Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives on Effective and Sustainable School Leadership for Holistic Student Development: A Focus Group Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated collectively the perspectives of three stakeholders (teachers, guardians/ parents, and students) on aspects of sustainable leadership practice, communication and engagement, vision, culture, and environment, support and resources, and challenges and recommendation to holistic students development at a private secondary school in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Method: The study is a qualitative case study that utilized focus groups with teachers, parents, and students from a private school in Kathmandu, Nepal. Data were analyzed thematically to identify convergent and divergent views, and the researcher developed rigor to the study through triangulating stakeholders.

Results: From the analysis of the data, five major themes took shape: sustainable leadership practice, communication and engagement, vision, culture, and environment, support and resources, and challenges and recommendation. Stakeholders identified sustainable leadership beyond the academic features of the school, identifying transparency, collaboration, and the wellbeing of students in the forefront. Students articulated emotional supports and their voice as top priorities; guardians and parents preferred trust in a partnership with the school; and staff valued site specific shared leadership and professional development.

Conclusions: The evidence suggests the potential for a model of contextualized holistic leadership that combines aspects of instructional leadership, transformational leadership and distributed leadership, within a framework of cultural humility, relational trust, and ethics, to balance both academic excellence and socio-emotional wellbeing at the school level.