Abstract:
In an era of increasing social polarisation, challenges to leadership, and major reforms across education sectors, parent engagement has gained significant attention in policy and research due to its positive impact on student outcomes. However, few studies have explored how mandated parent engagement initiatives affect school leaders, particularly amidst intensifying accountability and role demands. Situated within the context of marketisation, privatisation, and neoliberal influences on education, this study aimed to understand the lived experiences of school leaders navigating parent engagement across diverse primary educational settings.
Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with twelve school leaders in Queensland, Australia, this phenomenological study employed a hermeneutic approach to data analysis. By engaging in an iterative dialogue with the interview transcripts, the researcher identified meaningful statements, interpretive codes, and emergent themes that captured the essence of the participants' lived experiences. The study uncovered the significant emotional toll, time-consuming nature, and moral dilemmas associated with navigating complex parent relationships in a changing educational landscape. Key findings, derived through the application of Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics and the Hermeneutic Circle, revealed a lack of formal training and systemic support for leaders in this critical aspect of their role, leading to feelings of isolation, burnout, and concerns about the sustainability of the principalship.
The study highlights the urgent need for targeted professional development, clear protocols, dedicated resources, and a cultural shift towards empathy and shared responsibility in parent-school relationships. Grounded in the fusion of horizons emerging from school leaders' reflections, the study offers recommendations for systemic change to address the negative impact of parent engagement on school leader wellbeing and effectiveness.
The detailed descriptions shared by participants underscore the profound emotional and moral injury from the relentless demands of parent engagement, with one school leader likening it to a "death by a thousand cuts." Ultimately, understanding the implications of parent engagement is essential for cultivating sustainable leadership and realising the transformative potential of authentic family-school collaboration in a complex and changing educational world.
Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with twelve school leaders in Queensland, Australia, this phenomenological study employed a hermeneutic approach to data analysis. By engaging in an iterative dialogue with the interview transcripts, the researcher identified meaningful statements, interpretive codes, and emergent themes that captured the essence of the participants' lived experiences. The study uncovered the significant emotional toll, time-consuming nature, and moral dilemmas associated with navigating complex parent relationships in a changing educational landscape. Key findings, derived through the application of Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics and the Hermeneutic Circle, revealed a lack of formal training and systemic support for leaders in this critical aspect of their role, leading to feelings of isolation, burnout, and concerns about the sustainability of the principalship.
The study highlights the urgent need for targeted professional development, clear protocols, dedicated resources, and a cultural shift towards empathy and shared responsibility in parent-school relationships. Grounded in the fusion of horizons emerging from school leaders' reflections, the study offers recommendations for systemic change to address the negative impact of parent engagement on school leader wellbeing and effectiveness.
The detailed descriptions shared by participants underscore the profound emotional and moral injury from the relentless demands of parent engagement, with one school leader likening it to a "death by a thousand cuts." Ultimately, understanding the implications of parent engagement is essential for cultivating sustainable leadership and realising the transformative potential of authentic family-school collaboration in a complex and changing educational world.