Exploring the Role of Women in Education: A Journey from Instructional Leadership to Institutional Leadership
Keywords:
education, instructional leadership, organizational leadership, mentorshipAbstract
This research adopts a qualitative research design to explore the experiences of women transformation from instructional leadership to institutional leadership in educational settings. A qualitative approach is suitable for this research as it allows for an in-depth exploration of participants’ lived experiences, perceptions, and meaning-making processes. A phenomenological approach is to understand the importance of participants’ experiences as navigate leadership transitions. The sample size is eight participants, which includes two senior teachers, two heads of departments in the universities, two school Principals and two academic administrators working in public and private sectors. A purposive convenient sampling strategy is used to select participants. Data is collected using semi-structured interviews as a tool, through face-to-face or online. The data was analyzed using the thematic analysis, a method adopted for analyzing qualitative data. This study findings highlights that female moving from instructional to institutional leadership face multiple challenges as well as areas of strength. These include mentorship, social support, and experiential learning, along with resilience and emotional labor. Supportive policies within institutions also play a key role. Women navigate personal, social, and organizational hurdles by employing reflection, strategic planning, and adaptability to thrive in leadership roles. This study points out how crucial it is to have both formal and informal support systems to ensure fair access and ongoing involvement in educational leadership positions.
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