Exploring leadership practice of principals in pre-schools owned by religious sisters in Can Tho Diocese of Vietnam

• Main Author: Nguyen, Magdalene Thi Ngoc Dep
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2011
• Subjects: Nursery schools—Vietnam—Administration; Leadership; School principals—Vietnam; Educational Leadership
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/6508; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_masteral/article/12707/viewcontent/CDTG004993_P.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study explored the leadership practices of principals in pre-schools owned by four religious congregations in the Can Tho diocese of Vietnam. The Leadership Practice Inventory questionnaires (LPI self and LPI observer) developed by Kouzes and Posner (2003) were distributed to 40 pre-schools principals and 265 pre-schools teachers. In addition, eight principals and 64 teachers were interviewed in individual and focus group interviews. The finding shows that the principals frequently engaged in all the five leadership practices of modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart as described by themselves and their teachers. Moreover, the study also found that as observed by the principals and teachers, the Vietnamese principals were caring for others’ welfare, established personal relationships, and lived out the faith. These additional leadership practices are not included in Knouzes and Posner’s inventory of good leadership practices. In summary, the leadership practices of Vietnamese preschools’ principals were caring for others welfare, establishing personal relationship, living out the faith, modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart.