Principals’ perspectives on faculty diversity in Qatar’s government schools

Abstract

Globalization requires the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) to experience numerous economic, social, and educational changes. In particular, Qatar’s unprecedented economic growth has created a flow of high- and low-skilled expatriate workers resulting in a significant imbalance between nationals and expatriates. The implications are evident in Qatar’s government schools where approximately 72% of teachers are expatriates and 99% of the principals are Qatari nationals. Although diversity can enrich schools, it could create conflicts that might hamper the school’s success. Despite the large body of research on school leadership and student diversity, little is written about principals and faculty diversity especially within the GCC. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore 20 Qatari principals’ perspectives regarding their understandings of diversity and experiences with faculty diversity. Findings demonstrate that principals perceive diversity in terms of nationality. They experienced positive and negative influences of diversity and are confronted with challenges that often center on ethnical and cultural issues. Principals addressed how they manage the issues of nationality, culture, and equality. The study suggests that school leadership in a multicultural society such as Qatar demands more competencies to manage faculty diversity. Several recommendations are offered for principals for working with a diverse faculty.

A systematic review of key contextual challenges facing school principals: Research-informed coping solutions

“…Our analysis revealed that some key challenges for principals may arise from socio-cultural norms (Table 2). The differences between national and local cultures, especially in multicultural countries (see Gillett et al, 2016 [Australia]; Lumby and Foskett, 2011 [South Africa]; Pisapia et al, 2013 [USA, China, and Hong Kong]); gender bias, particularly against women (Altinkurt and Yilmaz, 2011; Shah, 2009); and stereotypes and religious bias (Camarero-Figuerola et al, 2020; Nehring and Lohmeier, 2010; Romanowski et al, 2018) were reported as the common socio-cultural challenges within South American, Asian, and African countries in the reviewed studies.…”

“…When talking about parents, this case is even more complicated. The results showed that low parental participation and differences between family cultures are important challenges for the principals of developing countries such as Turkey, the UAE, and Qatar (Litz et al, 2020; Romanowski et al, 2018).…”

Unravelling EFL teachers' mastery of TPACK: Technological pedagogical and content knowledge in writing classes

“…Cohen et al [ 65 ] state that this percentage enables the generalization of the findings and aids in minimizing sampling bias [ 65 ]. It is essential to underline that approximately 72% of teachers in Qatari government schools are not Qataris [ 66 ]. The workload for EFL teachers is normally from 10 to 18 classes each week, except for English coordinators, who are responsible for five classes in addition to professional and administrative duties.…”

Leadership for equality in education: 50 years marching forward or marching on the spot?

“…On the one hand, the term is equated with a range of ethnicities or national identities that can be used instrumentally. Writing of education in Qatar, Romanowski et al (2019) exemplify a normative positioning of diversity as a potential benefit to organisations: 'When diversity is fostered, developed and managed well, both faculty and students benefit ' (2019: 731).…”