Roles of instructional leadership in the improved implementation of the entrepreneurship education curriculum in the Senior Phase in South Africa

Abstract

In this study, we determined the roles of instructional leadership in promoting the implementation of the
entrepreneurship education (EE) curriculum in the Senior Phase in selected schools in South Africa.
Instructional leadership is the instructional behaviour of all stakeholders charged with learners’ instruction in the
school. In this study, these stakeholders are the principals, department heads, and teachers tasked with
improving and promoting teaching and learning. To enhance EE, there is a need to revisit the role of
instructional leaders (for this article the principal, departmental heads, and teachers) in promoting the
implementation of the EE curriculum in the Senior Phase (Grades 7, 8 and 9) schools. The study employed Goal
Setting and Task Performance Theory by Locke and Latham (1990), a quantitative research approach, and a
cross-sectional design. The study population was comprised of all public secondary schools offering Grades 7,
8, and 9 in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district of North West Province, South Africa. The population of schools
in this area is 437, of which 51 schools were conveniently selected. Data was collected using a questionnaire
and analysed using descriptive statistics. The primary findings of this study showed that principals did not
prioritise the roles of instructional leadership to bring about an improved implementation of the EE curriculum
in the Senior Phase. The instructional level requires the principal, as the primary instructional leader, to
communicate these roles to department heads and teachers. We conclude that principals at the macro level ought
to create and communicate the broad vision to the departmental heads and teachers at meso and micro levels for
an effective curriculum implementation. We also recommend that principals should delegate some of the school
administrative work to focus more on instruction since this is the core of instructional leadership.