Being and becoming an Irish primary school principal: a view from the inside

Rooney, Anna Mai (2025) Being and becoming an Irish primary school principal: a view from the inside. Ed.D thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The prevailing negative perception of the role of the primary school Principal in Ireland set against the articulation by so many Principals of their love and enjoyment of the role was the impetus for this study. The reasons why Irish Principals appreciate their position and celebrate their achievements are explored while the benefits and the challenges of Principalship are highlighted. The study also examines the many complexities of the role and how both the benefits and challenges can be influenced by effective distributed or collaborative leadership.

With a view to understanding primary Principalship further, the circumstances of recruitment to the role are interrogated to determine the various pathways to the role and the emotional development of the person of the leader is explored with respect to their evolution as Principal. The manner in which recruitment and emotional development influences the benefits and challenges of Principalship is investigated as is the essential nature of quality professional learning and bespoke system supports. Four policy documents provide a contextual framework for the study: School Self-Evaluation DE (DE, 2022a), the Looking at our School Quality Framework for Leadership and Management (LAOS, 2022), External Evaluation (DE, 2024a) and Circular 44/19, the leadership and management framework for leadership positions in Irish schools (DES, 2019).

Framed in an interpretivist paradigm, this empirical study used fifteen semi-structured interviews to collect the data which was analysed using thematic analysis to generate the research findings. The findings suggest that the benefits of Principalship are not sufficiently showcased or explored in either the literature or the professional learning provided for Principals. Secondly, the complexities of the role are well documented, and the findings advocate for the potential of effective distributed leadership with a focus on the development of the person of the leader to manage these complexities. Through the lens of the newly appointed Principal’s position, the data indicates the much-misunderstood circumstances of recruitment and their potential to significantly influence the benefits and challenges of the role. Additionally, the data points to the importance of bespoke professional learning to address the emotional development of the Principal and to guide and support newly appointed Principals, particularly in relation to shadowing, hand-over and practice-based programmes. Finally, this study’s findings highlight a significant level of disconnect between the Irish education system and the day-to-day lived experiences of primary Principals. Accordingly, the study suggests that the time is right for practitioners, policy makers, and educational stakeholders to listen more carefully to each other and to work more collaboratively together to ensure that the role of the Irish primary Principal is made more sustainable, more rewarding and, ultimately, more attractive to aspiring leaders.

• Item Type: Thesis (Ed.D)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education; L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1501 Primary Education
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Supervisor's Name: Hedge, Professor Nicki and Torrance, Dr. Dee
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85330
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 11 Jul 2025 11:32
• Last Modified: 11 Jul 2025 11:36
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85330
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85330