A comparative analysis of the fractal leadership practices of female and male school principals

Abstract

At the apex of educational research lies a deliberate effort to investigate the most appropriate ways in which leadership can best be served. This is precipitated by both the changing educational terrain due to paradigm shifts and the need to keep up with the times on the part of educational leaders. The result of this has been a rise of a variety of leadership approaches that can be obtained within this complex jigsaw. One of such new leadership approaches is fractal leadership and it guided this research. The views of teachers regarding the fractal leadership practices of male and female schools principals were explored in a comparative setting. This was accomplished via a Likert-type questionnaire developed by the researchers. According to the findings of the study, the fractal leadership-related practices of male school principals were found to be at a moderate level of effectiveness, while the fractal leadership-related practices of female school principals were found to be at a low level of effectiveness. Responses of teachers regarding fractal leadershiprelated practices of female and male school principals showed significant differences in some dimensions or elements based on school type, age, educational qualification, and professional experience. Meanwhile, responses of teachers regarding the fractal leadership-related practices of female and male school principals showed no significant differences in all dimensions or elements based on gender and marital status. In order to improve on the fractal leadership-related practices of school principals, a number of appropriate recommendations have been put forward for institutionalization. Equally, recommendations for further research are presented.