Description
The aim of this study is to shed light on democratic leadership in preschools and what motivates and hinders managers from practicing democratic leadership. Woods and Roberts (2019) describe democratic leadership as holarchy as opposed to hierarchy that encourages cooperation and honors democratic values that can lead to social justice. Where democratic leadership is practised, there is both formal and informal power, participation in decisions is more general and the development of school work is in the hands of teams rather than a group of managers in upper layers (Harris and Muijs, 2005). Individual interviews were conducted with eight preschool managers in Iceland. Two researchers shared the interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and used for further analysis. Data analysis was based on Braun and Clarke's (2013) thematic analysis and from the concepts of holarchy and hierarchy. The researchers reviewed the data together and then separately with the aim of increasing the credibility of the study (Braun et al., 2018). Informed consent was given and anonymity ensured. The results show that the managers felt it was important to practise democratic and participatory leadership in the preschools. That was a good way to cooperate with fellow educators.One's own ingratitude, impotence, lack of interest and lack of responsibility were mentioned as the main obstacles in practising democratic leadership and distributing power and tasks. The theoretical value of the study lies in the increased knowledge of democratic leadership and its relationship with, among other things, participation, and social justice in preschools.
| Period | 31 Aug 2023 |
|---|---|
| Event title | EECERA CONFERENCE 2023 |
| Event type | Conference |