaders is by now well-established in scholarship [ 15 , 36 ].…”

Responding to educational inequality in Ireland; Harnessing teachers’ perspectives to develop a framework for professional conversations

“…Sensitivity to school context is highlighted in numerous other studies (e.g. Chapman 2004;Lupton 2005;Thrupp and Lupton 2006;Braun et al 2011;Brennan and MacRuairc 2017) and serves as a persistent reminder to both policy makers and practitioners to be wary of simplistic generalisations, that "one size" does not necessarily fit all. This striking emphasis on context -"our situation is unique" -suggests that an appreciation of a school's history and traditions as well as the circumstances of the students' lives should be an important part of teachers' awareness and development, not only when initially appointed but on an ongoing basis.…”

A systematic review and thematic synthesis of research on school leadership in the Republic of Ireland

“…Qualitative studies exploring the affective impact of the role on school leaders have also been conducted (Brennan and Mac Ruairc, 2017) where the affective domain of leading is demonstrated to be connected to the particularities of context and how positive or negative the relationships are between professionals working in the school. Further understanding about how school leadership promotes positive school climates, particularly in the most challenging circumstances, would be beneficial.…”

“…Further understanding about how school leadership promotes positive school climates, particularly in the most challenging circumstances, would be beneficial. Brennan and Mac Ruairc (2017) also reported on school leaders' accounts of the effects of heightened negative emotions in school contexts during Ireland's economic crash. This echoes findings by Darmody and Smyth (2015).…”