The Principlas' Leadership Of Successful Private Secondary Schools In Phnom Penh,Cambodia:A Qualitative Study

The number of private schools has been increasing rapidly in a developing society,Cambodia,yet recent studies on the principals' leadership of successful private schools are limited.Therefore,this thesis aimed to explore the principal's leadership to advance in-depth understanding of how a principal leads a successful private school in Cambodia by considering the principal's attributes,principal's daily difficulties,as well as possible solutions made by the principal to solve those difficulties.Twenty-one participants representing three private schools in Phnom Penh,Cambodia were selected.A qualitative method was used to gather key information about how the principal lead a successful private secondary schoolThe research findings from semi-structured interviews and document analysis revealed eight qualities of a principal.The majority of participants indicated instructional leadership,well organization,goal-based,content knowledge,teamwork,role model,high responsibility,and connection and fairness to other staff as his/her main attributes.Additionally,the results showed four difficulties encountered by a principal.Correspondents exhibited deep concerns about the poor quality of the classroom instruction,lack of parental involvement,misbehavior-student issue,and teachers' and staff's unwillingness to upgrade their abilities However,it further showed four possible solutions to address the difficulties by citing the clinical supervision of the school principal has solved the poor quality of classroom instruction,implementing extra parental involvement programs such as "Teacher-Parent Conference,Home Visit,and Monthly Report" has tackled the difficulty of lack of parental involvement,approaching the problem by classroom teachers who have solved the misbehavior-student issue,and setting clear objectives for teacher and staff development that have addressed the unwillingness of staff and teachers to upgrade their abilitiesThe principal's attributes are crucial abilities to lead a private school successfully.Yet,there would be four difficulties;however,four possible solutions eradicate each difficulty.