School heads of departments’ roles in advancing science and mathematics through the distributed leadership framework

Abstract

The prioritization of quality education, especially in science and in mathematics, positions effective teaching and learning as a major school leadership goal. Effective curriculum implementation hinges on power dynamics in schools; this puts distributed leadership in the spotlight. Heads of departments (HoDs) are important role players in the distributed leadership structures of schools. This qualitative case study explored the roles of HoDs in four South African high schools to determine how opportunities were created for teaching and learning science and mathematics in the context of distributed leadership. Unstructured interviews were conducted with 13 participants. The findings show that, in distributed leadership structures, HoDs in science and mathematics played the roles of instructional leaders; school-based subject and classroom specialists; and that they were accountable for learner performance in their departments. Their actions supported other players in school leadership, including teachers in the classroom and principals, to improve teaching and learning through distributed leadership structures. We recommend that further studies explore and compare how HoDs navigate the complexities of their roles in different school contexts.