Headteachers' leadership of school improvement in Bangladeshi government primary schools: an ethnographic study

This study investigated headteachers’ leadership in relation to the challenges and opportunitiesin improving government primary schools in Bangladesh. This study adopted educationalethnography as the research methodology with naturalistic data collected through ethnographicobservations, informal conversations and document reviews. Purposive sampling was used toselect headteachers from three primary schools in Dhaka City, which were given theanonymous codes School A, School B, and School C. Thematic data analysis was undertakenafter completing data collection, and the findings were structured and presented thematicallybased on the research questions. The study’s findings revealed that headteachers play animportant role regarding school improvement in several ways, such as ensuring a qualitylearning environment, adequate funding and resources, high student attendance and academicsuccess, active parental engagement, and well-prepared, trained, and motivatedteachers. Headteachers did this through setting expectations for staff and pupils, engaging ininstructional leadership, encouraging staff monitoring of attendance, sharing school vision,securing the active learning and financial support of parents and stakeholders, and overseeingteaching and learning to enhance classroom practices. Headteachers’ enactment of power inleading school improvement was analysed using Foucault’s concept of power, particularlyfocusing on subjectivity and ethics, governmentality, and disciplinary power. However, thefindings revealed various challenges headteachers faced to ensure school improvement,including teachers’ lack of motivation, parents’ financial difficulties, complexities within theschool managing committee, lack of parental support, and issues with education officers.Nonetheless, headteachers’ resilience, commitment, strong leadership, shared school vision,and staff mentoring offer the potential to overcome these challenges and seize opportunitiesfor school improvement. Based on these findings, the study concludes with recommendationsfor policymakers, headteachers, and other stakeholders (i.e., school communities and parents)towards enhancing headteachers’ leadership in school improvement activities in Bangladeshiprimary schools, along with suggestions for future research.