Ethical Principal Leadership Through Acts Of Virtue: A Phenomenology

The topic of the research is Ethical Principal Leadership Through Acts of Virtue. This qualitative and phenomenological study examines the deficiency of comprehending the importance and beneficial outcomes of implementing the practices of ethical school leadership. The purpose of this research was to study the practices of principal ethical leadership through acts of virtue using the Framework of Foundational Virtues of Educational Leadership: consisting of the virtues of responsibility, authenticity, and presence. Also, this research highlights how the ethical leadership practices influence the student’s perpetration for the 21st century. For this study, the researcher collected data and wrote personal codes of ethics through interviewing and observing six principals in Northwest Ohio.

Theoretical Framework

The researcher used in his study Staratt's (2004) Foundational Virtues of Educational Leadership “Starratt's framework will be a platform for the virtues he poses as critical to the successful ethical leadership practices of educational leaders, particularly the school principal in their efforts to provide students with quality learning opportunities that will prepare them for 21st century citizenship in the midst of an era of high stakes accountability”.

Literature Review

The literature review focused on the principals’ approach and how they should lead their school and students’ success in relying on their ethical leadership. As Sobo (2002) noted, “the moral nature of leadership is largely unrecognized and untapped source of motivation for the education profession”. The researcher begins with a brief discussion of the importance of student’s preparation in the 21st century. Next, the author discusses the policy and accountability in American Education. The researcher also reviews literature explaining leadership, ethical leadership virtue ethics, and educational leadership. The researcher concludes his study provides that principals should lead their school ethically to ensure student success. Sobo (2002) and Starratt (2004) have contended that leading ethically as an educational leader is not only important but also imperative, because of the long-term impact such a role can have on society.

Methodology & Research Design

The author states he used a qualitative case study approach. The method mainly emphasized on the phenomenon of the practice of principal ethical leadership through acts of virtue through Starratt’s (2004) Foundational Virtues of Ethical Leadership Framework. The design of this study was phenomenological using Creswell (2013) outlines two forms of phenomenology: hermeneutical and transcendental. Six principals were selected, with all being in Northwest Ohio. Researcher determined his selection based on “his” connection with these individuals and using informants. Principals’ profiles were defined as sufficient facts. Data sources were described in a realistic approach with a qualitative study.

Findings

The researcher begins by relating his findings to the purpose of the study. He states that the ethical leadership framework developed by Starratt (2004) looked to be a way for educational leaders to ensure students were being provided access to enriching and authentic learning that would fully prepared them for life as citizens in the 21st century. In conclusion, the researcher states that the phenomenon of the practice of ethical principal leadership through acts of virtue and guiding research questions were addressed in this chapter. This was done by utilizing the processes of phenomenological reduction outlined by Creswell (2013) and Moustakas (1994). Finally, the author makes suggestions for future research, including replication and expansion of this study, to focus on practical knowledge as wisdom and its role within leadership, the virtue of perseverance and its impact on other virtues. Also, the importance of ethics in all areas of leadership, not only educational leadership.

Critique

This was a comprehensive research study. For the most part, it was well written and well organized. Moreover, there was a definite need for more clarification on the problem of the study. The study provided a good background on ethical leadership; Meanwhile, the study was limited to geographically and a small size of participants. Having six principals, with all being in Northwest Ohio. And it was only viewed through the lens of the ethical leadership framework developed by Starratt (2004). Nevertheless, it was a beneficial and significant contribution to the field of research.