Principals as Indelible Leaders in the Context of School Culture

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the views of teachers on the leadership characteristics of school principals who leave marks in the context of school culture. For this purpose, the focus is on exploring the opinions of teachers based on the components of the school culture and the theory of indelible leadership which constitutes the theoretical framework of this study. With this purpose; the study was conducted as a phenomenological qualitative research design. Criterion sampling was used to access rich knowledge and experience and eight teachers who met the criteria were involved in the study. The data were collected through interviews with a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher. The descriptive analysis approach was used to analyze the data of the study. As a result of the descriptive analysis; three themes have been identified: “The Characteristics of Indelible Leaders”, “The Process of Being Indelible to Create School Culture” and “Suggestions.” By examining the characteristics of the leader who leaves marks; it is concluded that as a continuous learner, the leader is both essential and dispensable, supports teacher learning and sees a student as a change agent. Besides, in this study, it can be said that according to teacher opinions, the school principal's ability to create and reshape organizational culture can be shown as a trait of principals as indelible leaders.