Action Research and Critical Discourse Analysis: A Pathway to School Principals’ Professional Development

Abstract

This article addresses the key leadership competencies of school principals and how these competencies can be mastered. We argue that combining Action Research with Critical Discourse Analysis can serve as a pathway to enhancing school principals’ professional development. The paper presents an Action Research project conducted in a Junior High School in Crete, Greece. The main research material collected included the transcriptions of principal-teachers’ assemblies, analyzed using Critical Discourse Analysis. Interesting findings emerged, shedding light on issues like who speaks, how much, the quality of turn-taking, narratives, role of context, etc. Drawing on the Critical Discourse Analysis findings and his conversations with the research team, the principal’s journal shows how his reflection deepens gradually, while new theoretical perspectives open. We conclude that, under specific circumstances, Action Research enhanced with Critical Discourse Analysis can enable changes in leadership, contributing to principals’ professional development.