The influence of background and demographic factors on the leadership of further education principals

Abstract

This study is an investigation into the backgrounds of senior managers and leaders in the Further Education (FE) sector in England. In particular, the research aims to establish whether there is a link between the educational, professional or experiential background of a leader and the style of leadership that they perceive they display. There is a paucity of research that has been carried out on the subject of leadership in the further education arena. This thesis focuses on three approaches to leadership, transformational, distributed and managerial, which, it is argued, are the most relevant in the FE sector. The thesis also seeks to explore other factors that have an influence on the way in which FE principals lead. The research is carried out using a mixed method approach. An internet survey and semi-structured interviews are used as the data gathering tools. The study suggests that there are many influences on the way in which FE principals lead which include their background in addition to college culture and the context in which the college operates.

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