Performativity and professionalism: Irish primary principals' experience of building leadership capacity

Abstract

The evidence presented in this article regarding policy reforms in the Irish context may suggest that, until now at least, professionalism prevails over performativity when viewed from the perspectives of primary principals. Nevertheless, the article argues that the prevalence of professionalism may indeed be short lived and principals themselves may be complicit in hastening a more performative-driven culture within school communities as they compete for a share of systemic power and in the process increase professional distance between themselves and their teaching colleagues while promulgating a rhetoric of collegiality and shared leadership.