Essential management competencies of principals at early childhood development centres
| dc.contributor.advisor | Engelbrecht, Lambert Karel | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Ronaasen, Jessica | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-08-26T21:10:20Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-12-22T14:13:53Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-08-26T21:10:20Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-12-22T14:13:53Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-12 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Early childhood development (ECD) has gained much momentum since the headline policy, the National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy 2015 (Republic of South Africa [RSA], 2015), was ratified with the mandate to a deliver a comprehensive package of services to children from birth to six years old. ECD centres are not only hubs of education for young children, but also function as small businesses in the communities which they serve. Business skills, leadership, and governance are concepts which are intertwined and necessary for effective management by a principal of an ECD centre. Management competencies are centred upon core leadership values, which are embedded in the supervision and monitoring processes of social workers or ECD managers. A learning organisation approach (LOA), which is recommended in this study for ECD centres, maintains that people can learn the necessary skills and knowledge to function in a managerial role. This study presents empirical findings that showcase the essential management competencies of an ECD principal based on Engelbrecht’s (2014) conceptual framework of management skills, functions, and tasks, which depicts the interaction and complexity of a management role in any given organisation. A fairly ambitious timeframe is mentioned in the ECD Policy (RSA, 2015) that by 2030, all practitioners and principals working with ECD services should have adequate knowledge, skills, infrastructure, and materials to support a comprehensive package of early learning services within an ECD centre. Using a qualitative research approach, this study aimed to gain an understanding of the essential management attributes of ECD principals managing ECD centres in South Africa. A collective case study design was utilised to gain the reflections and lessons learnt from ECD principals and social work managers working in the ECD sector, by conducting semi-structured, telephonic interviews. Non-probability, purposive, and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants. Thematic content analysis was completed by reviewing the data in the transcripts of each interview with the intention of identify managerial competencies in the ECD sector as South Africa’s Department of Social Development (DSD) and the Department of Basic Education DoBE) move forward into a future of possibilities for collaborative learning and development. This study highlights the importance of business planning, mentorship, financial and ECD principal management tasks, the quality of ECD principal management, principal management training programmes, and further policy developments targeting the promotion of ECD principals’ professional development. Conclusions and recommendations towards government departments, non-government organisations (NGOs), and ECD principals themselves are offered to provide practice-relevant evidence for intervention moving forward. Key recommendations include incorporating a learning organisation approach to the support and training of ECD principals and the centres they manage, what the management competencies of ECD principals should be, and the optimal mechanisms needed to support the growth of this role in their organisations. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sedert die Nasionale Beleid vir Geïntegreerde Vroeë Kinderontwikkeling 2015 (National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy 2015) (Republiek van Suid-Afrika [RSA], 2015) bekragtig is, het vroeë kinderontwikkeling al hoe meer aandag begin geniet. Hierdie beleid het die mandaat daargestel om ʼn omvattende dienspakket vir kinders van nul tot ses jaar oud te bied. Vroeë kinderontwikkelingsentrums (VKO-sentrums) behoort nie net as opvoedingsentrums vir jong kinders beskou te word nie, maar moet ook as sakeondernemings in eie reg gesien word in die gemeenskappe wat hulle bedien. Sakevaardighede, leierskap en bestuur is dus vervlegde bekwaamhede wat noodsaaklik is vir VKO-hoofde om oor te beskik om hul sentrums effektief te kan bestuur. Sodanige bestuursvaardighede is gesentreer rondom kernleierskapwaardes, wat veranker is in die toesig- en moniteringsprosesse van maatskaplike werkers of VKO-bestuurders. Die uitgangspunt van ʼn leerorganisasiebenadering, wat in hierdie studie vir VKO-sentrums aanbeveel word, is dat ʼn mens die nodige vaardighede en kennis om in ʼn bestuurspos te kan funksioneer, kan aanleer. Hierdie studie bied gevolglik die empiriese bevindinge aan oor wat die noodsaaklike bestuursvaardighede van VKO-hoofde is en behoort te wees. Dit is gebaseer op Engelbrecht (2014) se konseptuele raamwerk vir bestuursvaardighede, -funksies en -take, waarin hy die interaksie en kompleksiteit van ʼn bestuursposisie in enige gegewe organisasie uitlig. Die VKO-beleid (RSA, 2015) stel ʼn taamlik ambisieuse tydsraamwerk voor, waarbinne die doelwit is dat alle VKO-hoofde en -praktisyns teen 2030 oor die nodige kennis, vaardighede, infrastruktuur en materiaal moet beskik om ʼn omvattende dienspakket vir vroeë leer by ʼn VKO-sentrum te kan aanbied. Deur van ʼn kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering gebruik te maak, het dié studie dit ten doel gestel om die noodsaaklike bestuurseienskappe van VKO-hoofde wat VKO-sentrums in Suid-Afrika bestuur, te bepaal. Daar is van ʼn kollektiewe gevallestudieontwerp gebruik gemaak om VKO-hoofde en maatskaplike werk-bestuurders wat in die VKO-sektor werk, se blik op die praktyk en wat hulle al daaruit geleer het, te bekom. Dit het deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde, telefoniese onderhoude geskied. Doelbewuste, sneeubal- en niewaarskynlikheidsteekproefneming is ingespan om deelnemers te werf. Tematiese konteksanalise is gedoen deur die data in die onderhoudtranskripsies te ontleed, met die doel om bestuursvaardighede in die VKO-sektor te ondersoek. Dit het geskied binne die konteks van Suid-Afrika se Departement van Sosiale Ontwikkeling en Departement van Basiese Onderwys, wat tans die moontlikheid van samewerking ten opsigte van leer en ontwikkeling oorweeg. Hierdie studie beklemtoon die belangrikheid van sakebeplanning, mentorskap, finansiële take, VKO-hoofde se bestuurstake, die gehalte van VKO-hoofde se bestuur, opleidingsprogramme vir hoofde en verdere ontwikkeling van beleide ter bevordering van VKO-hoofde se professionele ontwikkeling. Daar word tot insiggewende gevolgtrekkings gekom en aanbevelings word aan regeringsafdelings, nieregeringsorganisasies en VKO-hoofde gemaak deur praktykgerigte riglyne ten opsigte van intervensie te verskaf. Die vernaamste aanbevelings sluit in om van ʼn leerorganisasiebenadering gebruik te maak om VKO-hoofde op te lei en hulle en die sentrums wat hulle bestuur, te ondersteun. Daar word ook aanbevelings gemaak ten opsigte van die bestuursbevoegdheid van VKO-hoofde en die optimale meganismes wat benodig word om die ontwikkeling van hierdie rol in hul onderskeie organisasies te bewerkstellig. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Doctoral | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xvi, 333 pages : illustrations | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/123647 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | School management and organization -- Study and teaching (Early childhood) | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Educational leadership | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | School based management | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Competency-based education | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Early childhood education | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | School principles -- In-service training | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | School principals -- Training of | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Child development | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | South Africa. Department of Social Development | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | South Africa. Department of Basic Education | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Essential management competencies of principals at early childhood development centres | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |