“What have you bee up to today?”: construing and re-construing head teacher’s work and role

Head teachers are expected to be pedagogic leaders who support their teachers’ professional development in order to improve long term teaching quality and goal achievement. Research shows that many heads perform a multitude of administrative and hands-on tasks, while trying to balance diverging and sometimes incomprehensive objectives and expectations.

This paper reports from a project where six Swedish head teachers reflected over their tasks and role, using the diary- in-group-method.

The results show how the participants construe their role in relation to their complex and multifaceted work situation, and to their personal and professional ambitions. They all seem to have a personal approach to their role, which allow them to balance the contrasting demands and to accomplish a personal equilibrium.

The participants appreciated the research process, which provided individual reflection on the diverse tasks that filled their days, and collegial feedback and reflection on important aspects of their professional role.