Title

Secondary Principal Leadership and the Impact on Engaging Hands-On Learning Strategies

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Department

Educational Administration

Date of Award

Fall 2020

Abstract

The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to understand how secondary campus principals build capacity in teachers to actively engage students in the processes of meaningful learning. Secondary campus principals should continuously work with teachers in a team setting in order to implement best practices (DuFour & Marzano, 2011). In recent years, “researchers in educational leadership have called for a new sustainable model for the future” and one must rethink how engagement aligns for student success (Murray & Clark, 2013, p. 291). Hands-on learning can be instrumental in increasing student engagement, which, in turn, builds student capacity (Li, Hallinger, & Ko, 2016). According to Adams, Olsen, and Ware (2017), students who do not feel challenged often become bored in the educational setting, directly contradicting the purpose of an education, which is to provide elements of inspiration that create lifelong learners. Hands-on learning strategies present in many different forms in the classroom (Arlestig & Tornsen, 2014; Batagiannis, 2011). In this narrative qualitative study, the researcher questioned and better defined how secondary principals view themselves as instructional leaders and in what capacity this perception relates to engagement throughout the school year.

Advisor

Ray Thompson

Subject Categories

Education | Educational Administration and Supervision

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