The influence of educational leadership on quality teaching and learning of high school mathematics

Abstract

I address the relevance of quality learning and teaching in South African high schools’ as it relates to the strategic direction provided by high school leadership for the benefit of knowledge economies and higher learning institutions. The main research question is: “How does educational leadership influence the quality of learning and teaching of high school mathematics?” The research was framed within a confirmatory study viewing quality learning and teaching from a doing mathematics perspective, within the context of a community of practice acknowledging that school leadership can also be situated within the same practice, i.e. doing mathematics. The research was qualitatively designed to employ unstructured, semi-structured and focus group discussion interviews with the school leaders, teachers and students respectively. These enquiries were conducted within six high schools’ representatives of all previously South African demographical perspectives. The analysis was conducted through interpretive phenomenological analysis for sensemaking of situational leadership within a mathematical practice. The findings of the research lacked “doing mathematical” depth, beyond students and teachers. Explanatory findings of a grounded theoretical analysis yielded a school leadership’s silence on quality learning and teaching of mathematics contrary to the literature review’s expectation. The significance of the study lies in the possibilities associated with an under-research stakeholder to the development of quality learning and teaching of mathematics and meeting the expectations of knowledge economies and higher educational institutions.