Introduction
Over the last fifteen years it has been increasingly recognised that the quality of school leadership can have a significant influence on school effectiveness and student learning achievement (Bush, 2007, 2012; Jacobson & Ylimaki, 2011; Leithwood & Massey, 2010). On this, Leithwood, Harris, and Hopkins (2008) have argued that school leadership is second to only classroom teaching as an influence on student learning. Commitment to this position has been one influence leading to a growing body of research on educational leadership across the world, especially in well-developed and relatively stable societies (Bush, 2007, 2012; Leithwood & Sun, 2012). This, in turn, has resulted in the development of various models of school leadership, including those related to transformational leadership (Bass, 1985, 1999; Hallinger, 2003; Leithwood, 1992; Leithwood, Jantzi, & Steinbach, 1998, 1999; Leithwood, Patten, & Jantzi, 2010; Leithwood & Sun, 2012), distributed leadership (Hallinger, 2010; Harris, 2004; Heck & Hallinger, 2009), instructional leadership (Hallinger, 2003, 2010; Hallinger & Murphy, 1985; Lee, Hallinger, & Walker, 2012), transactional leadership (Bass, 1985, 1999; Miller & Miller, 2001), and managerial leadership (Bush, 2007; Leithwood et al., 1998; Myers & Murphy, 1995). At the same time, relatively few studies have focused on extraordinarily challenging circumstances (Bush, 2008; Harris, 2002) including post-conflict societies , and, in particular, at the individual school level (Clarke & OâDonoghue, 2013). As a result, there are very few empirical studies that can be drawn upon to help one understand the context and nature of school leadership in post-conflict settings around the world (Clarke & OâDonoghue, 2013).
A basic assumption underpinning this book is that the approach taken to leadership within in any context can be informed by the nature of that context. To put it another way, leadership needs to be understood through considering how individual differences and actions are influenced by the context within which leaders operate (Gronn & Ribbins, 1996; Vroom & Jago, 2007). This is to say that leadership can be context-bound and needs to be understood from the âinside outâ (Clarke & Wildy, 2004), and that context can be seen as being âthe vehicle through which the agency of particular leaders may be empirically understoodâ (Gronn & Ribbins, 1996, p. 454). Thus, leadership practice, in this view, can be seen to be the result of individual interactions and negotiations in specific contexts. On this, OâDonoghue and Clarke (2010) also argue that having an understanding of leadership in complex and diverse contexts can be of assistance in helping leaders to respond effectively to the problems and challenges encountered by them in their schools.
Consideration of the assumptions outlined above prompted the present authors to focus on investigating the relationship between context and leadership in post-conflict Cambodia . This post-colonial and low-income country was rocked by civil war and genocide between the 1960s and the 1990s. Accordingly, it is not surprising that it is faced with a number of challenges as it engages in the process of national rehabilitation and reconstruction, especially in relation to the education system , which was severely damaged. The specific focus of the investigation was to generate understandings about leadership at the primary school level in post-conflict Cambodia, with a particular emphasis on the historical background to primary school leadership , on recent developments in primary school leadership , and on current concerns of primary school leaders .
Aims of the Book
The first aim of the study upon which this book is based was to generate an understanding of the background to primary school leadership historically in Cambodia from colonial times until 1998. The pursuit of this aim was premised on the assumption that it is not possible to broadly comprehend current school leadership in Cambodia without having a clear knowledge of how it has evolved over time. Also, it was deemed to be important as the past can regularly have an impact on the present in various ways, including through influencing peopleâs actions.
The aim was addressed through a review and analysis of a wide range of published and other relevant documents obtained from the Cambodian National Public Library, from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), from relevant United Nations (UN) and international development agencies, and from various academic institutions. Also, academic papers, conference publications, newspapers and other documents relevant to the historical background to leadership at the primary school level in Cambodia were studied.
The second aim of the study upon which the book is based was to generate an understanding of the developments that have taken place in Cambodia in relation to leadership at the primary school level from the beginning of the latest post-conflict era to the present. These developments were set in train by the current political regime in Cambodia, which has been in power for over three decades. As education reconstruction is one of the main priorities in this post-conflict nation, it was deemed important to gain an understanding of the Cambodian governmentâs recent initiatives and reforms in its efforts to develop education and, in particular, to shape primary school leadership .
Again, the second aim was pursued through an analysis of a wide range of contemporary documents and public records. This document analysis was supplemented by individual interviews. These were undertaken with education officers working at different education levels in Cambodia.
The third aim of the study upon which the book is based was to generate understandings of the issues that are of current concern to primary school leaders in Cambodia and the strategies adopted by them in order to deal with those issues. Education policy and decision-making in the nation, it was held, could benefit from being informed by an understanding of these issues and strategies. In particular, our position was that such understandings could be of help in designing professional development programmes for education leaders in Cambodia, as well as being instructive for those working in other countries that have been affected by conflict. Also, we held that such understandings could help to inform future research on school leadership in post-conflict environments and result in insights to guide and refine educational leadership practices.
To address the third aim, a series of semi-structured interviews was conducted with primary school principals, deputy principals, and representatives of school support committees (SSC). Purposive selection and maximum variation techniques were adopted in order to select a ...